COLUMN: Sunday Night at the Oval

From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95 From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95Chillin' in the caf, a young brother looks over his poem to ensure that he'll make it flow correctly. Another peruses the pages of the latest Ebony while the group at the neighboring table makes conversation over ginger beers and cups of cappuccino. A young sister goes around with the sign-up list for tonight's performers. A group of youths enter and their mates rejoice at their arrival. Suddenly, without a word, people begin to make their way into the auditorium. It's showtime. As the night progresses, we hear tales of domestic violence, of AIDS' wrath, of England's woes and of misguided wooing, but somehow we find a way to laugh in the tales of others. Behind the voice of the poets, we hear the soft tapping of a drum, giving pace to the action. The bass player gets his groove on as the sax player finishes it all off with a smooth, jazzy flow. What I describe is "Sunday Night at the Oval," as Sister Vanessa called it in her poem, at the Oval House. It is a performing arts center in south London with a defined multicultural flavor, and just a few hours before these words began to fall on this page I was the young poet chillin' in the caf, preparing to deliver my poem for the Sunday night open-mic session. Why do I bring this all up for you, students in West Philadelphia? I believe that, in finding the Oval House, I found what almost all of us need whenever we step into a new situation -- a home base. Any new situation, whether it be a new town, new neighborhood or new school, requires some adjustment. It didn't take long for me as a first-year student or a study-abroad student to realize the weight of my particular predicament. I would think that the first-year students at the University, to some degree, are still going through some period of adjustment to collegiate life. As a student in foreign territory, the adjustment period lasts just about as long as the stay. In order to withstand the wind of cultural differences and academic pressures, one may need to have certain things to hold on to. For some, that homebase may have been friends that join them either on the program or during visits. For others, it may have been the Internet and newspapers from home. But for me, it was a need to relate to something within the Afro-Caribbean community here, to interact and gain perspectives from black people from several different lands. Finally, I feel that I have found that here in London. Tonight, I come back with an energy that I have not yet felt during my study here. Not only have this weekend's tremendous performances warmed my heart, but the black American students that I have met and talked to there (the first ones I have met in my time here) give me a comforting feeling that I didn't have before. It's difficult to describe, but everyone feels this energy when they go to a place or see something or someone that they have love for or can relate to. From the very first moment that they encounter this thing or person that they treasure, one feels at peace knowing that everything is right, for that moment or that hour or that day. Places like the Oval House, places that provide an intangible, poetic idea of "home," are not uncommon in any city. However, they do need to be discovered and the process of doing such is not as easy as it may seem. When a person arrives in a new place, there will not be personalized directories waiting for them with "Where You Will Feel Most Comfortable" on the front. Common places that have been popular in the past are often listed by your hosts (i.e., a new town's residence board, the University, the college that you study overseas at). However, these hosts are trying to suggest either what they would like you to do or what has been recommended by most people. As I found out coming to the University and coming here, what most people approve of can be downright distasteful to others. Examples of this at the University: Murphy's Tavern: Some like it, some don't. Smokey Joe's: Some love it, some don't. Football games (sorry to bring up a sore subject): Some like them, some don't. However, it is commonly recommended that you make a pilgrimage to each at least once before your career at Penn comes to an end. Everyone has their own personal tastes and it is difficult for any host institution, town or program to cater everyone's needs in a booklet. Experiences like the ones that I have had this past weekend have to be happened upon, not planned, to be fully appreciated. I believe that the Oval House will begin to provide that for me even as my sojourn here comes closer to its conclusion. Even after joining the Afro-Caribbean Society at King's College London and enjoying the company and perspectives of several black students here, I still felt as if something was missing. After visiting there this weekend, I found that it was the informal, casual atmosphere that I had been missing, a place that conveyed a sense of home. I think there is a place that made me feel that way when I first came to the University. It's on the southwest corner of 39th and Walnut Streets -- check it out if you haven't yet.