SEAS Picnic 2012

I just got back from the annual SEAS picnic! This year the picnic was at the Horace Williams House, which is just a little walk off campus. I got to sit at a table with fellow SEAS participants for this year as well as some of the 2011 SEAS participants. We had a wonderful meal catered by a local Singaporean restaurant called Merlion, which is in Chapel Hill. I will have to go there sometime, because the food was delicious! I am definitely going to have to start getting more acquainted with Asian food; all the sauce choices scare me. The desert was really unique, but tasty! It was really fun to chat with the past SEAS participants about there experience. They had a lot of great tips about packing, what to do for fun, and how to manage school, among other things.

The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences spoke to us about the uniqueness of the program as well as how the program is helping to spark greater interest in Asia for many of the students that attend. The numbers for Asian studies majors has significantly increased in the last ten years! Next, the donor spoke about why they started the program and how we should approach it. He suggested that we do things on our own and don't just stick to all the westernized activities and foods. While he did have good advice for getting immersed in the culture, I don't think my parents would appreciate it if I didn't call them the entire time!

Afterwards, all the SEAS participants for this year went into the house and the donor and his wife spoke to us again. His wife, Barb, told us to be really careful not to uphold the nickname "Ugly Americans" that americans sometimes get while traveling because they are often not aware of the culture and are more individually focused. She also spoke about representing the University, and America as a whole, well so that the program can continue to thrive. It was so great to meet the donors, they were very friendly and had really great ideas (that I hadn't heard before) about really making the most of the experience. I wish that I had gotten to speak to them personally, and thank them for their generous contribution.