Party for the Students

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Clarissa

March 27, 2015

Students approached me to say that they wanted to organize a gathering at a restaurant for me because many of them are graduating and they want to do something to express their feelings towards me.

There are 18 students altogether, and I thought that a restaurant is not a good idea because at a restaurant I’ll just get to talk to those who sit next to me while the others will not receive any attention. So I invited them all to my house instead. Of course, I announced that no alcohol will be served because, first of all, we never have any alcohol in the house and, besides, I don’t want to get into the whole checking of IDs thing, etc. And also, we all carry the baggage of our identity whether we want it or not, and a single beer at my place has the potential to transform into “a drunken bash at that Russian prof’s house.”

Back at Yale, we had this tradition where every last day of class took place at a professor’s house. And it’s a great idea because it allows the students to see the human side of the professor, which in itself is very educational.

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14 responses to “Party for the Students”

cliff arroyo

March 27, 2015

“a single beer at my place has the potential to transform into “a drunken bash at that Russian prof’s house.””

And not allowing any alcohol has the potential to transform into “that Russian lady is doing everything she can to keep her party from turning into a drunken bash”

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1. Clarissa
  
  March 27, 2015
  
  When a “Russian” person doesn’t drink, people assume she’s in AA. So it’s not like one can escape from this. 🙂
  
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  1. Evelina Anville
    
    March 27, 2015
    
    I wholeheartedly agree that it’s better not to have alcohol at your home with students. Even if they are of legal drinking age, it’s just asking for issues.
    
    But do you think that stereotypes about Russian speakers are that strong? I have a very obviously Eastern European first and last name and I tend to find that most Americans (especially in the Midwest) just don’t know anything about Russians or any Eastern Europeans (my last name is Ukrainian but most Americans assume it’s Russian.) Of course, I’m American, monolingual, and don’t have an accent. But I feel like most Americans know so little about Eastern Europe that they don’t even know enough to apply a stereotype to me. Have you run in to stereotyping?
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      March 27, 2015
      
      It will be a happy day when I visit somebody and they don’t mention vodka or apologize for not having any. It’s even worse when people say, “I bought this vodka for you! We never drink it but I thought you’d want some!” And I cannot Force myself to drink it even to be polite.
      
      Another thing I hate is when people ask if I’m a mail order bride. Or say, “Oh, your husband is not American? Then how did you get here?”
      
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      1. valter07
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        Interesting… We sometimes apologize for not having vodka to non-Russian friends, in case they expected a genuine Russian experience…
        
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        Clarissa
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        That’s way too intelligentno for me. 🙂
        
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        valter07
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        With us it is another way around… We once had to drink vodka because our American friends found some Estonian vodka in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest and we did not want to offend them…
        
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        Clarissa
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        “We once had to drink vodka because our American friends found some Estonian vodka in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest and we did not want to offend them…”
        
        Can you promise never to do this “I’m doing it so as not to offend” thing with me? Because I tend to be oblivious and pushy and then people who are polite suffer.
        
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        valter07
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        Yes, I can promise you that. And I can also assure you that I so far have done nothing to “just not offend you”…
        
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        Clarissa
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        Thank you for saying this because the temptation to reevaluate every moment of our friendship has reared its ugly head. 🙂
        
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        valter07
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        But you did not attempt to offer me some Estonian vodka… 🙂 🙂
        
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        Clarissa
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        Vodka smells of dentists, so I hate it. But maybe Estonian vodka is special that way. 🙂
        
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        valter07
        
        March 28, 2015
        
        I do not remember, really. Since that time I only drank vodka for medical purposes… Vodka on chili peppers is a mean cold medicine. But if it is done right, it is impossible to drink more than several milliliters at a time. 🙂
        
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leahladygrey

March 27, 2015

My department throws an annual party that’s always a blast, they never serve alcohol though. The only time I saw my professors drunk was when one of the students got married and invited the professors to the wedding. That generated enough stories to last a lifetime.

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