Celebrations

50th anniversary of Sichuan Normal University

On Thursday SSTers and other international students on campus participated in the first of two 50th anniversary celebrations for the university. The group was one of 50 "delegations," which included thousands of students, marching past the reviewing stand. Following the 45-minute parade of delegations were several speeches and then a series of amazing performances, which SNU students have been practicing all fall.

The grand finale of the 50th anniversary celebration included hundreds of costumed performers working in harmony to create a colorful spectacle.

Halloween Party

The biggest event of our week was a Halloween party we hosted Thursday evening for about 400 Sichuan Normal students. When we proposed the idea, the SNU president invited us to be the first to use the stunning new Student Activity Center, equipped with an extraordinary sound system, fog mechanisms, and extensive light boards. Some of the room's equipment was still being installed earlier that day, when students were hanging decorations. The women of the SST group did the large majority of the planning, promotion, and decorating for the Halloween event. The costume-and-dance bash came off without a hitch, and it was a pleasure to host those who have so graciously hosted us in the past weeks.

Steve, with the assistance of Sasha and Ben (dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl and a young maiden, respectively) performed a rap on stage while other costumed friends watched from behind.

Ryan was dressed as a toilet-paper-covered mummy, a rather high-maintenance costume. As he danced inside a circle of onlookers a half hour before the party was over, revellers grabbed repeatedly at his costume, leaving him in his gym shorts and shoes by the end of the song.

• Matt, Jessica, Abby, and Kate as a Japanese woman, a fairy, a nerd, and 'Madonna' posed for the first of scores of photos taken that evening of SSTers and other costumed partygoers.
• Daron, Liz, and Steve danced amidst the hundreds of Chinese students and friends who came to the Halloween event.
  

Most of those who wore costumes posed on the stage at the conclusion of the dance. For some of the students who attended, the Halloween party was their first dance. Students who were at SNU in 1999 still talk about the Halloween event SST'ers threw that year. This year's bash was a memorable one as well, with lots of healthy fun.