There she is, Miss America. This year’s ideal American woman is an Asian-American.
N U
A
NU Asian Magazine Issue 10, Vol. 2 Winter 2014
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, The term “Asian” is a complicated one, functioning as a political unifier for a range of people groups and cultures so wide that they often have trouble identifying with each other. East Asians serve as the poster children for the term, and South Asians, Southeast Asians and Central Asians are often left out of the picture. The honorific traditions of Korea, the unique independence of Thailand, the multiculturalism of Singapore, the nomadic history of Kyrgyzstan—very rarely are all these pieces encapsulated in the use of the term “Asian.” The debate about the usefulness and validity of a Pan-Asian identity continues, but what is undoubtedly necessary is a broadening of the term “Asian” that evokes the complexity that the debate itself entails. This winter, our issue is South Asian themed to draw focus to an aspect of Asian identity often underrepresented. Our cover story features the first South Asian woman to be crowned Miss America, Nina Davuluri, and the two other Asian-Americans who made it to the top five of the competition, Crystal Lee and Rebecca Yeh (American Girl, pg 9). In addition to representing the diversity of Asian identity, these three women draw attention to the complexity of American identity. The concept of American identity is as complicated as Asian identity. Americans are as limited to being blonde, meatloaf-eating, Midwestern farm hands as Asians are to fair-skinned, kimono-vested, sake-swallowing samurai. The conception is so unfair to such large swaths of people—including both the children of recent immigrants and the descendents of the immigrants who arrived on the Mayflower. It is our hope that the stories of this issue challenge and complicate conceptions of both Asian and American identity, as well as highlight the areas where the two intersect and shape each other. Thanks to each member of staff and contributor for making this passion project possible. We are a testament that the whole is more than the sum of the parts. And thanks to you, reader, for your continued support. Cheryl Wang Editor-in-Chief
NU ASIAN STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cheryl Wang MANAGING EDITOR Tony Kim PRINT EDITORS Jeanne Kim Denise Zou Heather Budimulia Sophia Ahn Jacqueline Montalvo
WRITERS Rosalie Chan Heather Budimulia Jacqueline Montalvo Cheryl Wang Susan Zha Astrid Goh Sophia Ahn Elizabeth Kim Justina Lin Justin Nam Melissa Shin Karen Gwee Lisha Yang
A Northwestern University and NU APAC publication
Xindi Song Jireh Kang CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joanne Lee DESIGN TEAM Lisa Rhee Katherine Hyunjung Lee PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Lucy Wang
ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Hannah Lin
Stacy Ni Mike Wang Jaclyn Zhou
PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM Astrid Goh Katherine Yao
PUBLICITY DIRECTOR Helen Liang
BUSINESS DIRECTOR Emily Park BUSINESS TEAM Saya Han Andrea He
PUBLICITY TEAM Yining Zhang Nancy Wang Michelle Jiaqi Yu Serene Shiying He Johan Qin
WEB DIRECTOR Cheryl Wang WEB EDITORS Jeanne Hou Dong Jin “DJ” Oh VIDEO DIRECTOR Kerri Pang ASSISTANT VIDEO DIRECTOR Melissa Shin WEB DESIGNER Katie Fang
Table of Contents 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32
The Power of $1 The Age to Rage We Play Too Paid To Play The _ollywoods Spearheading Peace American Girl School of Faith Alpha Males Mr. Chiang Goes to Northwestern The Admissions Omission Homegrown Hidden Hit Who Wants to Be An Outlaw? Lost in Translation Aliments for Ailments Sweet
1
NU ASIAN
THE POWER OF $1 How far does a dollar go in different parts of Asia?
Cambodia
One can travel anywhere within Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, for as little as one to two dollars. Motos, or motorbike taxies, provide an inexpensive and efficient mode of transport for locals and foreigners alike.
India
The average electricity cost in India is 8 cents per kilowatt-hour, one of the lowest in the world. Although some regions in the U.S. charge similar amounts, the average person in India only consumes 7.5 percent of the electricity that a typical American uses in a year. Thus, one dollar can pay for 14 percent of the average person’s annual electricity bill in India.
Thailand
As in many Southeast Asian countries, branded products and Western food cost much more than locally-made products. Frugal travelers seek street markets for one dollar pad thai, pho noodles and candied ginger. Hungry for protein? One dollar can also buy 40 quail eggs.
South Korea
For a dollar you can acquire a roll of kimbap, picnic food that could be described as “Korean sushi.” Subtle differences between kimbap and Japanese makizushi include the use of sesame oil instead of vinegar, in the kimbap rice and the casual not luxurious, reputation of kimbap as snack food.
2
By Xindi Song
China
While food, clothing and realty costs pose a burden to many Chinese residents, services in China are still relatively inexpensive. In certain regions, one can hire a cleaning maid (ayi) for an hour for merely two dollars. Alternatively, one dollar can pay for one and a half days of internet.
Indonesia
Government subsidies of petroleum lower gasoline prices significantly in Indonesia compared to many countries around the world, even after the government’s mid-2013 decision to raise oil prices to 6,500 rupiah per liter. That still amounts to a little over two dollars for one gallon of gas.
Japan
One dollar doesn’t go far in the second-largest producer in East Asia, but savvy spenders patronize hyaku-en shops, the Japanese equivalent of dollar stores, to buy anything from pens and paper to gardening supplies.
North Korea
Although more than half of the population falls below the poverty line, the price of the average basket of goods is more expensive in North Korea than almost every country in East Asia with the exception of Japan. 40 cents in Cambodia or 85 cents in Singapore can buy a similar quantity of goods as a dollar can purchase in North Korea.
ASIA
The Age Age to to Rage Rage The
How do different legal drinking ages affect drinking cultures around the world? You are sitting in front of the large French window of your house and enjoying the marvelous evening glow. At such a time, what could be more elegant and classy than a glass of red wine at hand? Or imagine sitting on your couch with a clenched fist, anxiously watching the Super Bowl. What could be more relaxing and reassuring than a can of beer and a bag of popcorn? But for an American college student under 21, legally drinking alcohol is merely an illusion. The legal drinking age is not just a number but a force that shapes drinking cultures around the world. The drinking age can deeply influence how people consume alcohol, whom people drink with and during what occasions. China, Germany and America, three countries with different drinking ages, all have dynamically varied drinking cultures. In China, the legal drinking age is 18, but the regulation of alcoholic consumption is not strictly enforced, meaning that numerous liquor stores do not check for identification when selling drinks. Additionally, parents regularly send their children to purchase alcohol as an errand, creating a culture which makes it difficult for liquor stores to comply with the age restrictions on purchase. Since drinking at home is not strictly regulated and most parents take a carefree attitude towards alcohol at home, a lot of children take their first sip of alcohol under the supervision of their parents. It is fairly common for teens to try out drinking before they reach the legal drinking age. “My parents dipped their chopstick in wine and asked me to taste it when I was 1 year old”, recalled Alice Zeng, a sophomore studying at Peking University in Beijing. Numerous parents also get a kick out of seeing their toddler’s reaction to wine and drinking with their children during holidays. “My family drink together during large family gathering, such as Lunar New Year,” said Alice. “Adults drink at the table, and they frequently invite us kids to drink with them to add a more festive element to the celebrations.” Parents also adopt this laissez-faire attitude towards underage drinking during meals and family gatherings as long as their children do not overdrink. Chinese history and ideology may have influenced parents’ attitudes towards underage drinking. According to Alice, in ancient Chinese literature alcohol is associated with liberty, charisma, a sense of relaxation and inspiration.
Drinking in literature was also used as a means of socializing and meeting soul mates. Famous poets drank when they ran into writers’ block and firmly believed alcohol could provide them with sparks of inspiration. As a result, alcohol became regarded as being precious and tasteful. The Confucian Doctrine of the Mean, which refers to keeping a neutral attitude and not indulging in extremes, greatly influences drinking culture. Due to these reasons, most Chinese teens already have basic experience with alcohol consumption before they turn the legal age. Since they already have previous exposure to alcohol, it may not be a “forbidden fruit” for them and could seem less like a mysterious attraction. Alice believes most teenagers tend not to binge drink when they do reach the legal drinking age. Germany exhibits a somewhat different drinking culture. In Germany, teenagers as young as 14 years old can drink with the permission of a legal guardian and legally drink beer or wine at the age of 16. Germany permits people to drink spirits or hard liquor from the age of 18. In Germany, alcohol can be as cheap as water, which may contribute to it having one of the largest alcohol consumption rates in the world. Alcohol is frequently associated with sports events and is commonly seen in public, unlike in China where drinking is more common in private spaces. The common European attitude is that when alcohol is not hidden in a corner, it is demystified and therefore becomes a less alluring object. “People not only drink at parties or on weekends, but rather, you can see people walking around with beer at hand during the day,” says Clara Schulte, a 19-year-old student from Germany. “I don’t remember exactly, but I think I first saw alcohol when I was watching sports with my parents.” “I took my first drink with my family,” Clara continued. “16 [was] kind of a big deal because I can legally start drinking on my own. I tried almost all kinds of drinks before I was 18, so alcohol became less mysterious and appealing when I finally turned 18.” Since adolescents are allowed to drink beer and wine when they turn 16, they usually try multiple types of alcoholic drinks before they turn 18. Clara described Kastenlauf as being the perfect combination of sports and drinking for
By Susan Zha
Germans: a race among teams that consists of two people carrying a crate of beer, all of which must be consumed prior to crossing the finish line. Due to the low drinking age, college students in Germany get to enjoy drinking, which is seen as an essential aspect of their culture. The United States has comparatively different patterns of drinking culture. America, along with Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, has a relative high drinking age of 21. As a result, the 21-birthday bar tour becomes a staple of American life. A quote from a Pennsylvania State University study that analyzed the benefits of drinking at an earlier age describes the American drinking culture: “You blow out the candles, go to a bar, drink, vomit, and pass out. You laugh the next day when your friends remind you what happened. It is the ritual—but a distinctly American ritual.” Alcohol receives a kind of stigma in American culture and is rarely seen in public places. Since most college students do not reach the legal drinking age until their junior year in college, they tend to drink in private parties if they want to drink. The forbidden fruit therefore possesses this mysterious allure for numerous students. Also, because teenagers are not allowed to drink in public places such as concerts and sports games, numerous students are tempted to pre-game before they go to those events. Due to the restriction of the legal drinking age and campus-wide policies, alcohol is prohibited from dinner tables on university campuses. Consequently, alcohol makes its appearance in private apartments or fraternity basements. In this way, alcohol is often associated with dance parties and a wide variety of drinking games, many of which include dangerously binging on alcohol. In America, where college students are pressured to furtively drink in order to socialize, the idea of a drinking culture legally embedded and encouraged on college campuses is an unfamiliar concept, to say the least. Lower legal drinking ages in the vast majority of college campuses all over the world challenge the notion of protecting the youth from alcohol at a younger age. The lack of experience and openness when it comes to alcohol may in fact hurt American college students and deprive them of a viable drinking culture.
