On Feb. 22, REACH hosted its annual Deep, Meaningful Conversation in the A6C residential college lounge, which lasted from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. The event was inspired by the #EndSmallTalk movement, which was started in the UAE to encourage “the capital’s residents to have deeper and more meaningful conversations in place of the ordinary, mundane waffle.”

“Organic, free-flowing conversation is key to the integrity of the event. There is no structure to follow in the sense that participants have to share their opinions. Often with the types of questions available, it is an experience just pondering them on your own or absorbing it through others’ experiences,” said Lyne Ismail, one of the event’s founders.

The questions at DMC, designed to prompt students to delve beyond the conventional realm of questions regarding majors and Student Interest Group involvement, were devised by the REACH staff and ranged from fun questions like “Do you have any strange or weird phobias?” to deep ones like “What is the most worthwhile goal a person can dedicate their life to?”

Adding to the warm and cozy atmosphere were Logeemat and tea that the team provided, as well as electronic candles and fairy lights. Many students had positive feedback.

“DMC is always such a wonderful event, it’s really great to get to know your peers at a level beyond school, grades and extracurriculars. I think this is one of REACH’s favorite events!” said REACH member Shanzey Altaf, Class of 2018.

“More than a space to introspect and reflect about things we don’t usually think about, I found a lot of value in the fact that I could share that “introspection” with people that seemed to be interested in it. It can be awkward as well, to a point in which I would say it’s not an event for everyone. But it definitely had a positive effect on me,” said Cristian Muñoz, Class of 2018.

On Feb. 23 and Feb. 24, H.U.A instructor Eva Clarke made an attempt to add 5 more world records to her pre-existing 11, and succeeded. The event was held at the NYUAD performance gymnasium, where Clarke did mainly chest-to-floor burpees for 24 hours in order to break the World Guinness record. Students were encouraged to come to the event, whether to watch and cheer the H.U.A instructor on or to do burpees with her.

Some students, including Samantha Jasen, Class of 2021, and Laine Melkerte, Class of 2018, attended the event as active participants and both completed a personal record of 1,000 burpees each.

“I have been actively going to HUA classes since my sophomore January term and Eva has inspired me since the first class to pace myself, but still push my limits and reach seemingly unreachable goals not only in fitness, but also in life in general. Yesterday was a proof that the best way to reach your personal goals is through the motivation of others – before my last 200 burpees, it took a lot of willpower to not give up, and the only reason I got to that magical 1000 number was the motivation and support from others,” said Melkerte.

On Feb. 23, the Africa Global SIG hosted Africana Night at West Campus Dining Hall. Africana Night is an event during which the African and Caribbean communities at NYU Abu Dhabi celebrate Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, music and arts. Anyone of African descent as well as non-Africans were widely encouraged to participate in the event and celebrate the night with others.

“Our theme for this night is UMOJA — a Kiswahili word for oneness. It is a crucial theme because African Global exists to celebrate and share the continent’s diverse and rich cultural heritage, history, arts, music and ambitions among other things with the NYUAD community and beyond,” said Andrew Wani Samuel Modi, the President of the Africa Global SIG.

The goal of the event, which was to not only celebrate the African culture but also bring NYUAD students together to embrace cultural diversity, was accomplished as many students of various ethnicities participated in and enjoyed the event.

“One word to describe the event would be colorful. Although I didn’t spend a lot of time there, the whole room was throbbing with people and it was a chance for me to listen to some non-Bollywood music with my friends,” said Katie Glasgow-Palmer, Class of 2021.

On Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., Sam Green and Kronos Quartet performed their live documentary, A Thousand Thoughts, at the NYUAD Arts Center. The performance, described as “transcending the typical live cinema event” and a “meditation on music itself,” mixed live music and narration with footage and filmed interviews with artists such as Tanya Tagaq and Steve Reich.

Kronos Quartet had already performed another event prior to this one. Around the World with Kronos, “a musical adventure around the world with one of the world’s leading and most influential string quartets,” was held at the Red Theater in the NYUAD Arts Center. Students attended both events and many expressed enthusiasm.

“It was an amazing mixture of documentary, live musical performance and narration that broadened my perspective of time and history. I felt an emotional attachment to Kronos quartet after learning their history and the music that they have been producing for the last 40 years,” said Haewon Yoon, Class of 2021.

“Unacquainted with the concept of a live documentary, A Thousand Thoughts was like nothing I have seen before. A film, concert and live narration all at the same time, we learned about the story of Kronos Quartet through a unique multidimensional experience,” said Ivona Feldmárová, Class of 2021.