My roommate Varun on the left.
Last night, Varun, one of my roommates and an MBA student of the National University of Singapore, told me that there was going to be a meeting of all of the Asia MBA students that night, however, at the last minute the Koreans cancelled because many of them were ill and the meeting was pushed off till tomorrow. Varun not only invited me to go to this meeting but insisted that I go, telling me that I had no choice and that it had already been decided. I shrugged and said “sure,” because I had wanted to know more of these MBA students which because of Jeanni and Varun, I had grown quite fond of. Also, Jeanni had told me that the Korean students despite never having really talked to me actually liked me, so I figured I would find out for myself if this was true. After “accepting” the invitation, however, I began to think about exactly what I had gotten myself into. I wondered out loud to myself in my room “What the hell am I going to talk about with people at least seven years older than me?!”
Well, it turned out I really had nothing to worry about because everyone in the MBA program welcomed me with open arms and for all intents and purposes for that night I became an honorary Asia MBA student. Upon arrival at the Tohee lobby, where everybody was meeting, I presented a box of Suzhou style moon cakes to the Korean students who were present because offering food is a cross cultural gesture of good will. From the amount that some of them ate, I think most of them enjoyed the moon cakes. For almost all of them, these were the first moon cakes that they had ever tasted, though I hope some time soon, they get a chance to taste the Cantonese style Wing Wah brand moon cakes that I grew up on. The moon cakes were a hit with the Indians as well, with Sandeep, Varun’s friend and another MBA student, eating many of them. I think that I had to take the box from Sandeep just to make sure there were enough for everybody.
At dinner, I was able to generate some good conversation from everybody by asking general questions about what people liked or disliked about Shanghai. I learned a lot about everybody at the table and experienced a significant amount of cultural exchange. When I revealed my age to everybody, they were very surprised because many of them thought I was three to four years older, partly because I had been introduced by Varun as a new MBA student, but no one seemed to mind. On a humorous note, I really felt my young age, when I told Jeanni that Varun had worked at the same company as my dad just a few years ago. When the check came, Jeanni told me not to worry about paying and that it was already taken care of. Taking none of it, I attempted to pay for my meal but Jeanni was stubborn about it. The battle was lost and there was no way I was going to be allowed to pay. Not sure who exactly paid for my meal, I thanked the eldest member of the Korean group, though I suspected everybody chipped in.
Not the best picture, but the best I had. Duke is the man in the middle.
Little did I know that dinner was going to be tame compared to the after dinner drinking that occurred. This is where Duke, the eldest and de facto leader of the Korean group, stole the show and made my night. Not sure how Duke came upon his English name, but his boldness and care free spirit instantly reminded me of the “Dukes of Hazard.” Duke was without a doubt the life of the party as he taught everybody about Korean drinking etiquette. He taught us how to pour drinks to your elder with two hands along with various variations of two handed pouring, to turn away to drink at least the first drink out of sight of your elders and never to pour your own drink because it would be bad luck for the person sitting across from you. Duke called cheers, a couple of which were bottoms up thanks to Sandeep, for various ridiculous things such as Thailand and Singapore. As ridiculous as the cheers were, I had to admit it was a lot of fun, though Jeanni threw me many concerned glances as my cup was repeatedly filled because I was drinking with a cold and sore throat. In addition to the cultural exchange and party spirit, Duke offered up some hilarious life advice that I have taken to heart. At the end of the night Duke picked up the tab for everybody which included food and over twelve bottles of beer; and when he finished paying, everybody lined up, bowed and loudly yelled “kamsahamnida” (thank you in Korean).
While walking back to my apartment, Sandeep’s words echoed in my mind “Why do you need to study international relations, when you can get all your cultural exchange here with us!” And that is when I fully began to realize how incredible that act of “kamsahamnida” had been. A row of Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, Thai and Indian students had just lined up to say thanks in Korean on a street in Shanghai after experiencing a whole night of cultural exchange while dining at an Italian restaurant and ending the night drinking Japanese beer. I do not know if you need to be an anthropologist to appreciate this intersection culture, but I certainly found the whole experience amazing and heartwarming.
I must say, Shanghai is some international city and I definitely live for moments like this.
-muffinman
