7/26

Bummer, I thought the farm fair was this weekend. Oh well, I guess it's better that it's next weekend bc actually I'm supposed to be working on this week's MUS assignment (teach a multicultural song to the class, detailing rhythm, movement, words, etc.) Fortunately, or unfortunately, my song is the Mexican hand clapping song (or "Las Chiapanecas") so there is no singing involved. Most people are doing songs from their own culture but I decided learning a Chinese song or dance would be hard enough without having to teach it.

I found a super-simplified version in my very first piano book, an Alfred d'Auberge, and thought it seemed easy enough. But I had to double-check the authenticity because the book also contained a song called "Sing Tu Yoo," which is supposed to sound like a Chinese zither I guess. Anyway the illustration is this short little Chinese guy wailing next to a big dragon. The words: "I am Chinese and my name is Sing Tu Yoo. I play ancient Chinese song and sing it very good, too, something something something, when I Sing Tu Yoo." When I learned this song, I thought it was real Chinese music. Remembering that, I hopped on the internet to check out this Mexican hand-clapping song and lo, it exists. It's a folk (love) song, so I still don't know how I will present the context of the translation. (Third-graders: "Love? Ew.")

The one-class thing is leaving me with a lot of time on my hands to fool around but it's not actually supposed to be that way. It's like this, I fool around from Monday night (after class) to about Friday when I start thinking abotu the work I'm supposed to be doing for the coming Monday. I work like mad (esp. around Sunday evening) and repeat cycle. It's like I never left high school.

The crappy thing is I won't be able to get financial aid (or "award" as the Tong is forced by the IRS to call it) for this term bc I am only PT. Never again.

Speaking of money and the mafia, the TOng is doing something new: interviewing (over nice Chinese dinner of course) candidates for educational awards. Used to be we could just send our apps and essays in and snap, if we qualified they'd send us a check. Faceless. It was great. But I have to admit this is a much better system. It's not like being grilled, it's more they just want to know you (and pressure you into attending more general meetings and not just the fun stuff like dragonboat race coming up Aug 9!) I signed up for the Alzheimers Memory Walk partly because there is no disease that scares me more than Alzheimers (except maybe things with a certain immediacy to them like oh SARS, ebola, etc.) and partly because what was I supposed to say, "No thank you?" It was great, by the way. We were the only ones in the restaurant (the whole place was dark except for our table) like a real mafia-Tong meeting.

I was by far the oldest "candidate" present. One guy was my brother's age or a year older. The other was three or four years younger than me. I felt ancient. But I'll also get the most money (being a graduate student qualifies you for more than, say, a graduting high school senior.) The conversation eventually turned to Tong leadership and the role of women then, now and in the future. The "elder" viewpoint can be disgusting (even the ladies, as they call themselves, are much more comfortable with the menfolk, as they call their husbands, making all the executive decisions.) But guess what? I'm 25 and the menfolk are 80 to a hundred. Who do they think is the future around here? Why is it that when we get married and change our names (if we choose to do that) that they expect us to shed our identities as well? Now I don't mean to go off on a feminazi rant or anything but I think it's ridiculous that I could "marry out" of my family name and be reduced to an associate member, despite the fact that I've been active in the Tong all my life, and a Caucasian woman could "marry in" and be a full member despite not knowing a thing about Chinese culture. At this point neither I nor she would be able to become a Tong officer so I suppose it hardly matters. The by-laws state that only men can be officers, dunno how that one got past the audit for NPO status.

So we're up against this mindset that you marry out of your father's house and into your husband's. Isn't that progressive? I know that's the way things were (and again, not for everyone, but for many) but get one, tiny, little clue from all the other tongs who have had men AND women in all offices from president all the way down to jin dui assembly line. Hey! I just went to an ACUW (associated chinese university women) function today, now there is a Chinese club with its head on straight. It might seem like the inverse (or the converse, the opposite but not, whatever) of the problem, because it's an association for women and not men. BUT. The Tong does not claim to be a club for men, it happens to have been started by a bunch of men in 1902 with the purpose of unifying Chinese immigrant families with a common surname. Solidarity and all that. Its benefits have evolved into cultural, social, business, career and educational networking. Community service. Sowing and reaping the fruit of our forebears (i.e. taking care of our property in C-town.) Nowhere does it say "For Men Only." The ACUW on the other hand is run by women to benefit the community. It's more than obvious by the org title that it is an association for women.

Anyway that was the gist of my end of the conversation. It's only because I love the Tong and always want to be a part of it (as a woman, not a "lady") that I actually bother to vocally disagree with the stubbornest men on earth.

OK, just unearthed lyrics for "Chiapanecas." Having a little trouble with the timing, though you'd think 3/4 would be simple enough. It's like ta-ta-ta, that's one measure. Waltz tempo, so the stress is on the first count (TA-ta-ta). But Chiapanecas has a lot of rests (where you are supposed to clap twice, maybe rest before and after) so I'm not sure, is it supposed to be TA-ta-ta TA-ta-ta TA-rest-clap clap-rest-rest, by george I just answered my own question, I better go. btw, "Chiapanecas" is not the hat dance, it's the hand-clapping song! It's not "La Cucaracha" either. You would be shocked and appalled to know how many "educational" sites use "chiapanecas" and "la raspa" (that is the hat dance) interchangeably! Or maybe you wouldn't. Anyway if I had a sombrero I might have thrown it down and taught "la raspa" instead but I'm happy with the "Chiapanecas" progress (cause there's finally been some) ... also made maracas out of MD cans and pennies. And finally I leave you with this: Chia (as in the plant you call a pet) finds its origins in chiapas, mexico, also the birthplace of the hand clapping song.