Artistically challenged...

So I love my job, as I have said before. It irks me now and then that I take care of other people's kids more than my own, but that is not what I am complaining about today, so I'll save it for y'all...

My job is essentially the art of keeping international students legal here in the states. And I say "art" because it takes some creativity sometimes. These kids...but that's also not what I am complaining about today. Mostly "these kids" are wonderful, responsible, happy, respectful, intelligent people. And they are studying in a foreign land; not everyone can complete their higher education well, let alone in another language. I love "my" students, almost every single one of them.

One really-fun-for-people-who-have-even-an-ounce-of-creativity part of my job is the annual World Fest celebrations at our university, in conjunction with International Education Week sponsored by the U.S. Dept of State. We showcase the brilliant international community at our school by several events, a food fest, noon shows, and the INTERNATIONAL EXTRAVAGANZA, a banquet and international fashion/talent show. All the events are special, but the Extravaganza is the big deal, to hear my boss talk about it. So WHY did they put the one person in the office, the one with negative ounces of creativity, in charge of the event? My boss was in a band, can sing wonderfully, can play something or other, something with strings. My fellow advisor is quite gifted with Adobe something-or-other, whatever it is that he uses to make fantastic posters promoting World Fest. The other advisor is British so that automatically makes him more artistic than me. Also I'm pretty sure he could name the stringed instrument that my boss plays. I cannot read music, canNOT sing, cannot tell ya what the stringed instrument is. Pretty sure my body is physically incapable of finding any sort of dance rhythm. And, oh boy! I get to do the Extravaganza. Don't get me wrong - it's amazing. The student performers are so talented. I'm just not qualified to do this!

In the midst of emails saying "thanks so much for representing Moldova in World Fest, will you be singing a song, dancing, or displaying traditional Moldovan dress?" and adding yet another Mexican dance number to our list of performers, I realize that I don't appreciate what I am doing. I am throwing in things like a demonstration from my kids' karate elite team, to liven up the program. I asked one of our Kiwi students to do the haka and couldn't understand his reluctance. Doesn't that go well with a Peruvian Folk Dance? No? Oh. How 'bout with a Korean fan dance? No? Oh.

I realized I am not writing this to complain, I am writing for confirmation. It does go well with a fan dance, right? I'm not ruining an elegant evening of fine dining and entertainment with a New Zealand war dance, right? You would LOVE to see a karate demonstration, complete with nunchucks, wedged between a nice Mexican classical guitar performance and a lovely group of Pakistanis wearing Shalwar Kameez, right?

Oh, and anyone within a hundred miles of my Uni, please come to the World Fest Extravaganza. The banquet is a touch expensive for the average student but, really, keeping me employed is priceless...