3
NU ASIAN
$
PAID TO PLAY When Singapore’s table tennis team clinched silver and bronze medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing and London in 2008 and 2012 respectively, you’d think they would’ve returned home to national praise and acclaim. Especially when those medals were the first Olympic medals Singapore had seen in over 40 years. Unfortunately, Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei’s achievements met mixed reactions from the Singaporean population. The primary reason? They were naturalized citizens, having been born and raised in China. In a three-day poll conducted by Yahoo! News Singapore during the London Olympics, 77 percent of 17,227 respondents said they were not proud if a “foreign import” won an Olympic medal for Singapore. While the poll was ongoing, Feng won the bronze in the singles category. Disapproving comments and complaints buttressed the numbers. “They’re just there to win medals!” “They’re only competing for Singapore because they’re too poor to represent China!” Online forums rang with disdain and vitriol that could ultimately be boiled down to one statement: “They aren’t truly Singaporean.” The issue of foreign talent in Singaporean sports, which came to the public’s attention once the Foreign Sporting Talent Scheme (FSTS) was introduced in 1993, became especially controversial at the height of Olympic fever. However, it has also loomed over Singapore’s participation in smaller sporting events, such as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The SEA Games are held once every two years and were most recently hosted by Myanmar last December. “Instead of rallying the people like sports should, a win by a non-‘true-blue’ Singaporean has so far served only to divide the nation, and even foster a loss of faith in the sport itself,” opined Yahoo! Singapore writer Justin Ong in a piece reflecting on the difference in Singaporeans’ reactions to local athletes’ achievements in Myanmar and to foreign talents’ achievements in other sporting events. Concerns about the legitimacy of sporting triumphs and the unity of the nation seem to stem from a place of patriotism in many Singaporeans’ hearts, but they slant towards mild xenophobia that degenerates into outright bigotry thanks to a vocal minority in online local forums such as HardwareZone.com.sg. Bigotry in sports is hardly a uniquely Singaporean issue. Racial politics have intertwined with sports everywhere in the world, whether in Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ black power salutes at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City or in the deep-seated cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan.
4
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Does it still boost national pride to win when your athletes are from another country? By Karen Gwee
However, the issue of foreign talent in Singaporean sports is a hot-button issue in a professedly-multicultural, economically-successful and geographically-small nation that has in recent years seen significant increases in immigration and thus a noticeable change in population demographics. The proportion of foreigners in Singapore jumped from 14 percent in 1990 to 36 percent in 2010. Unfortunately, the Singaporean public has not been entirely welcoming of the government’s foreign talent policy. The increased visibility of foreign labor, particularly in construction and service sectors, and the notion that foreign talent was displacing Singaporeans in the workforce, contributed to a rising tide of xenophobia, buoyed by feelings of suffocation in an increasingly crowded country and fear of economic downturn. With naturalized citizens representing the country on the most prestigious sporting platform in the world, the anti-foreigner sentiment unsurprisingly bubbled over into the issue. Assistant Professor Eugene Tan of Singapore Management University wrote in an email, “That FSTS athletes, as immigrants, could help raise sporting standards in Singapore and contribute to Singapore's hunger and quest for sporting success had many parallels to the foreign talent policy for professionals, investors and other types of talents valued by Singapore.” As a Nominated Member of Parliament, Tan raised the FSTS issue in two Parliament sittings last February. Raising the bar for Singaporean sports and “contributing to Singapore’s hunger and quest for sporting success” has been the official government stance on foreign sporting talent for a long time. “If we want to win glory for Singapore and do well not only in sports but in many other areas, we cannot merely depend on the local-born. We need to attract talent from all over,” said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the country’s annual National Day Rally in 2008. Foreign sporting talent improves the standard of Singaporean sports by acting as a catalyst for internal competition, says ex-national athlete Dylan Ban. Ban was part of the national table tennis team from 2008 to 2011. “The issue with training with locals within the national team set-up is that the local pool is limited and that you almost always end up sparring with people of the same skill level as you,” he wrote in an email. “The diversity was very beneficial for our personal development because we were exposed to the many different playing styles and methods of training.” The limited local pool due to Singapore’s small size and population – 5.4 million people in 2013 – is a key reason why importing foreign
talent is essential for Singapore’s sporting success, Ban says. “Singapore is simply too small to build a whole sporting eco-system capable of producing interested budding athletes, coaches and the whole range of backroom staff essential to supporting the performance of the single elite athlete,” Ban wrote. “So I would say the FSTS is essential because we really do not have any other choice at present.” Government priorities also impact the nation’s athletic performance. Economic success and security has been a bedrock of Singaporean society for the 49 years it has been a nation. This has translated into a culture that prioritizes educational excellence. “Much of it is down to our way of bringing kids up to think that studies should be focused on to the exclusion of all else,” said Neo Seh Woon, a member of the national water polo training squad since 2011. “However, while the government clearly prioritizes certain sectors over sports, it wants to have fingers in multiple pies, raising national prestige and possibly inspiring a new generation of sportsmen, hence the FSTS.” The emphasis on educational excellence in Singaporean society has resulted in a robust education system – 2012 numbers indicate a literacy rate (of residents 15 years and over) of 96.4 percent. And although the government has been making progress in improving its sporting institutions for youth – the Singapore Sports School was opened in 2004 – their efforts still fall short of standards in other countries. “The Sports School only covers athletes from Secondary One to Four, sometimes Secondary Five [8th to 12th grade]. With the new International Baccalaureate program offered this year, the Sports School holds onto its students for six years at best,” wrote Ban. “In China, athletes start training between the ages of three and five, and they peak at ages 21 to 26 for table tennis. There is an obvious gap. Local athletes haven’t been able to wrest representative rankings from foreign talents simply because the locals aren’t good enough.” However, observers of the last SEA Games might disagree. The media spotlight was trained this time on local athletes such as swimmer and five-time gold medalist Joseph Schooling and rower Saiyidah Aisyah, Singapore’s first rowing gold medalist since 1997. Evidently, Singaporean-born athletes are no slouches, and they need to show it, expressed Ban. “If local athletes are really so afraid of competition from foreign talent, then it’s up to them to work harder and outdo the competition so they can lay sole claim to the top.”
ASIA
WE PLAY TOO You might not know these sports, but they’ve been played in Asia as early as the 10th century.
Buzkashi
Imagine a sport where two or more teams battle to drop an object into their own goals for points. Buzkashi, a popular Central Asian sport created around the 10th century by Nomadic Turkic peoples, is exactly that. Except all players are equipped with whips, ride on horseback and drag a headless goat carcass from goal to goal. According to the official rules introduced by the Afghan Olympic Federation, teams of 10 players try to score the most points in two 45-minute halves.
By Justin Nam
“No other nation is as enthusiastic about a national game as the Afghans are about buzkashi.” –Aziz Jan, writer for Afghanistan.org
Chinlone
Chinlone is a traditional, non-competitive sport played in Myanmar and is believed to be over 1,500 years old. A team of six players attempts to juggle a ball using only their legs while being confined in a 22-feet diameter circle. Because of its playful nature, chinlone is often played at traditional Myanmar Buddhist festivals, where sometimes thousands of teams participate. “Chinlone is a combination of sport and dance... the focus is not on winning or losing, but how beautifully one plays the game.” –Chinlone.com
Takraw
Takraw, also known as sepaktakraw, was first played in 15th century Malaysia and has now become a popular sport in Southeast Asia. Played similarly to volleyball, two teams, each with three players, compete by sending a small rattan (a type of plant in the palm family) ball over an elevated net using their feet, knees, chest and head. Players use flips similar to the bicycle kick in soccer to score goals on the opposing team. It is now played worldwide, and the International Sepak Takraw Federation holds annual King’s Cup World Championships and World Cups. “Astonishingly visceral and explosive, [takraw] is, at the elite level, one of the toughest games in the world.” –The International Sepaktakraw Federation
Elephant Polo
What began as a joke between two adventurous athletes became elephant polo, which was officially established as a sport in 1982. Teams from Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, England and Scotland are all official members of the World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA). Two teams play a traditional game of polo while all players use six to 10 foot polo sticks and ride on elephants. Due to recent protests against animal cruelty, elephant polo has decreased in popularity. “Elephant polo is a sport which has always punched above its weight and a sport that is fondly known as the biggest sport in the world.” –World Elephant Polo Association
5
THE ___OLLYWOODS
You’ve heard of Hollywood and Bollywood, but have you ever heard of Kollywood?
6
ENTERTAINMENT
TOLLYWOOD
THINK “BOLLYWOOD”, and images of breathtaking backdrops, 50-person dance numbers, and intricate plot lines come to mind. The mammoth film industry based in Mumbai is the world’s largest film industry. But, it doesn’t end there. Bollywood is just one of many “woods” in Southeast Asia, one arm of a vast network of production centers. Throughout India, Pakistan, and surrounding countries, centers such as Tollywood, Ollywood, and Mollywood are thriving and producing films in over 10 different languages. By Justina Lin
Take a look at some of the most successful “woods” to come onto the scene: LOLLYWOOD
Lollywood is based in the city of Lahore and is used to refer to the Pakistani film industry. First coined in 1989 by Glamour magazine, the film industry began in 1929 with the opening of United Players’ Studios on Ravi Road. Waar (The Strike) “Waar” is a Pakistani action thriller and drama film. The film shows a stylized depiction of events about the war on terror in Pakistan, including the real events of the Police Academy attack in Lahore in 2009. Chambaili The thriller is set in the fictional city of Falakabad. The movie develops themes of political corruption and instability, following a group of friends in Falakabad and their attempts to change the corrupted government. Zinda Bhaag The film is about three young men, who set out to travel West, where they believe they will find fortune and success, in an attempt to break away from the monotone nature of their daily lives. PUNJWOOD
Punjwood refers to the film industry of the Punjabi language in the Punjab states of India and Pakistan. Over the past century, the Punjabi film industry has produced between 900 and 1,000 films, many of which have won national awards. Fer Mamla Gadbad Gadbad A romantic comedy about aspiring actor Jassi, who wants to be the hero of a movie. He creates drama films to make fast money so that he can marry the love of his life, Roop. During one of the dramas that he produces, he ends up being forced by a village to marry another woman, Geet. In the end, will he stay with the unexpected new wife or leave for his previous love? Jatt and Juliet 2 Punjab police constable Fateh Singhd desperately wants a promotion, so he accepts his Deputy Commisioner’s request to retrieve the man’s daughter, Pooja, from Canada. Their opposite personalities clash but they eventually fall in love. Daddy Cool Munde Fool Widower Parminder Singh is anxious about his two careless sons, who fall in love with a pair of sisters. Meanwhile, Singh himself is planning to marry Dilraaj Dil who, unknown to him, is actually the mother of the sisters. Confusion and drama ensue.
