Chris - CP # 4 (Int'l Dinner)

On Friday night, everyone got all dressed and brought in some food for a great dinner in the stadium. I went arrived with Catalina and we went around and said hello to all of my CIES friends that I could find. It was cool to see all of the students in the same room. Before then, I could only guess how many students made up CIES from recognizing familiar faces going in and out of classrooms. I saw many people had brought their kid(s) and that made me realize that a lot of these students had put everything on hold back home to come here and better their English.

There was a plethora of delicious food, which kept growing as more people showed up. After eating, awards were given out and some of the CIES teachers spoke. Then, the real fun started. There were dance performances, poetry readings, and instrumental jams. My personal favorite was a song which featured everyone on their respective instruments (including Ramin on the bongos!) and a bunch of people playing different kinds of percussion instruments. The singing, playing and dancing lasted until 11. I kept wondering how much preparation had gone into these performances.

I made my rounds and as I said goodbye to everyone I knew, I asked if they'd be back in the spring semester. Luckily, most of the students I've become friends with will be back. So I went home feeling happy to be a part of all of this. I'll definitely keep hanging around CIES next semester, until Ramin kicks me out :p