Mela

Oct 30, 2004

Our old traditional June Sale has been replaced by the Mela, a themed party and bazaar usually held in spring. This year, for the benefit of the visiting alumni, it was held in October, opening with Woodstock band renditions of "Cheer for the Brown & the Gold" and "Shadows."

Speeches were inevitable, but hardly anyone was listening - there was too much else going on.

Familiar faces to see...

(click on the small pictures to see bigger versions)

fresh jalebis - yum!

old and new school flags

All the students were wearing their countries' traditional costumes, now a tradition of the Woodstock mela

The current students had been instructed (or ordered) to make an effort to be nice to all these weird old people wandering around. We all had name tags with our class year and place of residence, which made it easier to find a way to start conversation. Two kids took the initiative to speak to me in Italian, one Italo-Brit whose parents have a business in Bali, one Sikh who was born and raised in Rome. I had met the latter on my previous visit, when he was still wearing a turban. Having recently cut his hair, he suddenly looks very Italian! Both were polite, interested, and interesting, as Woodstock students generally are even at very young ages.

Students and staff also had plastic photo ID tags, which they now must wear at all times, for security. Parts of the campus are also fenced now, and there are chowkidars (with fancy uniforms, click the picture on the left) at every entrance.

Being able to check email throughout the weekend was an issue for some. Personally, I mostly avoided it, but, when I had a little time to kill before the Indian music recital, I took advantage of an unattended computer in the library. This is the room that used to be a classroom (German?) just outside the library, now totally dedicated to Internet access - for research purposes, of course.

Students now have access most of the day, in the dorms as well as in school buildings. Many of them also carry cellphones, though of course they are not allowed to use them in class. Constant communication with the outside world is assured - a huge difference from our day. I think I spoke with my parents on the phone only twice in my four years at Woodstock.

the banquet