Speechless in OSU

Leah C.

February 22, 2010 - 2:00 AM

A few of the HKSA members and I headed up to Corvallis to see our past HKSA member, Warren and his culture show. He is now the vice president of the Vietnamese Student Association at Oregon State. Originally a student at Oregon State University, he was a temporary Oregon duck for his junior year. He decided to go back to finish his major for his senior year and we at the University of Oregon miss him dearly. He was just the kinda guy that everyone liked and was involved in many clubs. Once he came down to participate in our Karaoke Night last fall. I thought that it would be nice to return the kind gesture by visiting him. Driving up to Corvallis, with my two vice presidents in the front seats and our multimedia guy in the back, our conversations were filled with what to expect in Warren's culture show, as well as plans for our own.

We reached Oregon State's Campus, and immediately a couple of us began talking smack about our rival school. The spirit banners, their library, even the name of their memorial union, (it was called the M.U. instead of the E.M.U). Of course we were only half joking. Oregon State has its own charms, depending on the individual point of view. The campus was actually nice with red brick buildings everywhere. Although it did not feel as homey and welcoming as the University of Oregon....

Anyway we reached the M.U. where the ballroom is and got tickets for the show. We met Warren in his black suit and he led us to a table right next to the stage personally reserved for "Warren's UO friends." It was a great honor to be there. The spot was an excellent place to take photos of the performances without standing or peeking between the heads of the audience. I couldn't have asked for more. Warren definitely showered his friends with great hospitality by putting us near the stage. I noticed the table next to us had some familiar faces as well. It turned out that it was the UO's Vietnamese Student Association, there to support their sister school in their biggest event of the year.

The night altogether was very impressive. Everything, from the food, performance, and the skit was outstanding. Their theme was a masquerade dance, that they had incorporated into their skit. Which explained the feathers and masks as the center pieces of each table. The name of their culture show was called "Lost Back East." The story involved an engaged couple going back to Vietnam in order to gain the fiancee's grandparents agreement on the wedding. The performances consisted of traditional and modern dances, as well as several song performances.

Driving back to Eugene, we definitely had a lot of new ideas to talk about. During the last half of the car ride home, there was a point where we all became silent. Either from exhaustion or thinking. I stared out into the clear sky and admired the stars. We were driving through small towns and open fields so they were extremely bright! While I looked on, I thought about Warrens last words as he said good bye to us in Corvallis. How he felt so relaxed, and how happy he was that all the weight was off his shoulders. I can't wait until our night is over. Actually, now that I think of it, looking back on all the time committee spent together for last years HKSA culture show, was really fun. Despite all the difficulties and frustration with planning and practicing, there were things that made me want to be a part of it all again. Now that I am one of the directors of the show, I shouldn't stress too much. Instead I should enjoy every minute of it, because before I know it, April 11th will have already passed. I hope that our culture show will leave a good impression on everyone. Including Warren when he visits. He still owes me a dessert for designing his posters for his night!