Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar 1997/98

Sunday Star, 24 November 1996

With the most important person - Mum - at the Rotary award presentation.

*********************************************************************************************

The Star, Sunday, 21 December 1997 12:00 AM

Section: Education, Page 9

By LOH FOON FONG

Taken with Boston's elegant charm

EVERY hour of daylight, the Charles River that runs parallel to Boston University (BU) has visitors dying to be near it. It sits confidently with its charm, enticing walkers, joggers, skaters, cyclists, leisure sailors and day-dreamers.

Though not exactly crystal clean, the sight of the river thrilled me the moment I set foot in BU. I then decided to take up sailing under BU's Physical Education programme. It is a real haven for relaxation.

MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER ... the Charles River is a hive of activity throughout the day. Here the writer (left) and a sailing friend are about to go on a boat ride.

The university, "bestowed" with the lovely river, is endowed with many other wonders. Covering about 30ha, the various departments lining the seemingly endless boulevard of Commonwealth Avenue (known simply as Comm Ave to locals) are interspersed with eateries, a church, a library and covenience stores.

At the College of Communication, the professors are mostly working professionals who come from interesting backgrounds. A Boston Globe journalist, a CNN director and a former Wall Street Journal journalist are among the professors teaching me this semester. Their unique creative approaches, backed by active student participation, have made classes very interesting.

On one occasion, two students stormed into our class and started yelling and accusing our lecturer of plagiarism and for trying to avoid them. The class was stunned, and we began to doubt the credentials of our highly respected teacher as he handed out sheets of papers outlining our assignment on the incident. It had been a set-up! "Throughout this semester, expect the unexpected," he said as we burst into laughter.

While working on our assignments we discovered the most striking characteristic of Americans their openness is a culture that we Asian journalism students have found confounding but revered. Racism for instance, is discussed openly. This characteristic has helped us write comprehensive and fair stories without having to constantly punctuate articles with "so and so declined comment", or "so and so could not be reached for comment," which is irritatingly common in the Malaysian media.

Here, even a mere student can call a CEO. They may not know you, but chances are they will return your call and respond to your enquiries. Information is easily accessed through the Internet and special interest research institutions. The United States is certainly a conducive place to pick up many journalistic skills.

As a university with among the highest number of international students in New England, BU is a melting pot of cultures. Students not only gain from the institution, but also from each other. It is a great opportunity to learn to "network". With more than 50 colleges and universities in Boston city and Greater Boston, students are exposed to many great minds.

Across the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge, is the world renowned Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Interesting professors and Nieman Fellows (selected mid-profession scholars from various parts of the world) from Harvard are frequently invited as speakers to BU.

Books aside, Kenmore Square, with its many pubs, is a popular haunt for many university students. The square is only a five minute walk from the College of Communication School. Located close to the square is Fenway Park, which has earned a reputation in baseball's major leagues. Described as Boston's most cherished landmark by the Lonely Planet travel guide, Fenway Park is the home of the much loved Boston Red Sox baseball team with well-known names of the past such as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Boston city, as most locals would jovially reveal, began as cow paths, which explains why the city is rather haphazardly developed.

With a rather simple lifestyle and manageable pace of life, Boston is an easy place to adapt to. It is a relief getting away from the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur and the uncontrollable traffic madness! However, being so used to new and modern Kuala Lumpur, I initially found Boston old and drab. Its beauty, as travel guides, books and friends have proclaimed, seemed over-rated. But just hold it there. Time is all you need before its charms work on you.

The Charles River that cuts across the city decorates the city's backdrop exquisitely. The suburbs, called Greater Boston just a half hour drive away from the city is captivating. Tastefully painted three-storey wooden bungalows line the shady streets. Each house is different and unique, done up with much effort.

