So on Monday, I heard that I might have to be involved with a presentation on Thursday (10/21). I was told I would hear more details soon, but none came. On Wednesday I go in to school to give class and the first exam of the semester. We'll have class from 6-8, and an exam from 8-9. At 4:15 pm I get a phone call from one of the organizers of the event asking if I'll be attending the event at 7pm and will I be presenting? It's really important. The director of international exchange of all of Colombia will be there. I say, oh, I didn't know about it. I have class. It's really important, she tells me again. Ok, I guess I can move things around.
So my colleague spends 2 hours calling all the students to cancel the exam and reschedule with the students because this is that important. So I rush home to change. I send out a quick apology email to all the students. I arrive at 6:45. I'm the first one. I see a poster on the wall in the lobby which announced a Fair of International Education with China. They turn out to be the invited country to this event. The event is on the terrace. It's quite beautiful. It's on the 8th floor and it overlooks the whole city. The terrace is decorated with Chinese artifacts -- fans, lanterns, a steaming fish bowl. Very pretty. They had Chinese taffy too.
Guests start arriving, some colleagues, etc. No one has any idea exactly what this event is supposed to be. Thank God for the free wine. Around 7:30, 7:45 they start with introductions. The director of the University gives a 5-minute speech about how this is an important University of which 80% of students are from the lowest economic classes of the city. It's a nice talk. Then the organizer of the program comes out and speaks about how international education is a way to help out these students. We're thinking this is what this is about. He talks for about 30 minutes.
So, he then proceeds to show slides. Each slide is a student from another country that came here as part of an exchange. He really likes Italians. The first 15 were all students from Italy. He showed each slide and talked about each one.
He starts another slide show. But now our guy is getting worked up because the music that he had choreographed to the slides got off track. So now he spends 15 minutes arguing with the tech guy trying to get the music synced to the slides. After 20 minutes he gives up. But I've got food and wine, so I'm happy.
He moves on to the slides about all the students from Colombia studying abroad (without music). He's showing pictures of them with Mickey Mouse, etc.
We get a little break -- they needed another 15 minutes to get the next part up and running -- and then it's on to the videos. So he shows us three videos made by Spanish exchange students studying in Colombia. All three of them are taken in the same place. On the terrace where we're all sitting. It's them telling possible students why Colombia is great. I'm not sure why they showed that to us... The program director pulls each of the students up to the front and has them stand next to the video screen while the videos are playing. Each just stands there, on the same terrace, a day later, with a dull smile on his face. I'm not sure why they didn't just present their ideas live.
After that, an artist comes up and proceeds to give an academic presentation on the theory behind his art, which is the connection between Mathematics and Art. Cool topic, but what does it have to do with international education exchange?
My colleague wonders why fine artists can't read an audience. Someone asks them about the theory behind their art and they can't stop, even if all of the audience is walking out. He goes screen by screen through a slideshow for 20 minutes explaining his art. But he's finally about to wrap up... when the director stops him and says he thinks it would be interesting to explain the final slide in more detail. Another 15 minutes later... we're down to half the original crowd. At one point people who seem to know him had enough and slipped out.
So my colleagues and I are wondering when our presentation is going to come... Turns out they forgot about us. That was the end of the presentation. They give out some Chinese coins for luck. Some shy student appears and bids us all goodnight.
But not before the presentation of one of the artist's original works to the cousin of the program director, not to the Chinese ambassador or any other number of foreign guests there for the international exchange fair, but to the cousin of the program director for decorating the terrace. They had spent all of their Saturday buying the decorations. As a final farewell, the wife of the cousin wraps things up with a brief speech on Yin and Yang and the nature of the universe. Even turning to the Chinese ambassador to say "You know."
And that was that. A program that defied logic and explanation. Good thing I canceled my class. But who can complain about free wine and good cheese?
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