Arabian Nights!!

Besides finding the random poster for the Middle Eastern Culture Center (which is supposedly really close), I just found out the the theme for another dorm's ball is "Arabian Nights"! They have made really cool looking hoodies, posters, and flyers for the ball. After yesterday's Japanese test, I even found a bunch of these table decorations. They are so cute, right? I feel that they were made in part by girls, because of the handwriting. Why would that be a little strange? Because the dorm hosting the party is an all-men's dorm. So, maybe they got their girlfriends to help out?

When I first heard that each and every dorm held a yearly "ball," I was really shocked! How could they afford that? Aren't so many balls in one year a bit much? But when they say "ball" what they really mean is "formal," and since every dorm here is the equivalent to our frat/sorority, it really isn't that shocking. Except for, everyone is invited to every ball. Drinks are served (for a price), and you go wearing whatever you wore to school that day, so it is pretty relaxed. As for a performance? I don't know what they are doing, but I'll find out!

Still, this weekend is going to be really busy: taiko practice for about 9 hours, visiting Yasukuni War Shrine, writing another Sociology and Culture essay, and starting my 15-minute-16th-century-Japanese-court-fashion-history presentation. We're in the homestretch for the ICU Festival, and everything for classes is due this week! Who thought this was a good idea?! I guess I deserve it though; a little extra work never hurt.

Later that night, Alexandra went to the Canada House ball after studying on smart.fm for about an hour. The boys had gone all out in decorating (street lined with candles, Arabian designs on the walls, sheets and cloth draped everywhere, and the entire thing done in black light and glow-paint; STUNNING!) and all the hosts were dressed as, well, hosts. There was a band formed specifically to perform at the the ball and their opening song was "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. A boy from the Yearbook club was their main singer! At this point she was called away by some friends and returned with them to the party a few hours later. Good times, but few people were really dancing, so she came back to Zelkova and spent the rest of the night chatting with the dorm kids and eating Makku (McDonald's).