Thursday Night Glee Night

Hello!!

With new semesters often come new weekly rituals.  One of my new favorite weekly rituals happens on Thursday nights this semester.  At 9 p.m., my friends Suyeon (from South Korea) and Akane (from Japan) come over to my townhouse so we can all watch Glee together. Glee has been a favorite show of mine for a few years now, and Suyeon became interested as well when I showed her that the cast did Gangnam Style on the show.  Akane was interested in seeing the show too, so we decided to start having weekly Glee nights!

From left, Akane, Suyeon and me earlier in the semester at Starbucks in downtown Burlington.

The biggest difficulty so far is that we have not been able to figure out how to make the English subtitles on the television work.  Since English is a second language for both girls and characters on the show often speak fast or use American slang, it is much easier when they can see English subtitles.  To remedy this problem, we mute the television at each commercial break, and I then explain to them what is happening on the show if they do not understand.  Of course, some of the context gets lost because of this difficulty, but I try to fill in as many details as possible (even giving some background information when necessary – I am such a gleek!).

After the show ends, we often chat about interesting culture differences or watch videos on YouTube and giggle our heads off.  I love having international friends because not only are they lovely people, but it is also interesting to learn about their cultures and how they see American culture.  It's also a chance for me to explain American cultural things that they might not understand and learn some new words in either Korean or Japanese.  I am now able to say the word "eggplant" in at least 6 languages, though I'm not sure why just that word!

Needless to say, Suyeon and Akane have become some of my best friends, and I enjoy hanging out with them and the other international students so much! I am so excited for our Thursday Glee night tradition to continue.

If you have any questions about my life as a student at St. Michael's College, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3).

Ciao!!