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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I enjoyed Nirshiee' s presentation about Indian dance a lot. Although, I am of Indian ancestry, I did not know much about this topic. It was amazing to get to know the different style of dances in India, the local differences and the tradition of how the knowledge of dancing and the various figures are passed on. I think Nirshiee did a great job illustrating her presenatation by including photos of her dance performance on campus. Now, I have even more respect for traditional Indian dancers.
Fionna' s presentation was quite insightful. I learned a lot from it. For instance, it surprised me that serving in the military in South Korea is such a big deal. Morever, I was surprised by what the recrutes would actually do to themselves to avoid going to the military. Also, the penalties on purposely getting a full body tattoo in order not having to serve the country were pretty astonishing and I found them kind of high.
My own presentation was a very pleasant one as I was alwas interested in the famous Mumbai dabbawallas. I did not know, that they had gained the attention of several renommated business schools and that numerous case studies had been written about them. Also, it was fascinating to learn about the factors that enabled the dabbawallas to exist. Hereby, I mean the social and natural environmen and the mentality and values of Indian people. Also, it was impressive to get to know that Prince Charles invited two of them to his wedding, which emphasizes the respect they enjoy.
Other than my own, the cultural presentation I got to watch was on the Dabbewalles in Bombay/Mumbai. It was so neat! I hadn't realized that the culture/structure of the city was built in such a way that lunches would even need to be delivered in such a way. I thought the presenter did a great job of explaining what the Dabbewalles did and why their work is so impressive. He also did a lot of good work bringing in the language itself to describe some Hindi words used in the process. The only part I thought could have been stronger was connecting why it was relevant to the language and the culture.
For our cultural project presentation, Allan and I spoke about the phenomenon of cosmetic surgery in Korea and how such procedures were once deemed taboo and viewed as a stigma and are now regarded as the norm. It was interesting to research about the origins of cosmetic surgery in Korea and the speculation on how Korean prostitutes began to seek out this surgery in order to attract American soldiers during the era of the Korean War. Pictures say a thousand words so Allan and I made sure to include several pictures with stories attached to them as well.
Although I have often heard alot about Hanukah and Passover, it was an entirely different matter to learn about its history and the origins of these holidays. And with that, seeing how the holidays have evolved into what they are today is just as fascinating. Consumerism is a global entity and it spreads to every people and culture. Michelle and Gabby chose a very interesting and relevant topic in this way.
Krystin's presentation was quite striking as it related to Hinduism beliefs and the structure of the caste system. I had never realized how incredibly significant the caste system was in India and other parts of the world and how it perpetuated such discriminatory behavior between people of differing statuses. The pictures and documents which she provided were quit telling and told powerful stories. It was great to learn that Krystin was genuinely interested in this topic and hoped to alleviate the poverty/discrimination in India in any way that she can. There was a feeling of hope at the ending of this presentation.
The Cultural Presentations were all very intriguing and fascinating. Azmain's presentation helped me better understand sexuality and its media representation in South Korea. Since there are so many gender-bending Korean dramas and homosexual 'shippers' (relationship fanbases) of members in Korean Pop boy bands (even a few girl bands), I always thought that the Korean culture was okay with, if not supportive, of the LGBTQ community. It was disheartening to see that the dramas and the 'shipping' are only okay if they serve a comedic purpose. It was sad to realize how the LGBTQ population in Korea would feel marginalized, and even looked down upon and made fun of because their sexuality is seen as a disease or a topic of humor.
Oliver's presentation on the dabbawallas was great too. It was nice to learn about such a big entrepreneurial venture in India since even though I am from India, I have never been to Mumbai so I myself do not know much about the dabbawallas. The accuracy record and work efficiency and ethic of the dabbawallas is impressive and commendable.