Based in Hyderabad, India, Tollywood produces films written in the Telegu language. Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad was cited as Guinness Book of Record’s largest film studio complex in the world, measuring 1,666 acres and including 47 sound stages. Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu One of the biggest star-studded films of the decade, or multi-starrers, this film follows the life of two families. One family, the Peddodus, live in Relangi village and is headed by optimistic and good-hearted parents. All is well until a conflict with their relatives, the Vijayawada family, springs up and teaches everyone some life lessons. Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde Carefree Karthik goes to a wedding reception and falls in love with Shruthi at first sight. Karthik asks for her number, but due to a miscommunication, he ends up talking to a different woman, Shravani. A series of twists then develops in this romantic comedy. Prema Katha Chitram Comedy meets horror in this film. Four youngsters decide to commit suicide because of the failures in their lives. They meet at a farm house, where they find a ghost, who ends up possessing one of their bodies, and adventure ensues. KOLLYWOOD
Kollywood is a thriving film industry based in Chennai, India, featuring Tamil cinema, films in the Tamil language. The word Kollywood is derived from a portmanteau of Hollywood and Kodambakkam, a neighborhood of Chennai where many studios are located and has a long history, with its first silent movie in Tamil released in 1916. Soodhu Kavvum A comedy about three poor friends, Pagalavan, Kesavan and Sekar, who cross paths with the son of the state finance minister, which leads to a botched kidnapping attempt. Confusion, hilarity and action ensues as the friends run away from the cops. Onaayum Aattukkuttlyum (The Wolf and the Lamb) One night a medical student, Chandran, finds a stranger with bullet injuries on a deserted road. Chandran attempts to save the stranger, who is actually a killer on the run. Paradesi (Vagabond) The drama follows the lives of poor, rural villagers who are tricked and coerced into working in tea plantations under harsh conditions. The movie takes place in 1940 before India achieved independence and depicts the grim realities for slave laborers during this time. MOLLYWOOD
Mollywood is dedicated to films produced in the Malayalam language. Based in Kerala, India, the film industry took a late start and started to develop in the late 1940s. Mollywood was the first center in India to ever produce a 3D film, with the production of “My Dear Kuttichathan” in 1984. Ustad Hotel Faizal (Feyzee) Razaq hopes to be a chef, but his father is against it, so Faizal goes to Switzerland to study hotel management. After he comes back, it’s revealed that he actually secretly studied to be a chef. Disowned by his father, Faizal is forced to become a cook in Calicut for his grandfather Karim, where a strong bond develops. 5 Sundarikal A romantic anthology film directed by five different directors containing five short stories on love about five different types of women. Grandmaster A thriller about an Indian Police Service officer who receives an anonymous note from an alleged killer which prompts him to investigate a series of murders.
7
NU ASIAN
IndiraSpearheading Johnson Peace Meet the South Asian artist behind the half-buried Buddha heads around Chicago. By Elizabeth Kim
On the first day of orientation, every incoming freshman class at Northwestern University marches through the arch as an initiation into the university. To those with keen eyes, a large Buddha head will immediately become apparent to the right, while walking through the arch. Did I say a Buddha head? Yes, that’s right. A Buddha head. The Buddha sculpture is part of an ongoing public art project titled “Ten Thousand Ripples,” in which various artists display artworks promoting social issues in the Chicago area neighborhoods. Indira Freitas Johnson, an Indian-American artist currently living in Evanston, is the woman behind it all. “The idea is that you can find beauty and peace anywhere. You don’t have to go to beautiful faces to find it.” In India, it is traditional for the eldest son to take up the occupation of his father. Indira Johnson has held up the latter part of this tradition as the eldest of six daughters. In fact, she combined both her father’s artistic talent with her mother’s passion for activism to shape her own career. Johnson’s public artworks, one of which is the Buddha head, incorporates Buddhism and Indian folk rituals to engage communities in both chance interactions and planned encounters. “I use a lot of symbols. I believe similarities are very strong worldwide. It’s that experience
of life that’s become part of my language. We are part of a larger community, and we have a shared responsibility for the larger family.” The Buddha heads are located in various locations in the Chicago area and represent a different theme for each neighborhood. In all the locations, be it the Chicago Cultural Center downtown or Highland Park, however, the sculptures are all meant to evoke a sense of peace and calmness. “We want the project to belong to the community,” said Johnson, explaining that the goal of “Ten Thousand Ripples” is for the artwork to foster interactions between community members to discuss safety, domestic violence, health education, cultural understanding, gender, peace and other social issues relevant to the specific areas. Johnson wants people to step beyond their own cultural boundaries to engage with others. “The combination of going back and forth and being involved in the community–I just sort of merge the two. I think as an immigrant you’re constantly going back and forth between the two cultures.” For Johnson, both India and the United States have become her home and inspiration for her art. Even after 20 years of living in Chicago, she travels back to India at least once a year to visit her family and revisit the ritualistic Indian folk art practices she assimilates into her art. “It’s a decision to earn a living,” said Johnson. “You have to really believe in what you’re doing because it’s going to involve a lot of hard work. Don’t expect immediate returns. Embrace it.” There is often an unspoken pressure on stu-
dents to choose career-driven majors by parents and relatives. Johnson neither encourages nor discourages young Asians and Asian-Americans to pursue a profession in the arts; rather she hopes students realize the power their passion can have to make change. She challenges aspiring artists to be patient in taking the initiative to help others by translating action into art. “I think that one action, even the minute action of smiling, just ripples outwards.”
“
We want the project to belong to the community.” Photos by Lucy Wang
8
Indira Johnson’s work Conversations; Here and Now is a public art project displayed in Evanston’s Raymond Park.
AME RIC
AN
GIR
A L
The story of the three Asian-American women who made it to the top five of the country’s biggest beauty pageant By Cheryl Wang Three Asian-American women stood among the final five contestants of the 2014 Miss America pageant, a historical occurrence. The night would continue to unfold in unprecedented events, as two of these women would enter the final two and one would claim the crown as the first South Asian woman ever to win the pageant. In the aftermath of Nina Davuluri’s victory, the Internet exploded with vitriol and controversy as people used her race to call into question her authenticity as an American. For the other Asian-American contestants in the pageant and the Asian-American audience watching at home, the issue was hugely relevant. Each of these three contestants plays a role in shaping the country’s perception of multiracial American identity. Crystal Lee, Rebecca Yeh and Nina Davuluri share their thoughts on staying true to their identity in the pageant world, the passions that drive them and the ways in which their heritage has shaped them.
9
NU ASIAN
Crystal Lee is the first runner-up in the 2014 Miss America Pageant. She graduated from Stanford in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in communication. She is passionate about empowering women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Q & A Photo by Dirk Wunderlich
WITH MISS CALIFORNIA
D
o you think that if you had won Miss America, you would have gotten similar backlash over being American? Definitely, I definitely would have, because I’m not African-American, and I’m not Caucasian… In fact, I got a little bit of that backlash because some people had noticed that it wasn’t only the winner who wasn’t Caucasian or African-American, but the top two women standing were not quintessential American woman in their eyes. So it’s kind of sad that we haven’t been able to show the acceptance that I think we should, but we’re heading in the right direction because people who have been
10
Crystal Lee
tweeting negative things about us are now realizing that they’re in the minority. Nina won Miss America doing a traditional Indian dance. In contrast, your first year competing in Miss California, you did a traditional Chinese dance and didn’t win. Then the next year you did ballet, and you won. Do you think your experiences with pageants have made you believe that America is making progress with multiculturalism and diversity? I think that pageants are helping the United States progress in terms of appreciating diversity and acceptance, but I would
say that at the local and state level, there are very different amounts of tradition. And I’d say in Miss California for instance, our president and CEO reveres the classical arts, and he’s the one who chooses the judges. So by default, I thought that by performing ballet, I would do better, because I thought the judges would appreciate and give a higher score to a classical performer than a non-classical performer... At the time I didn’t think about it as compromising my ethnic identity, but I was kind of naïve in thinking that California was ready to choose someone who was not a classical performer. But then again it could have been many reasons that I didn’t win. I was a
FOCUS
sophomore in college, and my confidence levels were not as high as they are now. I was not as articulate then as I am now.
Who were your role models when you were growing up, and how did they impact your perceptions of what opportunities were possible for you?
Was your family supportive of your entering the pageant?
My role model is probably my mom, and the reason why is she was the only woman in her IT department—she’s a computer analyst at the College of Marin, a community college in the bay area—and for the longest time, for I’d say for at least 18 or 20 years she was the only woman in her department, and she was the only non-native English speaker, so she was the only woman, the only non-native English speaker, as well as the only Asian-American… And she worked full time, so whenever she was home, if she wasn’t invited to happy hour with the male coworkers, I could tell that she was sad, and watching her struggle but at the same time push and create a great life for my sister and I and to earn respect among her peers is really, really wonderful. And I know that my mom’s story is one of millions of women’s stories, so I chose my platform of women in STEM because I want to just remind girls of all ages that they can do whatever they want.
