Section BKM1A

Friday, October 30, 2009, and I’m panicking.  I had no idea how I could possibly cram 3 workshops in by the 9th of November.  I thought I had more time than that (at least the entire month of November), but that’s my fault for choosing to wait for the last minute.  I had picked out the art gallery showing to go to on the 3rd of November, but that still left me with 2 workshops to go to: Community-Global Awareness and Student Life (why didn’t I go to the Club fair?).  I went to the office of Student Life to figure out what I could do about this situation.  After some thought, one of the women who ran the office suggested I volunteer to help out on November 4, at 10 am.  Grateful for the opportunity to receive a stamp, I accepted.

I arrived promptly at the agreed-to time on the 4th of November, waiting for whatever task  I would be assigned that day.  After some thinking, it was suggested that I volunteer for the blood drive by signing people up.  I accepted my job, volunteering 2 hours of my time.  Those 2 hours were relatively uneventful.  I racked up about 8-10 participants in those 2 hours, which in retrospect is respectable,  but at the time felt inadequate compared to the firemen next booth.  Maybe I should have been pushier?

At the end of my time, I was surprised to have received not one, but two stamps.  I volunteered (fulfilling the Community-Global Awareness requirement) for the office of Student Life (fulfilling the Student Life requirement).  1 hour for each stamp?  Whatever the justification, I was glad that I didn’t have to worry about failing Freshman seminar anymore.

-Richardson Antoine

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009.  1 pm.  English class ended 35 minutes ago, and if I had it my way, I’d be on the train home.  Alas, today was the last possible day to fulfill the Arts at Baruch workshop requirement (for those who have assessments on the 9th anyway), so I was at the Sidney Mishkin gallery instead, waiting to get inside.  As usual, the crowds of fellow procrastinating freshmen were there.  I waited patiently for the chance to get inside, and eventually, my patience was rewarded by an invitation into the gallery.  The lines were long for a reason: this was a guided tour led by one person, and only ~20 people were being admitted in at a time.  To further hasten the process, the tour only lasted ~15 minutes.  That said, I learned quite a bit in those 15 minutes.

Mercedes Matter was an artist known for abstract art.  I always used to equate “abstract art” with “BS”, but the guide put it into perspective for me in two ways:  firstly, now that we have cameras, it is no longer necessary to paint realistically.  Secondly, abstract art does have a style and recognizable images.  She pointed out the fruits and table (Mercedes’ favorite subject) among the various colors and rough triangles.  Abstract art is much better when you have someone more artistically inclined explain it to you.  An “a-ha!” moment, so to speak.  Looks like I am getting more than stamps out of these workshops.

-Richardson Antoine

The title may sound like biting sarcasm (and I almost wish it was), but Small Talk, Big Deal was the name of the career exploration workshop i attended on October 27, and there was no sarcasm intended.  When I arrived at the room where the meeting was taking place, I was greeted by the lecturer, Wendy Heyman.  She handed me some sheets with various information: a PowerPoint copy of the lecture, some worksheets, and a schedule of the parts of the lecture.  2 hours?!? I groaned.  They’re not gonna make this stamp come easy, huh?

After about 20 or so people came in the room, the instructor started her lecture.  She went over some stuff from part 1 of the lecture (which I did not attend), then dived into the basics of small talk.  She told us to note how we (the students) were greeted by her and her assistant.  I remembered the pleasant smile, the polite greeting, how Prof. Heyman introduced herself to me.  That, she said, was the beginning of small talk, the conversation before the conversation.  After some more lecturing, she let the group have some of the snacks that were laid out, under the condition that we introduce ourselves and attempt to make small talk.  I’m horribly awkward, and don’t like talking.  I preferred to keep quiet until someone talked to me, and if someone didn’t talk to me, it was no big deal to me.  Luckily, I didn’t have to do much talking, as two people took the liberty of introducing themselves to me.  I said hi, exchanged names and hands, then took some snacks.

As the lecture continued, the time seemed to fly by.  Why small talk was important.  A quiz on “schmoozing,” the art of making small talk (we all aced it).  The advantages of making small talk.  How to overcome negative attitudes to small talk.  The flow of good small talk.  Before long, the lecture was over, I got my precious 3rd stamp, and I was going home.

Despite my initial fears, I must admit that I really liked this workshop.  The 2 hours seemed to fly by, I didn’t feel as if had missed out on anything by not attending part 1, and there were no crowds!  I still hate making small talk, but at least now I know enough to fake it(until I make it)!

-Richardson Antoine