I Want to be a Bollywood Star

Hello again everyone, I hope you have had an excellent week since we last spoke. Much has happened in the last week for me, so let's dive right in.

 

First off, Saturday was the date of the annual Ethnic Arts festival here at Luther. I have been attending this since I was very young, and it gets better every year. Basically, it is a festival in which anyone who wants to represent their heritage or culture can do so in multiple ways. The day starts off with a fair of booths set up in the Center for Faith and Life (CFL). These booths represent specific countries or regions and there are arts, crafts, information, and activities about or from each location. The most popular part of the festival comes later in the day: dinner. Students and volunteers slave away in the kitchen for hours preparing mouth-watering dishes from all over the world. My plate consisted of food from Jamaica, India, Serbia and Wisconsin, and that was only a tiny portion of the variety that was to be enjoyed. After the dinner, there is the ever-famous talent show for which people prepare all sorts of acts. There was dancing from India and Egypt, songs from China and Rwanda, and comedy from all over the globe. Several of my friends were involved in the performance, so it was especially fun to watch. I am always amazed at how much talent is concentrated on Luther's campus.

 

In addition to the Ethnic Arts Festival was a Center Stage Series concert in the CFL. This series of concerts usually brings in some amazing artists, and this time was no exception. The Alison Brown Quartet featuring Joe Craven came and played a little bluegrass, celtic, and jazz music. They were quite fantastic and told some great stories. The next Center Stage Series concert is this Saturday. It is the Harlem Gospel Choir, which should be a very energetic and exciting performance.

 

So, this is what has been on my mind lately. Currently I am considering what I want to do next year. I am planning on taking a year off from school and doing some independent travel. I was considering doing a study abroad, but find the programs to be too confining, or just too expensive. I will come back and graduate at the same time as expected. I am thinking about doing some volunteer biological research abroad, some bicycle touring here and abroad, and visiting a few friends who will be scattered around the globe for study abroad experiences. If any of you have any tips, suggestions, or comments, I would love to hear them or hear of your own travel experiences. 

 

Take care of yourself and others and keep warm.

 

Peace,

Collin