Yeah my family was very supportive. And I think it’s because my father’s American, so he was born here, and he always saw Miss Chinatown USA as a community leader. He really wanted me to be Miss Chinatown USA because he grew up as a Chinese American in the bay area, and Miss Chinatown USA was the Chinese American community’s Miss America… I was the winner in 2010, so that really helped me pay off college loans—I won $10,000, but most of all it made my father proud. People ask you a lot of questions on a really broad range of social issues and politics. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by an expectation that you’re now a representative for Asian Americans? Do you ever feel like people expect you to be a spokesperson for more than you signed up for? I see it as an opportunity to show them that Miss California has opinions, that she’s educated, and that not all pageant girls are unintelligent. So for instance, there have been quite a few videos that have gone viral, and the videos that have gone viral about pageant girls usually are their onstage questions. All of the onstage questions that result in an unintelligent answer were Miss USA contestants. But Miss America and Miss USA tends to be grouped into the same category, and the average American might not know the difference. My job is to educate people and to tell them that there is a difference, and I do pride myself on being able to answer questions to the point and not choking on national television because this program chooses to reward woman who succeed at overcoming speaking challenges for instance. They award women on their abilities to articulate and their abilities to show the world that women today can be both pretty and smart.
*
Crystal Lee took her first ballet lesson at the age of 4 and starting dancing seriously at the age of 9. She performed ballet en pointe “The Dying Swan” as her talent for Miss America.
Photos by Jonas Yun, Dirk Wunderlich and Michael Jeong (from left to right)
So your mother is a first generation immigrant and your father is second? Correct.
?
So what does that make you
[Laughs] That’s a great question. I might be second and a half generation, I don’t know. My mom came over later in life so she definitely is the more Asian of my parents, and my father was always the defender of sleepovers, and my mom was more of the tiger mom. She was very, very big on discipline, very big on achievement, and I’m so glad that she held me to a high standard because you need to have parents to push you. Cause when I’m a kid I didn’t know what was good for me, I just wanted to watch Saturday morning cartoons rather than go to Chinese school, but because of her I was forced to go to Chinese school. But now I speak Chinese… so I’m really glad my mom pushed me when I was little, but without my dad I would probably have a really bland personality.
Do you think your mom and dad’s one generation difference of immigrant experience has made a big difference— Oh huge… —or has been a barrier to them connecting to each other? Oh, so my parents do connect very well because they have a lot in common. They are both very family oriented, and my sister and I are the apples of their eyes… My mother grew up in Taiwan, so she told me stories of how she had to wear her hair in a short bob above her ears and a long skirt that went past her ankles because of conservative standards at her school. She also grew up performing, and her parents— much like my mom—were very big on the arts. So she always was touring around Taiwan, and she was a part of several traveling performing arts groups, and she had a lot of extracurriculars and was very busy growing up. My father, on the other hand, was the middle of five kids, and his parents were always working, so my father never really learned Chinese. His parents raised him differently and showed their love mostly through food… My dad didn’t go to a four-year college, which is why he instilled the importance of my sister and I going to fouryear colleges. So my parents do come from very different upbringings, and my dad has a very American sense of humor, so they complement each other, they’re like yin and yang. On the ideal American woman: There’s a really famous song sung by a longtime MC of the pageant, his name is Bert Clarks, and the lyrics of the song go “There she is, Miss America. There she is, your ideal.” So Miss America tends to be equated with the ideal American woman, and the fact is, this year’s ideal American woman is an Indian-American girl, and that’s wonderful. So that’s something that I think should inspire women of all backgrounds to realize that they can do anything that they put their minds to regardless of the circumstances into which they were born.
FOLLOW CRYSTAL
Instagram @misscalifornia2013 Twitter @mssiliconvalley Website crystalalee.com
11
NU ASIAN
& A Q
WITH MISS MINNESOTA
Rebecca Yeh ebecca Yeh, Miss MinneR sota, was the fourth runner-up in
the 2014 Miss America Pageant. She performed violin for her talent and advocated for autism awareness as her platform, which is an issue she is passionate about because her older brother, Philip, is autistic. She is currently working towards a degree in pharmacy at Ohio Northern University. Rebecca is half Chinese, half German and Irish. Have your experiences with pageants made you believe more or less that America is making progress in multiculturalism and diversity? I would definitely say that it’s shown that we’ve been making a lot of progress.
12
Before we went out to Miss America, we were down in Florida for the teen pageant. And that was where I met all the contestants for the first time, and I was really amazed at how many different ethnic backgrounds there were out there. We have Indian, African-American, Chinese and a couple others. I was really surprised to see the diversity in our Miss America class. And then, as many people have pointed out, the top five is a very diverse group as well, three of us being Asian-American. And then the fact that Miss America is the first Indian-American to win Miss America. And I think that really has shown people a lot. I know she got some flak from that at the very beginning. It was just completely uncalled for that people were mad about the fact that she had won, but it does really say something about what America has become. And I think it’s a great thing. I think that the things I’ve learned from both my dad, who is Chinese, and my mom, who is German and Irish—Cauca-
Photo by Sarah Morreim
sian—I’ve learned so much from both of them that I’m able to combine and then relate to my efforts as Miss Minnesota. Did growing up mixed race in Minnesota come with any challenges for you? Definitely. I grew up in a small town a little north of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. So I grew up in a not very diverse environment. I think we had a handful of African-American kids, maybe two Chinese kids, and me, who is half. So, especially living up north— some of it was pretty rural— I did come across quite a few challenges personally, because I often felt like I had such expectations that all these other kids didn’t have. And I think that a lot of that came from my dad, just his own culture growing up, and so, for example, when I would practice the violin, it was at least four hours a day, and homework and in school I was expected to get all A’s. So if those things weren’t achieved I felt like,
FOCUS
I was always disappointed in myself. Even though a lot of my peers didn’t have those same expectations. And so I found myself comparing myself a lot to the other students around me and complaining, “why do I have to do this when all these kids don’t have to, but I think in the end, it really helped me, not only in pageants, but in my personal growth as a violinist and as a student and hopefully into the future. How has your parents coming from two completely different cultures influenced your identity? My mom’s very easy going. She’s the most easy going of all of us in the house, relaxed, loves to joke. My dad is almost the complete opposite. He’s very serious, he’s a perfectionist. He’s an oncologist, so obviously his job requires a certain degree of “perfection.” So a lot of that carried over into how “he and my mom wanted to raise us, and so I know that there are some times where I feel more comfortable going to my mom than my dad when I have a problem or when I want to talk about something more emotional or something that requires a little more care. I know that my dad cares just as much, it’s just that he doesn’t express it the same way. And so I definitely would go to my mom first, if I had an emotional issue that I wanted to talk about, and then for my dad, I would definitely go to him if I had questions regarding things that are more concrete, black and white, he’s very good with that. So I’ve learned from both of them, from my mom how to have fun, not let things in my life affect me so much whether they be good or bad, she helps me stay pretty level. And then my dad has obviously helped me pursue my interests to the best of my ability. And that has been through a lot of hard work, a lot of tears, dedication, commitment to things that I’ve decided to pursue. Have pageants just been a platform for you to advo-
cate for issues you care about, or has participating in pageants actually shaped what you care about? I definitely think that it’s a little bit of both. So obviously I care about autism, and I care about my brother, and I also care about music, so those are things that I really enjoy sharing with other people and educating other people on but also have learned a lot of things about myself that I didn’t know before. And so I think that influences the things that I care about in the future. For me, I think my focus has pretty much stayed the same since I was crowned Miss Minnesota, so autism, music, but also helping young women understand that Miss America isn’t this perfect Barbie, she’s not unattainable standards. I think that many girls kind of look at Miss America as this woman on this pedestal, and they don’t realize she’s really just like every one of us. And I think that was one of my biggest realizations going out for Miss America was that the girls out there aren’t as intimidating as they might seem in their photos or in their headshot. That’s something that young women really need to understand is that what you see in magazines or on TV and in movies isn’t really real. So that’s been one of my biggest passions after autism and music.
I would say, though, that you come off as a pretty intimidating contestant—
the same, we all walk in a swimsuit, we’re reasonably fit. That was really a big struggle for me, because I struggled with how to think about food the same way, how to think about it normally and not always think about eating as being part of a diet, instead making it a healthy lifestyle. So that was definitely a struggle for me, I fluctuated in weight a lot, and so I’m finally beginning to realize that I have to fuel my body with things that are good for me and not care about how many calories it is or how much I work out. I still love doing those—I love working out, but it’s something that all women struggle with at some point. Another thing is that I grew up very quiet, and to some extent right now I still am. And I guess the past few Miss Minnesotas have been very extroverted, very bubbly, very talkative and chatty, and very outgoing. For me that wasn’t the case. So that was challenging, it was very uncomfortable at first because I was expecting everyone to compare me to the former Miss Minnesotas and not compare me to where I’ve come from. I’ve definitely come out of my shell a little, but I still do tend to be more on the introverted side, and I think that that’s really okay. I think that there are many things that you can learn from people who are on both sides of that.
[Laughs] —because you’re an amazing violinist, really good at school, also super athletic. So how can you show girls that you’re still a real person who has her own imperfections?
FOLLOW REBECCA Instagram @rebeccajyeh Twitter @beccayeh Website rebeccayeh.com
I think that the best thing you can do as somebody in the spotlight is be willing to admit those weaknesses. So one of them for me was always my body image. So of course at Miss America, we all look kind of
Photo courtsey of Rebecca Yeh
Photo by Sarah Morreim
13
NU ASIAN
Q&A with Miss America
NINA DAVULURI N
ina Davuluri was crowned the 2014 Miss America, making her the first Indian-American and first South Asian woman to win the pageant. She competed as Miss New York on a platform calling for cultural competency. She is a 2011 graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science and plans to become a doctor in the future. She is currently flying almost every other day, logging 20,000 miles a month and working through the weekends to fulfill the duties of her year as the Miss America spokeswoman.
14
Photos by Bruce V. Boyajian/ The Miss America Organization
Did you have a favorite moment from the Miss America pageant that people didn’t get to see on camera?
Did you worry that performing a traditional Indian dance during the pageant would hurt your chances of winning?
Absolutely. People don’t get to see, unfortunately, a lot on camera. But one of my favorite moments was—I remember before every night of competition, all of us would gather in a circle, and we would pray together. And these are 53 young women, all of differing backgrounds, beliefs, religions, personalities, all coming together and praying together to support one another, and people don’t get to see that, and it just goes to show how all of us in this organization, we really do have that connection regardless of where we’re from.
