Month: March 2021

By Jia Mei Maya Patel’ 18 graduated from CC with a Comparative Literature major and Feminist and Gender Studies minor. Following graduation, she taught English in Japan through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Maya Patel and Erika Hiromitsu (CC ’18) picking tea on a farm in Shizuoka Why did you apply to the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program? I applied to the JET Program because I was interested in learning more about my family’s history. My maternal grandmother was part of the “war bride” generation of Japanese women who married US soldiers after WWII, so I have family in Japan that I had never met. I remember seeing the JET Program advert...

From August 2020 to the present day, millions of farmers in India have been protesting three farm acts which were passed by the Parliament of India. These laws, often called the Farm Bills, have been described by many farmer unions as pro-corporate and anti-farmer laws, thus demanding that the laws be repealed. The protests began most notably in Punjab–often described as India’s bread-basket because of the Green Revolution, as well as the heart of India’s Sikh community– but soon expanded, as protestors can now be seen camping out in their tractors at various border points to the capital of Delhi.  Indian farmers taking part in a tractor rally in New Delhi on Tuesday against the central government’s new agricultural laws. Credit: Money Sharma/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images ...

By Kelly Yue While travelling and studying abroad in Asia are rewarding opportunities, Black students often encounter different experiences due to the color of their skin. The Lotus interviewed three Black students, John Capers ’21 (Japan and Hong Kong), Dylan Hall ’22 (China and South Korea), Josh Kalenga ’23 (Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Nepal), who have had varying experiences in Asia. “Sometimes I forgot I was Black.” John Capers ’21 is a senior Political Science and German Studies double major. Born and raised in Chicago, John recalls watching anime and playing Japanese video games with his eldest sister growing up as his first exposure to Asian cultures.  During his junior year winter break, he visited Tokyo and Hong Kong, his first time stepping foot in Asia.  ...

By Jia Mei “The biggest highlight for me was what a team effort this event was…”  2021 marks the year of the Ox and the first virtual Lunar New Year celebration at Colorado College. Despite the challenges of planning for a virtual Lunar New Year (LNY), Riley Hutchings– the Cultural Program Coordinator (CPC) for the Chinese Department this year– gathered a team of students to brainstorm and plan for the LNY events. After many planning meetings and rehearsals on Zoom, the LNY celebration turned out to be a huge success. Riley emphasizes that this success was a product of the collaborative effort of the students, staff, and faculty from the Chinese Department, Asian Student Union (ASU), and Chinese Student Association (CSA).   Riley recalls that the collaborative effor...