Most of all, the city is certainly not dull. With interesting museums, broadway theatres, cinemas, galleries, cafes and bars, Boston is ideal for cultural pursuits. The Museum of Fine Arts in Huntington Avenue, Fenway, considered second only to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a must for visitors here. It has an impressive collection of art and artifacts from various parts of the world. Special exhibitions are held regularly. Currently on display is Picasso's early works (before his cubism attempt) which have awed many visitors with the painter's exploration and flexibility in different painting styles.

Newbury Street, just a 20-minute walk from BU's main campus, along with Cambridge's Harvard Square, strikes out as the most interesting spots in Boston. Both are filled with bookstores, boutiques, interesting cafes and shops, and street musicians. The Let's Go travel guide aptly describes Newbury Street as Boston's most flamboyant promenade. The street certainly has a distinct character from the rest of Boston. Besides the colourful street, its residents are lively and diverse, sporting styles that range from the latest elegant fashion to punk.

Boston's affluent neighbourhood, Beacon Hill, is a picturesque spot. A haven for photography, Beacon Hill is laid with brick sidewalks and cobblestone alleyways. Its 19th-century townhouses have little courtyards and rooftop gardens. Quaint gas street lanterns light the streets night and day. Adjacent to Beacon Hill are two large parks, the 20ha Boston Common, the country's oldest public park built in 1634, and the 24-acre Public Garden.

For a rich cultural experience, exlore the North End Italian community with its authentic Italian food of homemade pastas, pizzas, fresh breads and pastries. Festivals held in the summer are exciting and colourful. Chinatown, where Asian food is aplenty, adds an oriental touch to Boston. Recently opened Malaysian restaurants like Penang and Pandan Leaf are a hit among Americans and foreigners.

For newcomers and visitors, downtown Boston's 4km, Freedom Trail is worth exploring on foot. With its many historical landmarks, it provides a good introduction to Boston, one of the early British settlements in the 17th century. Together with Boston as part of Massachusetts, are Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire which made up New England. After several months here, I would say Boston suits me fine. I have settled down nicely and find the environment most conducive for study.

* Loh Foon Fong is a journalist of The Star who is pursuing a Masters degree in Print Journalism at the Boston University.

*********************************************************************************************

Autumn changes along Charles River Nov 1997. Managed to capture this changing shades from a bridge that links the back of Boston University to Storrow Drive.

While pursuing a Master of Science in Print Journalism, the writer (standing) is required to give talks about Malaysia to American Rotarians as part of her "ambassadorial" duties for being the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar 1997/98. Slides of Malaysian life, population, food, culture, etc, which she had prepared are shown to these Rotarians at the Charles River Club in Natick on February 19, 1998.

With Rotary Host Counsellor, the late Jean, left, and her husband Peter Fox in 1998. Lovely couple who have made my time in Boston wonderful. We had many interesting exchanges about food, culture, politics and just about anything about our countries.

The writer, left, with her astounding academic adviser, then 70-year-old, Prof Keith Botsford, middle, and her other course mates in Critical Journalism class 1998. Keith had kindly invited us all for dinner (in which he personally prepared) at the end of the course. The course was so tough! (hence, the small number of students) The writing included topics relating to philosophy, critique of some abstract passages and books. Keith really stretched me. There were moments I wished I had taken Video Production, which I initially and badly wanted to but when you have an academic adviser who told you to take his paper, it was difficult to say “no” as it would not make sense not to take any of his papers when I was under his tutelage.  The Video Production that teaches a skill was enticing to me but I knew deep down that I should opt for the other that stretches the mind and soul. And so I took the bull by the horns and rode along with it since I thought it was my destiny to be assigned to such a highly demanding teacher. While in it, I did wonder if I had jumped into it out of stupidity or madness. I was not surprised when some Americans opted out from having him as the adviser or from taking his course. There was no turning back for me and I soon discovered that Keith was an icon in the literary world as well as an amazing character in person, one who cared deeply for all his students. He probably saw me as the Asian student who barely survived his class but for me, no value could be put to life’s lessons – from the interactions we had with him, even though it was just a brief one semester. Check out Keith Botsford in Wikipedia.