You know, I did. I thought about it for a while… I had reached out to former judges and people who had been in the competition world, and I had a lot of feedback saying maybe the biggest critique was my talent. Just because people didn’t understand it, it was difficult for a judge to put a number on it. I had other people just say it really wasn’t entertaining, so it was something I struggled with for a really long time, but it’s the only talent I’ve ever performed for a really long time. Ever since I can remember, I’d been dancing my entire life, and it was just
the only talent that I really knew. I can’t tell you how many people said to me, “If you’re really serious about winning Miss New York or winning Miss America, change your talent because Bollywood will never win.” And for me, it really made sense as Miss New York to have this talent because it really is the melting pot of the country. And is kind of known for that. I think it was more relevant as New York to bring in new talent to the Miss America stage representing that state, because it felt like that was who I was. And so at the end of the day I knew that if I was going to win Miss America, it was in my terms and in my way, because I don’t think it would have meant as much if I didn’t stay true to myself.
FOCUS
You’ve talked about body image and your personal journey in struggling with bulimia and losing weight. Do you think pageants promote healthy body image? Well, I think with Miss America, it really does, because we call it a lifestyle and fitness competition, as opposed to a swimsuit competition, because that’s what it is. And for me, like you mentioned, I have a very personal journey. I struggled with an eating disorder when I was in college, and it was really hard for me, mostly from culture than anything, because it was something that my parents really had a different time understanding. And that’s not to say that eating disorders don’t exist in India, they certainly do, but mental health really has stigma surrounding it that I certainly hope will dissipate, because it is very important. That being said, more than anything, on my journey to getting healthy—I seek treatment and counseling—yes, it was very difficult to lose the weight, but I’m more proud of actually being able to maintain the weight and learning how to be balanced, and that’s something I’ve never really learned because in college you’re pulled in so many directions and trying to do everything at once. And just learning to have that balance not only physically, but mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually is something I really try to do. Growing up, did you find that people would question your identity as an American? I suppose I did grow up with a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions about my culture, and definitely who I was, my religious beliefs. And I think a large part of that is because I did grow up in small, conservative towns, both in Oklahoma and in Michigan, and I had many people ask me what the red dot means, or if people in India worship cows, and the list goes on, but I realize that so many of these remarks aren’t necessarily meant to be malicious, but simply because of ignorance, and so that’s really where my platform stems from. It’s really about practicing and teaching cultural competency, and that’s really having an understanding of everyone’s beliefs, backgrounds, why we think and believe the way we do. And
I’m not going to sit here and say that everyone has to agree with one another, but you can certainly find a way to respect one another’s beliefs and communicate in an open and honest manner.
sue that is definitely something they have taught me from a very young age.
On communicating with her parents and learning to bridge the culture gap:
I was honored to be able to meet with President Obama in the Oval Office. That takes the cake, I think, on top moments. Also, I met one of my role models, Mindy Kaling, and she’s one of my favorites. I’ve watched her for years.
I think the hardest time that my parents really had was the idea and concept of dating. And I think that dating is difficult for any parents, really, but especially more so for mine, because my parents had an arranged marriage. And I think one of the hardest things I ever did was to tell them that I had been dating a gentleman for a little while. And they really surprised me because it was by no means a walk in the park, but it certainly made our relationship stronger, and this was the first time I was able to really be 100 percent honest with them and approach them like an adult and say, this is the person I’ve been spending time with that I would like for you to meet. They’ve just come such a long way our years together throughout this entire process. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. They’ve learned from me, and I’ve certainly learned more from them, but I’m just really proud that they have been as accepting as they are. In what ways has your family made you the person that you are today? Definitely hard work, and I think that’s one of the biggest problems with our generation—myself included, definitely. We just were given so much when we were young—from the time that we were really young we were handed so many things —and our parents worked so hard to come here and to build a life here, and we just have so much apathy for what is going on in the world around us. To go out and to actively seek something, to actually work hard for something is a very different mentality than just sitting back and thinking, oh it’s just going to be handed to me, it’s just going to be given to me. And so that idea of hard work is something that my parents instilled in me from a very young age, definitely education and hard work, and that a key to success is through education, and to pur-
What have been your favorite experiences from your Miss America tour so far?
What have you learned so far from this year? I’ve really learned how to be selfless, not to say that I wasn’t before, but it’s just, you never know the amount of people that you’re touching… Last month I was speaking at a high school, and there was a young girl, actually she wasn’t that young, she was 15 years old, and I was speaking about—usually when I’m at high schools I tie in my platform of cultural competency cause I think a lot of bullying stems from ignorance and people who are different, especially in middle schools and high schools and so I like to tie that aspect into it as well—and this girl stood up, and she was probably 14 or 15, and she says, last night I was just in a huge fight with my mom and I really considered ending it all. Hearing you speak today has really given me the strength to be able to ask for help, has inspired me to be better, I suppose. I mean, when you have a moment like that, it’s just, there was nothing I could even say. I just remember running off stage and giving her a hug, because you just never know the magnitude you’re having on someone, and if it’s only that one girl that I touched the entire year, it’s made a difference.
FOLLOW NINA Twitter @ninadavuluri
15
NU ASIAN
Aak
ash
Shah
School of Faith
Two South Asian Northwestern students learn how to hold onto their Jain faith in the religious landscape of America. By Rosalie Chan
Weinberg sophomore Aakash Shah grew up in a Jain family and has steadfastly incorporated his religion into his life despite the lack of Jain communities in the U.S. According to the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, the Jain population in North America was about 100,000 in 2004 and Illinois currently only has one Jain temple. During elementary school, he went to a Jain Sunday school called Pathshala for two years, which taught Jain religious principles as well as culture through performances like Indian dances. “[The school] kind of gave [Jainism] some meaning,” Shah said. “As a child, it’s more like, do this, do that. The school gave me the reasoning behind [the practice] and a deeper understanding of what I was taught earlier in life.” Although Shah had to leave the school due to scheduling conflicts, he continued to learn about his religion from his parents and grandparents. His parents and family friends even formed a group where they would learn about Jainism and pray together.
16
“We would recite these prayers and talk about how Jainism is involved in our lives, how do you adapt a religion from old times to now, how to improve yourself,” Shah said. In addition to the group meetings, Shah follows a strict vegetarian diet and tries to make time each day to pray. He also observes Jain holidays such as Paryushana, an eight-day holiday during which Jains focus on purifying their souls, and continues abiding by ahimsa, a religious virtue of nonviolence, to the extent that he doesn’t step on grass. “You understand grass is a living thing. You just try to see life from the opposite end of the spectrum,” Shah said. Weinberg sophomore Amar Shah was also born Jain. However, unlike Aakash Shah, he went to a Hindu school called Chinmaya Mission in the Chicago area. Although Amar Shah’s parents were Jain, they sent him to the school because they knew people who attended the school and agreed with the values taught. “They were more about the values. The values were similar between [Jainism and Hin-
duism],” Amar Shah said. “The basic principles were the same, and I felt like I could still identify with both.” At Chinmaya, which Amar Shah attended every Sunday, he learned about Hindu mythology, traditions and verses called shloka. He would spend an hour and a half learning and then half an hour in the shrine. As he grew older, the school taught him how to implement the values into everyday life. Amar Shah attended Chinmaya until he graduated high school and is now part of the college stage, also known as the chyk stage. During breaks, he attends weekend camps where he and his peers do group activities, attend lectures and participate in physical and spiritual exercises such as yoga. “[Hindu school is] kind of what you make of it,” Amar Shah said. “You go in with a negative mentality as most kids do when they’re little. In the long-term, it’s good for maintaining culture.” Although Amar Shah and his family identify more with Hinduism now that both Shah’s
NU
hah
S Amar
With only 4.3 million Jains worldwide, Jainism is one of the world’s smallest, yet most impactful religions, having influenced historical figures such as Mohandas Gandhi. Focused on freeing the soul from material possessions, Jainism emerged in India during a period of discontent with the Brahmanic tradition of the Hindu caste system. It also follows an ethic of respect and non-violence for all living things, or ahimsa, as a pathway to spiritual purity and enlightenment. Photos by Lucy Wang
parents teach at the Hindu school, they call themselves Jains by birth. Most of their extended family still identifies as Jain, and they still practice Jain holidays. “I try to draw values from both. I think that as long as you act in good intentions and try to maintain the values that the religion teaches, all religions are equal in the end if they can produce good people,” Amar Shah said. Dheepa Sundaram, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University agrees with this fluid nature of Jainism and Hinduism. According to Sundaram, one can maintain a set of philosophical beliefs that has ideas from both religions. “If you were talking about philosophical traditions, you can argue you’re either [Jain or Hindu],” Sundaram said. “But if you get to the nitty-gritty of it, karma is different.” Amar Shah does not see conflicts between both religions and believes that the values behind them are the same. Although Hinduism and Jainism differ in certain aspects such as karma, they share many of the same philosoph-
ical beliefs, as well as characters that appear in both Hindu and Jain mythology and stories. Both Jains and Hindus believe in the concept of a permanent soul and karma, and they believe the goal in life is to escape the cycle of rebirth. However, they differ in their beliefs about the definition of karma. Hindus believe that karma is good or bad actions performed by people that have results, while Jains believe karma is matter that accumulates on the soul. “You start with a pristine soul,” said Sundaram. “By performing lots of actions that allow you to be attached to the world around you, it accumulates in the soul. To escape the cycle of rebirth, you do actions without attachment. You do good for the sake of good, and you wash away the karma that is accumulating.” Jainism and Hinduism both influenced each other. Jains collected Hindu practices, focusing on nonviolence and rejecting the practice of the caste system. In addition, both Hindu and Jain Indian-Americans have had to adapt and change some religious practices after coming to the U.S.
For example, in India, restaurants such as Subway have two separate counters for meat and non-meat foods, and grocery stores have separate rooms for this as well. While the U.S. does not have these separation practices, many Indian-Americans maintain a vegetarian diet. “Coming to a society that’s more open, there is conflict for children raised here. We experience things that wouldn’t be permitted in India,” Sundaram said. “Beyond social practices, there is a lack of ability to worship. For example, there is a lack of temples. You have to travel a long way to find one.” In Amar Shah’s case, he started going to a Hindu school despite his Jain background because it reflected similar values to Jainism. Rather than looking at the orthodox traditional aspect of Jainism, he said it was more valuable for him to look at the moral aspect. “You have to find qualities in both. It’s something no one has one answer to… You have to sift through what’s good and what’s bad. Everyone has a different definition of culture,” Amar Shah said.
