Boola, Boola, rang out the cry. Faces turned up in smiles even though not even the Americans among us understood the words’ meaning. That is unless they were Yale University graduates or citizens of Fiji! Boola, boola is the recurring verse of the Yale song sung worldwide by Yalies and Yalie fans. In Fiji, it’s repeated three times in a greeting – We’re happy you’re here; welcome – we love you.
On this sunny day in 2000 as the China economy was just beginning to open up, boola, boola was the cry of a smiling Chinese American, Billy Lee, who hailed originally from Ningpo and who gradated from Yale School of Architecture and is now retired in California , USA. On that sunny day, Billy was focused on performing in an impromptu skit before a small group of Chinese citizens in a village in Yunnan Province. Back in San Francisco, he and the five others in the traveling delegation, including this author, were members of The 1990 Institute and by extension, guests in this western, China province of the All China Women’s Federation. All but the author spoke Chinese. I dare say fewer in the audience seated on the outdoor folding chairs spoke English!
But we were determined to communicate, and hence we performed a skit.
Our intent was pretty simple: extending friendship that is curious yet speaks without judgment of the other. We spoke different languages but we regarded the gathering as an opportunity to share a common embrace, a willingness to break bread with one another and to express gentle curiosity about each other’s way of life. To this day, we value this experience as a gesture on behalf of cross-cultural friendship. It works when it can happen with an open heart and open hands. Its effect multiplies when it grasps the potential for bridging otherwise difficult times in geopolitics and between behemoth economies.
Boola, boola, boola became our collective chant back in 2000 in Yunnan Province. Going forward, we knew it pointed to a better way for realizing friendship that’s measured not in trade dollars or competitive economics but in smiles and a handshake or two. We realized too that the chant would unlock memories of friendship shared without judgment. Boola, boola!
Marsha Vande Berg is president of MJGlobal Insights, a international corporate and non profit director and advisor. Find her at: linkedin.com/in/mjvb
