The rich diversity of the TTC community was once again on display at the annual TTC Cultural Night held on 2 September. To this freshman observer, the unspoken theme of the event seemed to be Arts and Hearts. The evening began with a display of global food arts – Korean Kimchi, British scones, Mongolian sweet curd, Chinese dumplings, Vietnamese noodles, Malaysian nasi lemak… Special mention must go to knife-wielding Jacob (BD 3) for his durian-opening arts. To the casual participant, this feast was merely a display of unseen culinary talents within the TTC community. But behind the hearty meal was big-hearted preparation. Students rushed home after classes to cook, bake and boil and dashed back in time for dinner. Others donated generously to various items. The banana cake and goreng pisang came from fruit lovingly grown in TTC’s own community garden. We were asked to use our own utensils to minimise plastic waste. This was food with a heart, from the heart.

As the evening progressed, we experienced the kinaesthetic arts: a bamboo dance by the Vietnamese, Filipino and Thai students, a harvest dance from Myanmar, a Chinese royal skit, an Indian bhangra-style performance. The children of the TTC community stole our hearts with their angelic voices, while the winner of the best performance was a Chinese wushu display by Lau Mu Ling, age 7! The Year 1 students rounded off the evening, leading us in singing One Voice in various languages yet in one heart. And it wasn’t over: everyone stayed back to clear up, shifting tables and chairs. From beginning to end, one observed both skilful artwork, and sincere heart-work.

Cultural Night 2016 was indeed a microcosm of TTC community life – an especially delectable and delightful one. We are already looking forward to next year’s instalment!

By Gilbert Lok (MDiv 1)