17
NU ASIAN
ALPHA ALPHA males males By Lisha Yang Photo by Katherine Yao
Who The fraternity was brought to Northwestern by the eight “founding fathers” of its alpha class. Currently, the co-presidents are Nirmal Desai and Eric Gandhi, and there are 14 brothers in total. What Alpha Iota Omicron, or AIO, is Northwestern’s only Indian-interest fraternity. The fraternity brings together the South Asian community through its four principles: brotherhood, networking, community service and promoting South Asian culture. Events include the India Run for Hope, a run around the lakefill that raises money for the Indian Cancer Society, Indian dance workshops, study breaks and Indian movie nights. When AIO crossed over as a colony at Northwestern on Dillo Day of 2012. They’re rushing in the winter and looking to rush in the spring of this year. Where The journey to bring AIO to Northwestern was not an easy one. There are only five chapters nationwide—in University of Michigan, University of Urbana-Champaign (UIUC),
18
Georgia Tech University, Georgia State and Northwestern’s colony. The eight founders of NU’s colony got help from leadership at UIUC. Why The fraternity brothers are people with whom Amar Shah, AIO’s pledge chair, “feels so at home.” “It’s a relationship I definitely see myself keeping outside of college.” Personally, Shah joined the fraternity for the opportunity to be a part of something new and growing on campus and also for its sense of NU’s South Asian community. For Varun Bhatnager, his interest in preserving his South Asian culture grew as he got to college. He feels a connection with his culture at a much deeper level through his brothers. “It can be as simple as eating Indian food together; it’s a really good group of guys who bond over that similarity,” says Bhatnager. To people who are thinking of joining AIO? “Come out to our events, and introduce yourselves,” says Shah. “We’re really really open to anybody with active interest.” The fraternity’s smaller size gives brothers more of an opportunity to bond. Bhatnager attests that, “The level of brotherhood, given our size, is just that much deeper.”
NU
Northwestern welcomes Alpha Iota Omicron, our first South Asian fraternity, to the ranks of multicultural Greek life. Meet some of the brothers. Nitin Walia
Year: Junior Major: Biological Sciences When did you join AIO: Spring 2012 Hobbies/Interests: Watching TV shows or sports, playing video games, volunteering NU activities outside of class: Research in a genetics lab, American Medical Student Association, Global Medical Brigades Favorite South-Asian food: Butter chicken and rice Favorite activity with your bros: Paintball Favorite Bollywood movie/Favorite movie: Lagaan Favorite vacation spot: Orlando, Florida Favorite song: A Day in the Life by The Beatles What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Probably buy a Ferrari Fun fact: I’m allergic to bananas
Shrey Shetye
Year: Junior Major: Economics and Mathematics with a Kellogg Certificate in Financial Economics When did you join AIO: Winter quarter, freshman year as a founding father Hobbies/Interests: Formula 1 racing, long-distance running, music NU activities outside of class: Northwestern Bhangra, Northwestern Investment Management Group, Delta Sigma Pi Favorite South-Asian food: Butter chicken and naan Favorite activity with your bros: Paintball Favorite Bollywood movie/favorite movie: Pulp Fiction Favorite vacation spot: Disneyland Favorite song: Gone by Kanye West What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Buy a nice car Fun fact: I’m from Goa, the party capital of India
Amaar Nanabhai
Year: Sophomore Major: Economics Why did you join AIO: why not? Hobbies/Interests: squash, chillin, beach, reggae NU activities outside of class: Squash, CASE, autism speaks Favorite South-Asian food: Mum’s food. Favorite activity with your bros: Chillin Favorite Bollywood movie/favorite movie: don’t watch bollywood. Like the movies: “Into the Wild” and “Snatch” Favorite vacation spot: Zanzibar and Philippines Favorite song: too many What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: chill and donate to all my friends and extended family. Fun fact: Many. lol
JiWoo Hwang
Year: Junior Major: Economics When did you join AIO: I was a founding father of the Northwestern colony Hobbies/Interests: Basketball and Xbox NU activities outside of class: Currently, just AIO Favorite South-Asian food: Butter chicken curry Favorite activity with your bros: Basketball Favorite Bollywood movie/Favorite movie: 3 Idiots Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere, as long as it’s with my friends or family Favorite song: Red Lights by Tiesto What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Buy a car Fun fact: I don’t have the Korean culture in me
Karan Mulani
Year: Junior Major: Economics with a minor in Computer Science and an IMC Certificate When did you join AIO: Founding Father Hobbies/Interests: Playing guitar, browsing YouTube and Reddit, trying weird beers NU activities outside of class: DSP & AIO Favorite South-Asian food: Malai Kofta and garlic naan Favorite activity with your bros: Late night Hookah sessions Favorite Bollywood movie/favorite movie: Lord of the Rings Favorite vacation spot: Bali, Indonesia Favorite song: Right now, it’s Bonfire by Childish Gambino What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Donate 10 percent to charity like grandma taught me and then buy a sweet house on the beach in Bali Fun fact: I can speak four languages
Amar Shah
Year: Sophomore Major: Economics with Minors in BIP and Chem When did you join AIO: Winter 2013 Hobbies/Interests: Playing sports, dancing, hanging out with friends and watching obscene amounts of Netflix NU activities outside of class: SASA, AIO, CA in Bobb, Tufaan Liaison, Research Favorite South-Asian food: Matar Paneer Favorite activity with your bros: Paintballing Favorite Bollywood movie/favorite movie: 3 Idiots Favorite vacation spot: Hawaii Favorite song: Swing Life Away by Rise Against What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Buy a private Taco Bell Fun fact: I have a second degree Blackbelt in Karate
Parag Dharmavarapu
Year: Sophomore Major: Political Science and International Studies When did you join AIO: 2013 Hobbies/Interests: Baseball, football, watching TV shows such as House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Scandal, Survivor and Suits NU activities outside of class: ASG, SASA, College Democrats Favorite South-Asian food: Gobi Manchurian Favorite activity with your bros: Paintball Favorite Bollywood movie/favorite movie: Inception Favorite vacation spot: Hawaii Favorite song: Safe and Sound by Capital Cities What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Donate a lot of money to one charity of my choice Fun fact: I’m vegetarian
Jordan Caffe
Year: Junior Major: Biomedical Engineering When did you join AIO: Freshman year as a founding father Hobbies/Interests: Fishing, sailing, water and snow skiing NU activities outside of class: Cancer Research, GSW facilitator, Prototyping Shop Assistant Favorite South-Asian food: Butter chicken Favorite activity with your bros: FIFA Favorite Bollywood movie/favorite movie: The Dark Knight Rises Favorite vacation spot: Phillips Lake, Maine Favorite song: Under the Sea by Timeflies What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery: Move to a little cabin on a lake Fun fact: I’m scuba diver certified
Varun Bhatnagar
Year: Junior Major: MMSS/Economics When did you join: 2011 (freshman year, Alpha Class) Hobbies: Keeping it easy, reading, cars NU activities outside fo class: ISBE Analytics, Delta Sigma Pi, Club Triathlon Favorite South-Asian food: Shrimp biryani Favorite activity with bros: Getting killed in FIFA Favority Bollywood movie/favorite movie: Dil Chahta Hai (tears for days) Favorite vacation spot: Japan, but I want to hit up Africa after senior year Favorite song: Love Like A Sunset by Phoenix What’s the first thing you would do if you won the the lottery: Install tunnels in Northwestern because it’s too cold Fun fact: I’ve eaten whale before
19
“Mr. Chiang Goes to Northwestern”
Photo by Lucy Wang
LEO CHIANG Award winning documentary filmmaker S. Leo Chiang teaches a class at Northwestern. By Sophia Ahn Last October, the Asian American Studies Department screened the award-winning film “Mr. Cao Goes to Washington.” Three months later, the producer of the film is now teaching a course at Northwestern University for a full quarter. Leo Chiang, an Emmy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker, is known for his films “Mr. Cao Goes to Washington,” “A Village Called Versailles” and “To You Sweetheart, Aloha.” Chiang believes the key to his success is that he loves what he does, knowing the impact that his work can have on the viewers. “You have a vision, and that vision is worth people watching in theatres and in classrooms. I love interaction with people. I learn and am entertained by people every day. I am exposed to cultures and people that I have no contact to prior to the project,” Chiang said of his job. When Chiang first visited Northwestern University last fall to speak about his films, he had no idea that he would be visiting again so soon and staying for a longer period. However, when Carolyn Chen, an Asian American Studies professor, proposed that Chiang stay as the artist-in-residence of the Alice Kaplan Institute for Humanities, he didn’t need to think for long before accepting the position. Aside from his passion for producing films, Chiang believes in the importance of passing on his knowledge and skills to the next generation of filmmakers. In fact, Chiang had previously taught a course on film production and editing at University of California, Santa Cruz, and even while out on the field, he constantly helps out novice filmmakers.
In his Asian American Social Documentaries class, Chiang hopes to not only give students experience in filmmaking but also to spread awareness on issues relevant to underrepresented communities, including the Asian-American community. “Asian-American subject matters can be thought of as a niche. It does not have a large appeal,” Chiang said as he discussed the hardships of making Asian-American social documentaries. “This is problematic because when telling stories; it shouldn’t matter who the stories are about.” This challenge, however, does not discourage Chiang. Instead, he is determined to change preconceived notions of any community. “I try to complicate stereotypes. I think the people that I make films about have preconceived notions. I want them to see the film, that they are more complicated than any stereotypes,” Chiang said. Looking at the students now, Chiang recalls his college days and truly wishes for his students to pursue their dreams, something he didn’t do when he was in college. Before immigrating to America when he was 15 years old, he spent his time watching Taiwanese and Hollywood films and knew he wanted to become a filmmaker. However, as a Taiwanese-American, Chiang felt pressured to meet the expectations of working in a stable, high-paying job. “I think growing up as a Taiwanese immigrant, you didn’t really think that becoming a filmmaker is a viable career choice,” Chiang said. Choosing what Chiang thought was a more practical career, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Southern California. Upon graduating, Chiang worked in software testing at Apple but quit
after two years upon realizing that this was not his passion. “I knew I was good at sciences, and that was one of the acceptable paths. So I tried it, but it didn’t excite me,” Chiang said. Once he realized this, Chiang volunteered at film festivals in the San Francisco Bay area where one of the filmmakers filled out a recommendation for him and encouraged Chiang to apply to film school. He was accepted and earned a master of fine arts. Ever since, he has been doing what he loves to do. Today, like the filmmaker that had filled out his recommendation, Chiang wants to encourage his students in the same way, reassuring them in times of uncertainty and giving them the chance to learn about the world and their potential. This, he says, is part of the reason why he came to Northwestern University this quarter. The students, however, are not the only ones learning in the class. Through his students, who are mostly Asian-American, Chiang enjoys learning about the Asian-American generation today and their perspectives on current social issues. “I like it here at Northwestern despite the cold winters,” he said, laughing, as he continued to edit a video he is currently working on. After finishing the quarter at Northwestern University, he plans to travel to the Philippines for his next big project. The social documentary titled “Out Run” will feature two LGBT activists, Bernz Benedito and David Kuria, respectively running for Congress in the Philippines and Senate in Kenya. He expects to be done with this project at the end of this year.
