The Yale University New Asia Exchange program (YUNA) has, without a doubt, been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my sophomore year. The program brings together 8 Yale students and 8 students from the New Asia College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to engage in cultural exchange for a total of one month. Four months ago, we began planning to host our fellow program participants. We organized meals for our peers as well as different activities, both academic and casual for the students.

 I have a confession. I never exercise. Team sports were never my thing.  After about ten minutes on a treadmill, I’ve reached my running quota for the week. I used to dance, but a knee injury ended that, along with my promising dream of being a professional snowboarder.

Literally, the only sort of aerobic activity I’ve done regularly in the past two years has been walking up Science Hill for class.  I’ve even managed to avoid that by taking the Yale shuttle (or, more realistically, not waking up in time for lecture). 

Last year, I found myself gripping the edge of my seat eagerly following the cadences of a fellow Yalie’s poem. Although I had never been so utterly entranced by nouns and delighted by verbs, I now found myself drawing an imaginative storyline in my mind’s eye. I stumbled on the delightful hypnotic capabilities of spoken word poetry.

And like any adoring fan, I tried many times to mimic these poetic masters’ natural style.

The Annual Fall Show organized by the Yale College Council came with all its excitement: the frenzy, the tickets, and of course, the celebrity comedian Bo Burnham. “The Last Comic Standing” had been held a week before in order to determine which Yale comedian would pre-stage Bo Burnham, and that too had been a fun-filled evening. In a room full of excited Yalies, the comics brought their best jokes, engaging their audience with their applicability and knack for making the most ordinary of situations extremely funny!