AAU senior lecturer Ted Turnau welcomed over 10 students into his home for a belated Super Bowl watch party, bringing the community together through sportsmanship and six kilograms of chicken wings.
Since the beginning of the spring semester, Turnau has opened his door for students to wind down outside of an academic setting with a Super Bowl LIX screening and two other movie nights. The couple, along with their four cats, has been inviting AAU students into their home for the past 20 years.
“I haven’t been feeling very patriotic these days, but it was nice to be in that close community with other American Expats,” second-year humanities student Anya Martin said.
The Super Bowl party had the biggest turnout among his other open-door events, with over 10 AAU students anticipating a slice of home through wings and wins.
Alex Marincas-Bucy, a second-year humanities student, explained that it was her first time ever watching the Super Bowl. Although she was mainly drawn to attending the event with her friends, she would do it again for Super Bowl LX.
When confronted with the mountain of chicken wings, the Turnau family admitted that they’d have to munch on leftovers for the next few days.
“Turns out that female students don’t eat so much,” said Turnau. “Who knew?”
Although his movie nights received a lower turnout, attendees often hit the jackpot with a cozy home-cooked meal, with warm chocolate chip cookies as the cherry on top.
On February 21, Turnau screened the WWII romance “A Hidden Life,” which is based on the true story of a Christian farmer from Austria who refused to fight for the Nazis, leading to devastating consequences that cost his life.
“The movies either broaden my horizons or are movies I know and love,” said AAU second-year Ivy Hazledine. “I have a lot of fun discussing them after.”
Two weeks later, Turnau screened the 2016 Japanese animated film “A Silent Voice,” which is based on the manga of the same name, covering themes such as suicide, disabilities, bullying, forgiveness, and mental health.
Turnau mainly updates students about these events through NEO. If a student outside the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences would like to attend his movie nights, they can ask to join by sending him an email at ted.turnau@aauni.edu.
The professor also welcomes any students to message him with questions regarding the Christian faith.