21
NU ASIAN
O
THE ADMISSIONS
M
I
each year, and numbers persistently remain under the 30’s. According to the International Office statistical reports, students from Vietnam and Indonesia average just about five or less each year, with only one Indonesian student in 2012. These students end up having to search for other cultural groups they can identify with or are left to find support systems elsewhere.
What do you think of when you see the word “minority”?
Why the lack of members?
It is often the case in America that African-Americans and Latinos come to mind, but at Northwestern University, the word “minority” also encompasses students from Southeast Asia and Japan. In contrast to the multitudes in Asian cultural campus groups such as the Chinese Students Association (CSA) and the Korean American Students Association (KASA), these minority Asian cultural groups pale in comparison with membership numbers struggling to even reach the 30’s. Small numbers
S S I O N By Astrid Goh
22
Small Asian cultural groups struggle to stay afloat due to their small membership. Does the admissions office’s lack of attention to ethnic diversity have anything to do with this?
Although membership in NU’s Southeast Asian cultural groups and Japan Club is already lacking, both listserv members and statistical reports by the NU International Office reveal that there are more students from the respective countries than is reflected by their group membership. This is true of Japan Club, whose active membership totals 25—a tiny fraction of the 300 on its listserv. According to Luqman Azhari, president of the Malaysian Students Association (MASA), membership numbers have dwindled greatly from previous years. “There were at least 30 students back in 2009 and 2010, but now I can count the undergraduates off my fingers.” Previously known as Cili Padi, MASA altered its name so it would be easier for others to search for the acronym. Azhari, who has two older siblings active in their respective universities’ Malaysian associations, had anticipated following in their footsteps. “I had the impression that I could do the same thing, but [the group] ended up being very small and inactive,” he said. “There wasn’t too much enthusiasm.” While these clubs are open to all students, membership increases only marginally
With an already small Southeast Asian and Japanese population at NU, the university’s increasingly selective admission serves to diminish an existing minority. In Malaysia, where awareness about NU is lacking, the decreasing acceptance rates can be a deterrent for prospective students. While it is similar in Thailand, where students aiming high tend to apply to Ivy Leagues, the situation is improving, according to Nicha Ruchirawat, president of Thai Club. As NU climbs in university rankings—it is currently ranked 12th—“increasing numbers of students are applying from Thailand,” she said. “This year there were more incoming freshmen.” A contradictory situation arises with NU’s increasing selectivity and its weak international recognition, especially among prospective undergraduates. With a much smaller student body of approximately 8,000 full-time undergraduates in comparison to around 25,800 students in a university like UC Berkeley, NU ultimately has the lower hand in brand recognition due to the comparatively smaller body of alumni out in the field after graduation. For Jade Chen, a student coordinator of the Global Wildcats program that works to connect with international prospective students, NU’s international recognition won’t significantly improve as long as its presence within the country has ample room for improvement. “People always get us confused with Northeastern. If you don’t even get recognition in the country… how are we going to get recognition anywhere else?” Recognition is also weak in Singapore. The number of Singaporeans at NU has steadily decreased each year, with the lowest at 36 students in 2012, 17 of whom were undergraduates. According to Chen Cheong, president of NU Singaporeans and Friends (NUSAF), the low numbers are due to Singaporeans favoring the United Kingdom. “Cost-wise it’s cheaper, and [it] only takes
NU
three years to get a [bachelor’s] degree.” He also states that the concept of a liberal arts college is “very new to Singaporeans.” A vicious cycle
Making the best out of a dire situation While the mentioned clubs receive lists of admitted students from the Global Wildcats program, the extent to which they reach out to these prospective students varies. Every year before returning home for the summer, Cheong obtains the list from the admissions office. “We try to let them know that they can contact us if they have any questions,” he said. “I meet up with them for coffee, just talk to them… hopefully they’ll choose to come to Northwestern.” Just before the recent fall quarter, student International Peer Advisers in Singapore also organized a get-together to bond with the freshmen. For the NU Japan Club, however, the list isn’t particularly helpful—there was only one name last year. As such, the club usually focuses on the Activities Fair and other events during the fall quarter to recruit members. In an effort to branch out in its fundraising efforts, NUSAF participates in “Thank-AThon,” a fundraiser organized by The Northwestern Annual Fund. Through this, student groups including NUSAF fundraise by writing thank you letters to donors.As for Thai Club, Ruchiwarat tries holding more regular group meetings to forge a stronger bond between members. The club is fundraising for a school in rural Thailand this year. “People here want to spend time on things that make an impact,” she said. Nevertheless, Thai Club is still struggling to reach its fundraising goal
of $2,000—it has raised $500 through bake sales so far. Global Wildcats: building the NU international community In an effort to expand the international student population, Global Wildcats created two main initiatives: “NU In Translation” and “Take NU Home.” With “NU In Translation,” video profiles are created of NU students from different countries speaking about their college experiences in their native languages. Currently, the initiative has seen videos in French, Chinese, Turkish and German, and is in the midst of filming profiles in Korean and Hindi, among other languages. What is lacking in this well-intentioned effort, however, is the absence of profiles targeting prospective students in Southeast Asian countries. On the other hand, “Take NU Home” might be more suited toward improving the minority problem. The initiative involves current international students giving informal presentations or leading discussions about NU in their high schools. This would significantly increase international awareness of NU, as prospective students obtain personal accounts of different NU experiences from their seniors. While MASA hasn’t been successful at resolving its problems, it is possible that it has exhausted its available options. Perhaps matters can only improve with an increased Malaysian student population, or in a macro perspective, an increased Southeast Asian population. The responsibility might lie on the admissions office to increase its efforts in promoting NU in Southeast Asia. “I think the [small numbers] have to do with [an insufficient] marketing push from Northwestern,” Jade Chen said. “That’s definitely something I think the admissions office could improve on.”
TAKE A LOOK INSIDE KAIBIGAN
A limiting factor that repeatedly plagues these organizations is the issue of funding. In contrast to large organizations such as CSA and TASC, which combine their efforts each year for Celebrasia, a highly successful Chinese New Year celebration event which features both student performers and well-known Asian artists and entertainers, smaller minority clubs have to rely greatly on brainstorming creative ideas for new, smaller-scaled events every year. “Smaller cultural clubs are less structured,” said Allison Hung, president of NU Japan Club. “[Larger organizations] usually have junior executive boards, large budgets and set events for every quarter.” Even with set events like Southeast Asian Night (SEA Night), the smaller clubs face obstacles such as a lack of enthusiasm from members and insufficient resources to assist with event organization. Cheong finds it difficult to raise awareness of Southeast Asian culture with such a small community—“When you don’t have that many people coming from your country, it’s extra difficult to reach out.” The obstacles didn’t stop there for Kaibigan. Just last winter, it had only $250 to work with for its ‘Fil*antropy’ speaker event. It didn’t help that the Student Activities Finance Committee (SAFC) funds groups based on event attendance, as Kaibigan’s size and Northwestern’s lack of awareness of Filipino culture meant smaller event turnouts. “We had a really hard time bringing in a speaker that could garner interest but that would also fit in our budget,” said Kaibigan co-president Julian Acasio. Neverthe-
less, Kaibigan eventually partnered with the LGBT Resource Center, which enabled them to bring Thomas Beatie, the world’s first pregnant man, to Northwestern as an event speaker. “It’s always very difficult to fundraise when you’re such a small club,” said NUSAF President Cheong. “The money is always not enough.”
Photos by Astrid Goh
23
NU ASIAN
From Arizona to the streets of Japan, Kylee Saunders is the most famous celebrity you’ve never heard of.
Homegrown Hidden Hit
By Sophia Ahn Adults love to ask children the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Some kids will say the president one day and then a teacher the next. Even college students don’t always have a definite answer. When they asked 3-year-old Kylee Saunders, she had one resolute answer: a singer. “I learned how to sing from all the Disney movies I watched as a little girl. By the time I started performing around 2nd grade, it [had] already just become a part of me. It felt like the best way I could possibly express myself and show people who I really was inside,” Saunders said. Now, more than 16 years later, Saunders is a famous Japanese-American singer in Japan. Starting at 11 years old, Saunders sang the national anthem several times at NBA games. When she and her mother sent a video of one of her performances to Sony Music Entertainment in Japan, the entertainment company contacted them immediately, seeing her potential as a singer. Through the Japanese music company, Saunders was able to work in both the Japanese and American music worlds, gaining significantly more popular acclaim in Japan. Saunders was thrilled, but she also realized that this privilege of singing for two industries would come with many hardships. Born in the suburbs of Arizona to an American father and Japanese mother, Saunders’ music career, like her identity as a Japanese-American, was a constant mix between the two cultures. “I feel like any other singer aspiring to pursue music because I just have a pure love for music. However, I also feel that my identity is important in a music industry where not many
Photo by KRET1TEAM
“By the time I started performing around 2nd grade, it has already just become a part of me.”
At 3 years old, Kylee Saunders knew what she wanted to be—a singer.
24
Her first mini tour in Japan when she was 14.
