The Brandeis Chinese Cultural Connection hosted a welcome party to kick off the new school year on Thursday in Sherman Function Hall. Announcements for the occasion promised “games and free food!” and a great opportunity to meet new people; it did not fail to disappoint. I, in addition, had the privilege of gaining insight into the work of the club and got a taste of the Chinese culture. 

At the entrance, the sign-in table was decorated with balloons and a tablecloth. We were asked to put on sticker name tags to make introductions more accessible. Groups filtered in, eventually making for a sizeable crowd. The event managed to fill roughly 11 tables of 10 seats each, leaving a mere few on the periphery of the hall empty. These round tables were laid with red tablecloths, and at the center of each table was balloons and a handful of hard candy.  

Preceding the games and food was a slideshow briefly covering the club’s purpose and an itinerary of upcoming events. Most notably, the presentation mentioned BC3’s commitment to its cause and acknowledged the work done by its members over the summer. The club held information sessions about Brandeis in Shanghai and Beijing and coordinated an airport pick-up service for new students arriving from China. Overall, I learned that BC3 is a great support system and allows students from China to connect with others with the same background.  Following the slideshow, the event picked up in energy. Roughly 20 students from BC3’s executive board, all clad in black shirts, introduced themselves in a humorous manner. Projected on the screen were selfies with filters, drawn self-portraits and blurry candids which invited laughter from the crowd.  

After this introduction, BC3 held inventive and entertaining icebreakers. The first one was called “pass the parsley” (the parsley being a big, plush, stuffed vegetable). In an entertaining rendition of musical chairs mashed with hot potato, the club continued with a game in which the objective was to throw the parsley around the room until the music stopped. The person who ended up with the parsley last had to state their name, year and where they were from. Although a few cups were knocked over and a couple of times the parsley dropped to the floor, by the end of it almost everyone had introduced themselves.  

A second self-introduction game involved smaller groups, this time just with those seated at each table. The game started with a person naming a particular place on campus to a neighbor. Then this location— ‘Rabb’ for instance — would be said to the next person, the chain making its way around the table. Someone could switch the direction of the exchange by stating a different location on campus. The person who messed up had to introduce themself.  

After the games, an extensive dinner, which seemed like a 10-course meal, was served. The dishes included Kung Pao chicken, cabbage with meatballs, kidney beans, sliced potatoes, deep fried fish and rice. Everyone helped themselves to the food, which was placed on the table in separate dishes in a “family style” manner. The food was delicious; I particularly enjoyed the Kung Pao. 

This was the first of many BC3 events to follow this semester. The club’s next event is titled “Taste of China,” which will be held on Oct. 4 at the Intercultural Center lounge. 

As the individual party favor from this event noted, there will be “free food, games and freestyle!”  I encourage everyone to attend and enjoy the camaraderie and rich food of the Chinese culture.