alumni newsletter
The Journey to Recreate Greece
by Audrey
At Sellards we have many wonderful traditions. A few that come to mind are our outstanding relationship with the men of Pearson, the ghost of Gertie who wanders our halls, and Ten-Minute-Dance-Parties at 5:50 on Thursdays. Most wonderful of all, however, is the mid-February International Dinner, where the women of Sellards vote on a country of focus, and all pull together to create an evening of splendor for ourselves and our guests. This event allows all of the women here to offer their talents and creativity to totally transform our home. For the 2008 dinner, we chose Greece. With its rich culture and culinary traditions, we were sure it would not disappoint. We were more than correct.
In the moments before the guests arrived, after I had dressed up and taken photos in the hallway with my roommates, I decided to take a final tour of the hall to ensure everything was in order. As the Chair of the Decorations Committee, I felt it was my duty to tidy up a bit. I was in overdrive mode having put the final touches on everything hardly half an hour before. I started in the entryway, tweaking the rich fabrics adorning side tables and preening the strings of ivy that hung from the many columns. After deciding that the mood lighting was set just right, I made my way into the Blue Room and was taken aback with its beauty. Surely, the room had a formal setting to begin with, but I now felt like I was in a Greek palace or temple. The added columns created a dramatic effect and the light from the chandeliers danced on the silverware.
Making my way downstairs, I adjusted the dainty ivy winding its way down the handrail and stood back to admire the featured display at the bottom of the stairs. To my right, the Rec Room looked absolutely charming. The mood lighting we had set gave the room a sunset-glow and the dainty lanterns that hung from the ceiling gave the room a quaint and homey feel. Finally, I was in the dining room and had little to fix. A sunset mural had been painted across one whole wall, the floor of the room was edged with Christmas lights, and the fluorescent lights had been covered with colored tissue paper. The decorations created, in essence, the sense of sitting on the patio of a Grecian home, watching the sun go down over the Mediterranean Sea.
Once in the dining room, I was alerted to the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen as the servers from Pearson bustled about putting the finishing touches on the main attraction &ndash the food. We catered in the main dish, mousalka and beans, while the rest was left up to us to create. The appetizers consisted of pita bread with either a refreshing cucumber dip or a savory feta cheese spread. What I looked forward to the most, however, was the promise of the delicate baklava, which was sure to delight my pallet for dessert.
On the whole, the night was an incredible success. Our determination and hard work throughout the day was rewarded as our guests marveled at the sophisticated décor and delicious meal. While now, I am ready for a break from 12 hour building transformation projects, I can only look forward to next year&rsquos International Dinner, in the expectation that it will be equally as spectacular as the time we led our guests on a journey through Greece.
by Aileen and Chelsea
One of our most enjoyable experiences this year was Sellards' Annual International Dinner. As new women, we had no idea what the International Dinner was or what to expect, but as the day of the dinner got closer, we grew more and more excited. That day, the kitchen was filled with the smell of cucumber and tomato used in the Greek salad and tatsiki sauce, a traditional Greek dressing. The next thing we knew, our blue room had been transformed into a wonderful Grecian banquet hall and the wall in the kitchen into a striking sunset thanks to the artistic hand of a few prized hall members! The most beautiful thing of all, of course, was seeing all of the lovely ladies eating a beautiful dinner in their gorgeous attire with their families and friends.
