A few of the many faces of Asia Club

At the end of Interim — just in time for Lunar New Year on Jan. 29 (celebrated by China, Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries) — students with an appreciation for Asian culture joined history professor Daniel Bays to prepare a delectable feast of more than 500 dumplings.

“It has become a tradition,” Bays said. “My wife and I have all of the kids in the Asia Club over into our kitchen, and we make dumplings together.”

Through this event and many others, the Asia Club at Calvin College strives to “inform the Calvin community about Asian culture and expand their awareness of the multicultural state of God's people.”

For years Calvin's campus hosted the Anime Club for students interested in anime and Japanese culture and the China Club for those interested in Chinese culture. The two clubs, however, provided nothing for students interested in other Asian countries, such as Korea or India .

So two years ago support dwindled for the China Club, and interest in the Asian culture as a whole perked in the Calvin community. The Asia Club was born.

“It is really cool because now people can learn about all of the cultures of Asia and how these cultures are affecting other cultures,” said Asia Club President Esther Kwak.

The club's core membership includes students from countries all over the Asian continent, including India and Malaysia . Both Kwak and club Vice President JuShin Kim were born in Korea .

Despite heavy involvement from Asian students, non-Asian students are very welcome in the club. And the main purpose of the Asia Club is to educate interested non-Asians about the culture.

“It seems like a lot of Calvin students really are interested in the culture but they are just scared to ask us,” Kwak said. “We just want people to know that we are more than happy to talk about our culture with other people. We will not be offended.”

The club involves itself in events that seek to appeal to a broad range of students. Examples include showing Japanese movies with English subtitles, hosting delicious Korean stir-fry dinners, coordinating the Chinese war game of “Go,” and offering lectures on aspects of various Asian cultures.

February's main event involved a lecture by Nicanor Tamang, a native-born missionary from Nepal . He informed students that when teaching members of the Asian culture that Christ died for them, it is important to do so in a way that is unique to their understanding. Tamang challenged the students to provide Asians with “the water of life” in their individual career paths. “We need more professionals; we need good doctors, good nurses, good engineers,” he said. “Can you be an engineer and still give the water of life? I think you can.”

“As a club that promotes Asian culture, it is also important to promote missions in the Asian culture and see how it is growing,” Kwak explained. “It is really important for students to know.”

The Asia Club fluctuates between 10 to 50 members during the academic year, said Larry Herzberg, professor of Germanic and Asian languages. And the interest continues to expand.

“We have an amazing Asian studies program here, but the Asia Club fills in the gaps,” Herzberg said. “We don't have time to make food or play ‘Go' in class; young people need a chance to just play.” — Cara Daining