For many students at this late time in the term, the next shift is to focus on finals week — a time of excitement and stress as students prepare to leave campus. There may be a feeling of strange elation and distress that can only be combated through the offering of food and socialization before an onslaught of exams.
Luckily, on Saturday, Nov. 9, the Japanese Cultural Exchange Club (JCEC) held one of these “offerings of food” in a cookout event. JCEC’s cookout was nothing if not a success, as more than 30 students made the walk to International House for a warm meal that day. The food offered was yasa itame, a stir fry of vegetables with rice; gyūdon, a beef rice bowl with onions; and daifuku, a confection filled with anko paste.
As noted by the board members, JCEC is truly a club committed to the appreciation of Japanese culture, whether that be through food, music or language. It was early in the morning when JCEC’s board and president toiled in the kitchen preparing the meals. Dani Boehm, a senior at Lawrence, serves as the president of both JCEC and Melee Dance. Boehm has been a member of JCEC since its founding days during her first year, stating that she learned of the club’s startup through the teacher’s assistant in her Japanese class. Boehm jumped at the opportunity. “I didn’t only care for the class — I always expressed interest in the culture; the Japanese class wasn’t just a language requirement for me.”
During Spring Term of her junior year, Boehm was able to travel to and study at Kanda University in Japan. She states, “To go abroad was life-changing — to experience a culture I was trying to bring to campus — I think I have a better idea of how to accurately represent JCEC now.”
While Boehm was cooking with junior Sojin Yoshino, JCEC’s vice president, and sophomore Kokoro Tamai, its event coordinator, Yoshino agreed with her, nodding his head and sometimes politely interjecting in the interview. In his own words, JCEC is about “sharing and bringing the culture to the majority of students at Lawrence,” which Boehm also echoed. For Yoshino, his role as vice president was one he was ready to take on with Boehm as the new president. He jokingly refers to his role as one of necessity, stating, “I had to do it, as everyone is a senior and I’m a junior, and we only recently got [Tamai] and [Haruka Kawasaki], who are sophomores.”
As for events, all three of them mentioned the annual trip during Spring Term to Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese supermarket chain in Arlington Heights (near Chicago), for food, appliances and more. Other events often hosted are Studio Ghibli movie nights in the Warch Cinema, the most recent movie hosted by JCEC being “Princess Mononoke.” Upcoming events include a Björk trip and a Cabaret performance, which is organized by Lawrence International every year.
Tamai, who is a new member, is hopeful for this year, stating that she’s looking forward to events “that can involve more people and have much more advertisement.” There is a consensus that JCEC is a welcoming club with an atmosphere of memorable conversation, as the morning’s cookout was filled with long lines of students waiting for more food, and the door of the International House opening consistently for more arrivals.
As Fall Term comes to a close, students will come back to a campus that is decidedly cold and wintery after students live out their breaks in the liminal space between the two seasons; a drastic change may be one of seasonal discomfort. Luckily, with clubs like JCEC, there is always a sense of community to come back to.