【金子凼】Enjoying the Gesture of Openness and Friendship (2022)

Chinese Version
01-17-2022， Sunday, Rainy, Sunny

In 2021, I received a surprise Christmas gift: VIP tickets to the “Ring in 2022 with DJ dancing and Roaring 20s themed Party Cruise”.

The “Roaring 20s ”，was the decade of the 1920s， which was named the ‘Jazz Age’ in American history. It featured economic prosperity and a good life for many. It was also the era of the Prohibition: forbidding the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages，but many people ignored the ban. In 1933 it was abolished, and it was the only Constitutional amendment to be repealed. It was demonstration of the power of alcohol.

DJ (disc jockey), is a kind of emcee who plays recorded music and participates in singing at a music dance party. The DJ, who sings and controls the mixing of music, was responsible for rendering a happy atmosphere for the party-goers to relax and enjoy.

2021 has been gone for more than 2 weeks, but the experience on 2022 New Year Eve party is still memorable, because this was the first time I experienced a DJ party.

The dress code for the party was as follows: “Dress to Impress. Flapper, Roaring 20s, Zoot Suits encouraged. Otherwise, semi-formal and/or cocktail attire required.” As we didn’t have Roaring 20s clothing and as we still wanted to be good participants, my friend dressed in a formal business suit and I dressed in traditional Chinese style silk satin clothes. Watching us stepping out of the house in a serious mood, Alex joked: “You will be the center of tonight’s New Year Eve party.”

We boarded the cruise ship at 8:30 p.m in the dark and sat down next to the DJ in the dance hall on the second floor of the ship. After the cruise ship left the harbor, I noticed that we were the only Asians, and the rest were Caucasian, Hispanic, or African, none of them wore formal suits, let alone Chinese style silk satin clothes. Sitting next to the DJ, I felt we were really eye-catching. I thought to myself: Alex was right, because the dance floor filled with people mostly in their early 20s who were dressed in Jazz Age clothes or evening gowns, very fashionable and charming.

As this was my first time closely watching the gorgeous costumes of the Jazz Age, feeling the versatile style of DJ, and enjoying the infectious and lively rhythm of the DJ music, I was concentrated on observing everything. The cash-only bar next to the dance hall was always very crowded. When the person in front of me handed out $50 to buy $20 worth of drinks, he told the bartender: “Keep the change”. I watched the bartender put the change into a large glass jar in front of him. As dance progressed, DJ and several dance partners nearby him helped to push the party to the climax of Carnival from time to time. People sang, danced, clapped and stamped together. Some people on the dance floor were getting tipsy. I saw the people who bought a few glasses of cocktails for their friends from the bar coming and the glasses in their hands spit cocktails all the way. A man took my friend’s glass of Hennessy on the small table and drank it; watching his unstable dance steps, I was really worried that he would make a fool of himself; fortunately, his partner, a tall slim lady in a sparkling Roaring 20s dress, was very sober. Although Alex thought we would drink more than 10 glasses of wine at the party, I didn’t touch any wine because an unexpectedly warm New Year card already made me feel tipsy. The crowded bars and more people who were in the Jazz Age style getting tipsy reminded me of the Prohibition in the Jazz Age. I seemed to understand one of the reasons why the prohibition was abolished: alcohol is attractive.

Alcohol attracts people, as do people after drinking. Under the friendly encouragement of tipsy pretty girls and handsome boys, I also joined them in dancing on the dance floor. While intoxicated with joy , I seemed to hear the young people around me cheering for me. It is an unforgettable memory of experiencing the openness and friendship of foreign people while experiencing foreign culture.

Enjoying the gesture of openness and friendship brings a very good feeling. I hope that I will learn to show the gesture of openness and friendship to create good feelings for others.

Later, my daughter explained: “It’s unforgettable for us to celebrate 2021 New Year Eve in Niagara Falls. This year, I wanted to find you a local activity to celebrate 2022 New Year Eve. I hope it’s also unforgettable!” This reminds me of the unforgettable Niagara trip in 2020 and one of my new year resolutions in 2021: “to practice and improve my ability to communicate accurately, share immediately, and response pertinently.”

Little Episodes

Sam, a handsome boy, invited me to dance.