How many times have you missed your hometown?
How many times have you dreamt about your home state?
How many times have you desired to have a taste of your own special local food?
All of us might have dreamt of exploring the world and becoming an adventurer when we were children. Unfortunately, we grow up fast and soon realize that our time and money will never be enough?
For all enthusiasts and dreamers, there was a great opportunity to find adventure on campus at the Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School (PKUSZ) ‘Youth With No Borders: Night at Mirror Lake Party’!! The great party was organized by the PKUSZ Student Union Committee of the Communist Youth League.
On Dec. 20th, when the clock struck 6pm, students could enter the “boarding gate” and travel to different countries on the “magic plane” around the world. At 6:30, the ‘plane’ took off to fulfill everyone’s dreams at the Mirror Lake Party.
There were many games, delicious foods, festival lanterns, performances and many more eye feasting events.
The theme of the party was ‘Youth Without Borders’. It was amazing to see students enjoying the wonderful diversity of cultures from around the world on campus. For example, PHBS managed a UK booth welcoming guests with wax seals and postcards, as well as chips; the School of Electronic and Computer Engineering provided Thailand’s special food, like durian pizzas and dried mangoes.
Furthermore, our international students took the opportunity to display their own culture, such as Latin-America, Czech Republic, India, Italy, and Germany. International students enthusiastically introduced the culture and special food, attracting numerous visitors in the party. To feel the party spirit, we had 2 students who represented Latin American culture and tradition in the party. Let’s check how they prepared for the party!!
Dany Bonfil -Mexico
Q: What was your idea/theme to display in the party?
A: Our main theme was to represent the Latin American students, mainly Spanish and Portuguese speakers, with flags, football jerseys, traditional piñata, souvenirs from Ecuador and Argentina, colorful stand like a carnival in Brazil, and music for dancing.
Q: Any special food you would like to introduce to us?
A: For the food, we prepared guacamole which is a special Mexican appetizer, it is usually served with small tortilla chips and prepared with avocado, tomato, onion, salt, and lemon. Later, we demonstrated some dancing moves from Republica Dominicana and invited them to taste the customary Mexican alcohol tequila.
Q: How did your preparations go? Did you face any difficulty in finding the ingredients?
A: Preparation of guacamole is not difficult, it requires only a few steps and mixing. The tricky part is finding fresh and nice avocados and taking care that the onion is not too spicy!
Q: Cool!! How did the guests feel about food and dance?
A: People enjoyed the dance with Juslivy, who is a Dominican Republican, and has great dancing skills!
Q: How was your experience in the event?
A: The event was very interesting, with students of different schools and associations showing their skills. This was a good opportunity for getting to know more about Chinese students and it was particularly fun dancing to Chinese songs at the end of the event.
Juslivy Pena
Q: Please introduce yourself and one tradition in your hometown.
A: I’m from the Dominican Republic. In my country, we eat a lot of avocados, plantains, and seafood. It’s traditional to dance with the family. For Christmas, we have a big dinner with all the members of the family. We sing and play traditional instruments. On the 25th, we open gifts before my father rings a bell showing that Santa had arrived.
Q: How did you prepare for your booth?
A: We decided to have a both for all the Latin American countries because we have a very diverse and dynamic region but we share many things in common. We always see the world in the happiest way, and all the colors that we had in the booth represent the harmony and cheerful spirit we have. We prepared guacamole and tequila, both originally from Mexico.
Q: Do you like traveling?
A: I love to travel and get to know more about other cultures. I have been to the USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Jamaica, Cuba in North and South America. As well as, Spain, France, Switzerland in Europe. Each one has its own magic of unique food, culture and tradition.
Q: How did you enjoy the ‘Night at Mirror Lake’?
A: I loved the activity, it was very fun, and I enjoyed a lot. I wish it should continue every year.
Also, 2 international “tourists” provided their comments during the party:
Alex Naegeli
I am from Sweden. I think this event was great! I hung out with my friends on such a fantastic activity and the little games are interesting and funny!
Muhammad Kakira
It was actually the first time I joined the big “party”! There were so many people! I enjoyed tasting different varieties of food, and the performances were terrific! Especially the Chinese kongfu and boxing! They were amazing!
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Though the party night had to come to an end, “Youth Without Borders” never settles! The party vibes can still be found in our classmates even now. We hope more interesting activities will be held in the future to engage international and Chinese students. This was really a wonderful night! 2020 is coming! May it bring peace and prosperity into everyone’s life. Happy New Year!
By Rosy Wu
