XAVERIAN'S CORNER

Perspective
Theodore Effan (H3C), Stallion Probe Writer

Posted Friday, 10-Feb-2006 10:35 AM

      Some people complained about last week’s Chinese week, yet for me, one of those few advanced-class students with a different set of requirements and consequently a different perspective of the whole program, things turned out pretty okay; better than my expectations even.

      I suppose that the whole difference in opinions lies essentially in viewpoints- an issue of perspectives.

      Having been given the rare and admittedly delightful opportunity to be a roving judge in the conversation and presentation activities on Monday, I was given the chance to hop from class to class, comparing lingual and artistic abilities, as well as appreciating the varied expressions of Chinese culture.

      This was significant for me because through these activities- the casual conversations, the captivating (and sometimes disappointing) décor (commendation to H3G), and the remarkable display of camaraderie and teamwork (hands down to H3C), I not only came to a deeper appreciation of my Chinese culture, but to a deeper appreciation of my class and of my batch.

      Being part of the Chinese advanced-class, I had the rare opportunity to interact with my some of my batchmates a floor down, and yet this program mended that growing ‘communication gap’, at least for a day.

      However, the most obvious factor that convinced me to accept the Chinese Week as a success was definitely the effort put in by everyone involved. While it cannot be denied that there is much room for improvement, it must also be acknowledged that this year’s celebration is a benchmark for the Chinese Department. As far as I recall, never had there been a program that entailed so much work, effort and cooperation, and yielded much-needed interaction among groups in the community.

      Perhaps you will understand my point when you try to view things from this perspective, and when you pause to ask yourself, “Why are we celebrating Chinese Week anyway?”

      As far as I see it, the purpose of Chinese Week is to remind us of our slowly-fading Chinese culture, and to encourage us to hold on to and cherish this culture for as long as we still can. Part of the action that we take to preserve our culture requires an acceptance of limitations- the truth that our culture is slowly slipping away.

      Thus, to see students and teachers working hand-in-hand to prepare class programs, to see Fr. Go giving his best effort in celebrating a fully Chinese mass, and to hear the whole community struggling, yet striving nonetheless to answer back in full Chinese- these perfectly encapsulate the spirit behind Chinese Week- a struggle to preserve that which is slowly slipping away.

     Nevertheless, I believe that although we did not have a perfect Chinese Week, we had an authentic one.

An All-Chinese Week

Kurt Tanyu (H2A), Stallion News Writer

Sing and Dance with a Bang

Kurt Tanyu (H2A), Stallion News Write

Freshmen Chinese Week Activities

Victorino Floro (H1B), Stallion Literary Writer

HS Bulletin Boards Donned for the Year

HS Chinese Week Culminating Acitivity Photo Gallery

Photos courtesy of Joseph Cheng, Stallion Photographer and Logan Edison H. Chiam, Webmaster

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