SPOTLIGHT
More and more Asian American singers are arising. This list comprises of the list of such singers that made it big in Asia: 1. Kylee Saunders 5. Leehom Wang 9. Brian Joo 2. Jay Park 6. Leah Dizon 10. Jenn Cuneta 3. Ailee 7. Jin Auyeung 4. Wilber Pan 8. Hikaru Utada Photo courtesy of Kylee Saunders
Asians are represented yet. I think with time this will change, and I’d like to contribute to that shift if possible,” Saunders said of the American music industry. She also mentioned that there were difficulties in the Japanese music industry that she had trouble adjusting to even though she had visited Japan before often as a little girl. “In the Japanese band culture, they have parties late, late, late into the night after shows. I wanted to be cool so I made an effort to stay up as late as I could. This was all pretty rebellious for me as an 8th grader,” Saunders said, speaking of her first mini tour in Japan with a backup band. Even within the music industries, Saunders had to adapt to the different genres and images that the different cultural audiences demanded. “In one way, Japan has a lot more of a “cuteness” factor than the States. On the other hand, the U.S. has that “sexiness” factor,” Saunders said, referring to different ways in which artists are portrayed in the two industries. So far, Saunders says she has tried to keep all the different aspects of the two music worlds in consideration. However, she also believes that she can never fully comply with the preferences of either music audience and says this
is the unsolvable challenge that constantly motivates her to try harder. Saunders mostly pursues the rock genre, but she enjoys listening to a whole variety of songs including pop and alternative sounds. She enjoys listening to Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry and Lana Del Rey from the American music industry as well as pop stars Hikaru Utada and Yui from the Japanese music industry. Despite these stark differences, Saunders is optimistic about being a singer in two countries, and singing
my identity is im“portant in a music
industry where not many Asians are represented yet.” for different countries has allowed her to experiment with different sounds based on the culture of the country. Aside from juggling her identity as a singer in the two countries, Saunders tries to balance her music career with her educational career. Currently a sophomore at Stanford University, she plans to major in Science, Tech-
Accepted to Stanford Univeristy‘s Class of 2016
nology and Society and possibly minor in Japanese. “Balancing college work and music work is a never-ending juggling process. I can never channel in 100 percent into one over the other, and sometimes it’s difficult to get it to that perfect 50-50 kind of ratio,” Saunders said. Saunders expressed her wish to join an a cappella group at Stanford, but she simply could not fit it into her schedule. Her Google calendar is already packed with her class work and music career. However, she still manages to fit in some performances at the university into her schedule. This year, she performed at Stanford’s annual Asian-American issues conference called ‘Listen to the Silence’ with YouTube star JR Aquino. While Saunders is currently focusing more on her studies, she hopes to keep in contact with her fans, gain more fans to connect with through her YouTube channel and delve further into the American music industry. As a student, she is continually looking for opportunities that help her connect her academic interests to her musical passions. “The way I see it, if you pursue all the things you truly love and stay true to your heart, everything will come together,” Saunders said.
“Balancing college work and music work is a never ending juggling process.”
Even within the music industry, Saunders had to adapt to the different genres and images that the different cultural audiences demanded.
25
NU ASIAN
1 2 3 4 26
If you’re looking to become a criminal in an Asian country, here’s all you have to do:
WH
Be fat in Japan.
In order to reach its goal of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years, Japan passed a law that prescribes waistline limits for men and women. For men, it’s 33.5 inches and for women, it’s 35.4 inches. Companies and local governments are forced to measure people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. Financial penalties are imposed on companies and local governments if the specific targets are not met.
Litter, neglect to flush the toilet or pee in an elevator in Singapore.
Singapore takes cleanliness very seriously. If one is caught littering three times, one will have to clean the streets on Sundays wearing a bib that says, “I am a litterer.” Police are also known to check if people flush in public restrooms. More shockingly, some elevators are actually equipped with urine detection devices that set off an alarm. The alarm causes the doors of the elevator to close until the police arrive. All three of these offenses result in some type of fine.
Drive on public roads on certain days in the Philippines, depending on the last digit of the car license plate.
The Philippines created this law to reduce traffic congestion. Specifically, cars with license plates ending in one or two are prohibited from driving on Monday, three or four on Tuesday, five or six on Wednesday, seven or eight on Thursday, and nine or zero on Friday. This law applies from seven in the morning to seven in the evening, and failure to comply can result in confiscation of one’s license and a fine.
Step on local currency in Thailand.
WANTS
AN OUT
Thai currency bears the image of the king, so it’s considered disrespectful to step on the note. If caught doing this intentionally, one could be arrested.
DID YOU KNOW?
5 6 7 8 9 10
Neglect to visit your parents regularly in China. China recently passed a law called Protection of the Rights and Interests of Elderly People for moral reasons. It forces adults to go home often to visit their parents and send them greetings. The law, however, doesn’t stipulate any specific punishments for neglecting their parents.
HO
Make online purchases on any web browser except for Internet Explorer in South Korea.
S TO BE
TLAW?
The law that mandates this was passed in South Korea for Internet security reasons. So, people who own Apple products either have to use another computer to make purchases or buy a software program that allows them to run Windows on a Mac.
Have oral or anal sex in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, it’s specifically forbidden to perform these sexual acts. If someone is found guilty of this crime, he or she may be subject to 20 years in prison. The law was put into place because these sexual acts are seen as “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.”
Use water guns in Cambodia.
The toys will be confiscated on sight during New Year’s in Cambodia because they’re thought to disrupt public order throughout the holiday.
Board public transportation carrying a fruit called durian in Singapore.
Remember when I said that Singapore has a thing about cleanliness? Plain and simple, Durian is banned because it smells so terrible. The penalty for breaking this law is a fine.
Discuss current affairs online in Vietnam.
The new law in Vietnam specifies that social networking sites and blogs should only be used to exchange or provide personal information, not share news articles. This is to make sure that no materials harming national security or opposing the government will be disseminated. Violators may be subjected to a fine.
By Melissa Shin
27
LOST IN
TRANSLATION
Guang gun — Mandarin
Translation: Literally meaning “bare branches,” this word is used to talk about men who have little chance to get married or start families. It could also generally refer to single people.
Won — Korean
Translation: One’s reluctance to let go of an illusion.
Bo jio — Hokkien
Photo by Lucy Wang
Some things just can’t be put into words—English words, that is. By Heather Budimulia
28
Translation: To have not invited someone to a gathering or excursion, usually used in an accusatory context, e.g. “Way to bo jio me!”
Kyoikumama—Japanese
Translation: a mother that emphasizes the importance of studying and academic achievement.
Guanxi — Mandarin
Age-tori—Japanese
Translation: A collection of good relations or knowing important people. Usually used in the context of social favors or “having an in.”
Translation: Looking worse after a haircut.
Gadrii Nombor Shulen Jong— Tibetan
Translation: Giving an answer totally unrelated to the question, literally “to give a green answer to a blue question.”
Sabsung — Thai
Máfán—Mandarin
Translation: Your silver lining, what makes you happy to be alive and livens up your day.
Translation: A combination of troubling, annoying and bothersome.
Latah—Bahasa Indonesian
Translation: The unfortunate and uncontrollable habit of saying embarrassing things.
Tsundoku— Japanese
Translation: The act of not reading a book after buying it.
29
NU ASIAN
Aliments for Ailments Ginger Ginger was originally cultivated in South Asia and still plays a big role in the South Asian diet. Ginger is considered a superfood that can treat many ailments ranging from colds and flus to even inducing cell deaths in ovarian cancer cells, according to a study conducted at the University of Michigan. However the biggest role ginger can play in our everyday lives is to help strengthen our immune system. By eating a little bit of ginger every once in a while, you can prevent your body from depositing fat in your arteries, which in turn helps prevent the potential risk of strokes and reduce bacterial infections. How can we use ginger? • Ginger rice: Add a little ginger to your rice to give it flavor and help boost your immune system. • Add ginger to juice: Ginger is a common ingredient added to homemade juices. Throw some ginger into your juice with other fruits and vegetables and you’re set.
30
How do foods from differ up in fighting disease an
FOOD
Asian countries have loomed over the United States for some time now not only in health but also in lower obesity levels. The answer to the differences often lies in the spices and foods more frequently consumed in Asian countries than in the U.S. Take a look at three different popular spices that are boosting the lives of Asians across the board, and find out how we, as Americans, can start to incorporate them into our own meals!
Cinnamon
How can we use cinnamon? • Cinnamon oatmeal: A common breakfast that can keep you alert all day whether that be at school or work • Cinnamon and coffee: Adding cinnamon to your daily cup of coffee will keep you alert longer than the effects of caffeine alone.
Feeling a little tired lately? Put some cinnamon on your oatmeal in the morning and your alertness level throughout the day will be noticeably higher. A study done at Wheeling Jesuit University showed that less than half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder increases alertness and memory recall abilities. Cinnamon is a regular ingredient in Southeast Asian meals and has also been used in Chinese traditional medicine for a long time.
rent Asian diets stack nd promoting health?
How can we use Turmeric?
Turmeric A spice that is most commonly associated with India is playing a huge role in the lower obesity rates across the Atlantic Ocean. While turmeric won’t burn the fat off for you, it helps you burn fat significantly faster. Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, is also said to help speed metabolic rates and reduce fat storage.
• Lime chicken with turmeric: Add a little spice to a classic meal to change things up. • Split pea and turmeric soup: This flavor packed vegetarian meal is a quick and easy way to get veggies and spice all in one.
By Jackie Montalvo
31
NU ASIAN
Sweet
If you’re looking to expose your sweet tooth to some culture, try these traditional Asian desserts. Sweets made out of sesame oil, red bean and agar agar, which is a particular type of gelatin derived from seaweed, could sound foreign or even strange to those who were not raised in homes that consume Asian cuisine. However, those of us who did grow up eating traditional
Asian sweets know that these are as delicious—if not more—as chocolates and candies. The three ingredients listed above are a few of the most commonly used ingredients across many East Asian countries in making sweets. Sesame goes into making yakgwa, a traditional
Korean snack. This dessert is a fried cookie that uses honey and sesame oil instead of sugar and chocolate to add sweetness to the base ingredient of glutinous rice flour, which is called chapssal in Korean. Yakgwas are usually consumed on the lunar New Year. By Jireh Kang
Sesame
Red Bean
Agar agar
Sesame is also used to make a traditional Chinese snack called tangyuan. Cooked and served in boiling water, tangyuan are sweet dumplings that are also made of glutinous rice flour and have black sesame paste fillings in them. These snacks are traditionally eaten on Chinese Winter Solstice Festival.
Red bean is another ingredient often used to add more flavor to desserts in East Asia.
Agar agar is a Japanese gelatin made from seaweed.
Mochi, one of the most popular Japanese sweets, has red bean paste as its filling. Red bean is also in a popular Singaporean desert called ais kacang, which literally translates into “ice beans.”
Ais kacang is an evolved shaved ice dish that usually has red bean as well as agar agar on top of shaved ice.
Photo by Hannah Lin
32
Want more?
Read about student identity and campus life on our website: nuasian.wordpress.com For a digital copy of this issue, go to our website or issuu.com/nuasian Twitter: @nuAsian Or search us up on Facebook as NU Asian Magazine Special Thanks to the International Studies Department and Generation Progress