Decoration

Fish Sauce

Terraces by Scott Clarkson

The Loyola Marymount University Rose Parade Float

By Anhthao Bui

To celebrate their 100th anniversary, Loyola Marymount University joined the 123rd annual Rose Parade in Pasadena. The LMU Float was the tenth display out of nearly fifty floats from all over California. The magnificent LMU Float is the pride of the University. It expresses LMU’s educational philosophies, and represents the harmony of volunteerism, hard work, teamwork, and imagination that is represented by the theme of the Parade, Just Imagine.

On the top, the stout lion (Iggy, LMU’s mascot) symbolizes both physical and intellectual power, and simultaneously challenges and catches the audience’s eyes with the message, “I am the King of all the animals. I am wise and strong. Please climb up to the mountain and join my kingdom; share with me my knowledge and might to reign over the world.” To reach Iggy’s Kingdom, students should start on the ground and slowly take baby steps, crawling to the top, overcoming challenges to accumulate knowledge, patience, consistence, and tolerance. Surrounding Iggy are the elements of nature, with flowers, trees, grasses, and plants that show the University’s geography and landscape. Behind the majestic Lion is the tower of LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel, with its mission to educate, support, and provide students with a system of ethical conduct that is the backbone of human values and the spirit of the Catholic University’s vocational goal: to help young people fully develop their positive potentials.

The University raised three hundred thousand dollars for the float, including almost one month of preparation with two volunteer shifts every day from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (up to fifty volunteers for each shift). Many anonymous contributors contributed money and time to construct and decorate the float. The volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to join a social networking meeting of the past, present, and future. Former and current LMU alumni brought their families, friends, and children to the volunteer event in Pasadena, California. They excitedly met and chatted with their old friends, recalled the University’s memories, and made friends with new members of the LMU community. The float was covered with flowers and other natural materials, such as seeds, roots, plants, petals, stems, and barks. Each team member was a part of the whole process. They relied on one another’s work. Many young adults and teenagers quietly cut leaves and stems into pieces. Young college students joined middle-aged and elderly people to carefully glue natural materials to the float. I joined my fiancé and our friend to glue orange lentils to the center of a yellow flower.

 I was chosen to decorate a yellow flower for the float, because Yellow Flower is the title of my first book of poetry. I chose round, big, and tiny orange lentil beans to fill up the flower’s core by following a circular pattern. To me, each bean represents an English word that I have learned. I learned English grammar by using the mnemonic device GUM (Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics) to organize each word’s syntax into its correct order, just like I organized the tiny beans to make the float’s flower beautiful. During my break from decorating, I secretly climbed the float. I carefully climbed up to the top of the rotunda. I tenderly caressed the lion and proudly murmured to him, “Finally I enter your enlightened kingdom and touch the wisdom of Mount Olympus.” I made a respectful bow to the lion’s weighty wisdom. In reality, I have not yet achieved the pinnacle of knowledge, although I try and try to climb to the top many times. American life is extremely tough for new immigrants. However, I believe in fate and free will. I will truly touch the lion’s summit of enlightenment sooner or later.

I brought my memories of decorating Loyola Marymount University’s float back with me to San Jose. I am excited to check the LMU Facebook page to see photos of the float in progress, in the hope to become an active member of the Loyola Marymount University alumni community someday.

San Jose, California
January 14, 2012