Hey everyone! First off I wanted to say that I am thoroughly enjoying my vacation. Little things have been going my way, but I am also longing to return to Hopkins. Here's a little list of things that have gone both wrong and well for me: got a $55 parking ticket in Boston, had a fun new years despite working until 1am, said goodbye to one of my dearest friends at Hopkins as she transfers to Cornell, got my hand slobbered on by a cow (technically a heffer), ran out of hair paste (3 times), got new clothes, slept in, reconnected with old friends, made new friends, saw many amazing movies, and developed a plan for this new year/semester. Now, onto the real reason of this post.
Last semester, the Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB, and sadly not born from jets), was pitted with the task of writing either an Academic Blog or a Student Activities Blog. I chose the latter, and will be following JHU Jessica's format that she used in her post on the Public Health Student Forum. Mine won't be as academic centered, and it actually relates to one of my resolutions.
Which one? Well, if you were following us on the forums, we currently have a thread about New Year's Resolutions. One of mine relates to this activity that I have really fallen in love with, and can't wait to jump back into when I get back on campus next week. What one? Capoeira of course!
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Student Organization Name: JHU Capoeira
Category of Group: Cultural Dance
Year Founded: 2000
Your Name: Peter C
Your Year: Class of 2012
Your Hometown: Wakefield, MA
Your Position: Regular Member
Website: http://www.jhu.edu/capoeira/index.html
First off, I'm not sure about the year the group was founded, however, I know it has been around for about 9 years, so that would place it around 2000. Capoeira itself has been around for a lot longer, about 35 years in America, but centuries in Brazil.
Why did you choose to become involved with this student organization?
My freshman year I was taking an Intro to Portuguese class, and my professor had students from the group come and perform for us. They had us join in with singing and it went really well. They had a lot of energy and got us moving, considering it was a morning class. Afterwards, I was going to immediately go, but I felt weird so I decided to hold off on it. So this year I made sure to stop by the table at the Student Activities Fair and I put my name on the mailing list. All I have to say is that putting my name on that list was probably one of the best decisions I made in college. Capoeira has improved me both physically and emotionally. Plus I'm continuing to learn Portuguese, as well as Brazilian culture.
What are the organization's membership requirements?
Anyone can join at any time. Although most people will generally know what to do, you're welcome to join whenever. We all love meeting new people, and everyone will help you out.
What special events has this organization hosted?
While we don't host it, Capoeira has consistently been a part of Culture Show, which is a showcase sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. I performed in it this past fall, and it was a ton of fun. And this year we are actually hosting a Batizado (portuguese for baptism) in the spring, which should be fun. It includes a lot of workshops, and other capoeira groups in the area are invited to come. Pretty much you get your cords and sometimes a name (my friends are trying to get machado [axe] to stick, though I would like macaco [monkey] as well). Batizados are a big deal, so we can't have one every year, so I'm happy I get to be a part of this one.
What makes your organization awesome?
We dance and sing in portuguese, isn't that enough? Besides that, we have a wonderful sense of community. Everyone is very open to each other, and we feel like a family after a while. A family of abadas-wearing lunatics flipping around like crazy, but a family none-the-less
What are some neat things about your organization?
Well, capoeira in general has a vast history, so if you want to know more, check out my previous post or search for it in google. Whatever I say is just generalized, and its much more interesting from a valid source.
So yeah, come join us anytime, we meet Tuesdays and Thursdays for class at 7:30 at Hopkins Hillel in the basement, and we have an open workout from 3 to 6 on Saturdays.
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