Reflect upon what you learned from the culture project presentations--both your own and those of your fellow learners.
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Reflect upon what you learned from the culture project presentations--both your own and those of your fellow learners.
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From the cultural presentations I learned many things about Korean culture such as the dating culture, slang in text messages, the intensity and stress of education, and of course the food. I was familiar with the plastic surgery culture but I did not know how important this was when getting a job. It was also very interesting to learn about the different steps involved in a Turkish wedding. However, the presentation that caught my attention the most was about the surnames from the Basque country. The concept of knowing your surnames and the fact each surname will tell you exactly where your family house is was extremely interesting.
My project was about the importance of learning English in Korea. I felt it was important to learn about this since I am planning to teach English in Korea for a little while, but while researching I didn't know that the main purpose of learning English was to pass tests and be more compatible in the workforce. I knew Koreans didn't learn English to cater to foreigners, but I didn't know that learning English was basically like learning cursive: may be useful after school but there's no point in practicing after school either.
What I find most interesting about the culture project presentation was English learning in South Korea. I knew that many students in South Korea who attended university were taught English, but I did not know that the main reason for this was not to converse with foreigners, but rather to obtain a job, or other self-fulfilling reasons. This fact makes me wonder if Koreans would possibly improve from conversing with foreigners, rather than learning English from the book. Knowing this also solidifies that learning a language is an active process. Even though many of these students have learned English their whole lives, they have not interacted with it and as a result, are not confident speaking it. Contrastingly, it is likely if that if they attended school in America or an English speaking country, they would catch on fairly quickly because they would be constantly surrounded by the language instead of turning it off and on whenever they want to.
My own project was on dating culture, and I was fascinated to find out how attached Korean couples are to each other. America is such an independent society, and the culture in Korea is much different. I learned that while in Korea, one would probably be able to know who is a couple by simply looking (matching outfits, PDA) in America, a lot of that is more subtle. Although there is PDA, there is not much matching of clothing.
I learned a lot about Korean culture- something that I wasn't hugely familiar with. It was nice to learn a little more about Trendy vocabulary and the education system, I had no idea how hard it was for Korean high school students! As for my own project, I actually learned a lot about myself. By looking up my own family's surnames, I was able to figure out a little more about where I come from, and it was really interesting to see which baserriak I might have come from. I found the presentation on plastic surgery in Korea really interesting, because although it's a bit of a phenomenon in the U.S., it's nothing like what it's like in Korea. I found it especially interesting to hear that mothers were getting surgery in order to make the surgery of their children seem more legitimate.
I learned about Shayna's cultural presentation which was on Turkish sentiment towards foreign languages. There was a purifying of the Turkish language away from Arabic and Islamic words. There was a bit of an ethnocentrism that played a hand. They had to invent new original turkish words to replace many of these words they wanted to purify and created their own language. This was really interesting. My presentation was about the compulsory military service in Korea. I learned about the intricacies and impacts of this policy.
Since most of the students in the class were learning Korean, it was insightful and interesting to learn so much about my own culture. One of the presentations that really caught my attention was the one on the education system in Korea. I heard from my parents that it was difficult, but I didn't think it would be as severe as what the presentation portrayed it to be. It really made me thankful that my parents immigrated into America and that I was able to grow up and learn through the American education system. It made me really appreciate to have been raised in the United States. Another presentation that I thought was interesting was the one on Basque. It was fascinating to know that just by the surname of a person, so much information can be gained such as where they originated from. It would be great to know where my family's roots come from and to know the exact location of homes that past generations of my family lived in. Overall, the presentations were a great learning experience.
I started off bewildered about the topic of my presentation which was about the extreme popularity of plastic surgery in South Korea. After finding out the root of what caused this type of social behavior was I able to finally comprehend the mindset of South Koreans. I still find it very foreign in the way they think and I just cannot relate to their mindset because I have been raised with American values. I was angered by finding out how sexist the Korean job market can be and how women are pressured to do plastic surgery so they can get a foot in the door. I found it depressing that Koreans value looks over personality, but I know this doesn't apply to all individuals since not everyone thinks the same way.
I learned a lot from the cultural project presentations. I learned a great deal about Hijras in Pakistan and India, for example. For the most part, transsexual people and those who do not identify as a female or male in Pakistan and India share many cultural elements and face many of the same roadblocks. For instance, both peoples dress similarly. Moreover, both peoples are viewed similarly in both countries: as both a blessing and curse. In Pakistan, for its part, the citizens believe Allah created hijras. Therefore, Pakistanis, for the most part, believe that it is not their role to condemn them. In both societies, they are viewed as a curse. Thus people usually give them money on the street as they do not want to be "cursed."
I also learned a lot about traditional Ukrainian wedding ceremonies. There were a few traditions that peaked my curiosity. First, the grooms "must" give dowry to his fiancé's facility -- be it cattle or what have you. Here, however, the woman's family could deny the marriage, and if they do, they give the groom a pumpkin, so that he doesn't walk away empty-handed (and usually gets to keep the dowry). Second, at the parties after the official ceremonies, the bridesmaids "kidnap" the bride and hold her until the husband can answer a series of questions pertaining to his wife.
Finally, I appreciated researching my cultural project in Indonesian terms of address. A few key takeaway points:
It was the most interesting part of my study in here. Preparing my presentation, I had opportunities to search some interesting culture about Turkey which are Turkish coffee, the history about Turkish language, and Turkish wedding. We Korean, call Turkey as a brotherhood country because they helped our country when we are really in trouble, and we have also shared history and have some common things in the culture which is sometimes good or bad. Looking for some cultures in Turkey I found some things that related about Korea and some common part with Korean. Turkish wedding is quite traditional and they are also changing. They really think wedding is important and the ceremony shows about it.
As a Korean who live there for whole 24 years, the presentation about Korean culture from some Korean American student, or even another foreign students, it was also really interesting experience. It is quite fun to see my country's culture in the view of foreigners'. They are really good and sometime it make me feel homesick especially in the presentation for food. Dating issue, movie, and learning English in Korea are all quite fun subjective. I really enjoyed it.
I learned many interesting things about not just Korean culture but also other cultures. The importance of surnames for Basque countries, the traditional weddings of Turkey were all fascinating to me. However, the one that caught my attention the most was the one about Korean cinemas. This is because I am interested in film, and it was the first time I was exposed to the history of Korean cinema. Other than that, I was surprised to learn from even my own cultural presentation that the kids in Korea go through immense stress for their success. This made me realize that everything comes at a cost and that Korea's education system might be a success, but should be reevaluated.
I was also interested in the Turkish wedding, because of how different it is to traditional western weddings. With so much tradition and the incorporation of Turkish coffee reinforced the importance of coffee in the Turkish culture.
Overall, I learned many different things from all the presentations and even my own.