My own presentation was a great learning experience for me. It made me realize how much I had learned over the semester, and made me more confident about my skills, especially when I wrote my vocabulary in hangul on the whiteboard. At the same time, talking about cuisine with an anthropological perspective and considering different aspects of history, culture, traditions, etcetera made me realize the scope of language learning along with cultural understanding, and that I have a long way to go toward trilingual proficiency. But due to my great experience with self-directed learning, I believe I have a stable base that I can build on to better my Korean language skills.
For my own cultural presentation, I researched about the Korean military. I learned that being a Korean guy is extremely difficult than any guy could even imagine. The military is something that most Korean men fear the most. While it is understandable that the military is mandatory for all men, I think it's kind of unfair for men and should be considered more as a choice than a rule. Why are women treated differently than men in regards to the military? What makes men different than women? Unlike the U.S., Korea doesn't seem to see or know the benefits that can be derived from women in military positions than in the office. I have a friend right now who's in the army. Before he left, I saw the mental struggles and how tormented he was in deciding what to do about the military. This is clearly evident among the Korean guys on campus as well. And so I learn that going to the military has its pros and cons, but not going to the military is a lot harsher and leads to more severe consequences than going imposes. I learned what actually is involved in going to the military, the actual reasons as to why Korean men struggle so much, and what options are available to them.
I really enjoyed Nirshiee's presentation on Indian dances While I have seen her and the Bollywood Jhatkas (sorry if I butchered this name, but I tried my best) perform before, I didn't realize that the dances had a spiritual/religious background to it. Honestly when I'm watching, I don't normally pay attention to the meaning behind the dances. And so for her to provide a level of depth or dimension to the dances is really nice to know. It's nice to know that the movements and gestures aren't just because but actually has a meaning to it. I thought the modern Bollywood video was interesting. The music has a very western feel to it, especially the beats. For me that was a little unexpected, because I normally won't expect it coming from these videos. And so it was a very nice surprise, I really enjoyed the video.
Oliver's presentation on dabbawallas was very engaging. While he did talk about the topic earlier in the semester, it was nice to be able to know more in depth about the topic. One thing that I don't really understand still though is how do they fit the lunches on the train? Don't they face the same issues as their clients: lack of space on the train for their lunch? And so when I saw the picture of the dabbawalla putting his cart of lunches on the train, how did he do that? What is the difference between early morning versus lunch time in relation to the train? Is it less packed during lunch? In regards to the strict time limit they have to deliver the lunches, what happens if a train breaks down, causing massive congestion? Do dabbawallas have alternative routes that they can take in order to combat this?
Fatima's presentation was on microfinance loans among Pakistani women. The subject definitely is something that isn't researched enough. It's sad to see that women in Pakistan today are being taken advantage of by their male relatives for loans. It's even more sad to see microfinance companies refusing to give loans out to single women because they're unreliable. Basically, it seems like Pakistani women can never catch a break.
For the culture projects, I sat in on Michelle and Gabby’s, Noraya’s, Mallory, as well as Krystin’s presentations. My final culture project talked about Korea's Plastic Surgery Phenomenon with Christy.
The presentation on the sustainability in Switzerland was interesting because it showed how an entire country branded a strong culture in preserving the planet. Houses that were literally in trees showed how one could be more intertwined with nature; people in Switzerland also found pride in creating buildings that only used renewable resources. When a country works together to sustain the environment and has so much media support (e.g. rappers that make songs about sustainability), I start to wonder if others should follow by example.
The presentation on tourism in Bangladesh was also interesting, especially the video that showed a man that was accepted everywhere in the country with smiles and hugs. Noraya described the realities, where there were endangered animal species being killed, women who actually could never travel alone without being in danger, and how the majority of the country was more crowded than what was shown in the video. The video was misleading and warns those interested in tourism to do their research before making an investment in the travel.
My initial plan was to talk about Korea’s obsession education and the difficult process that each student goes through. I never would have thought that Korea’s obsession with education would end up being closely tied with their plastic surgery phenomenon. Koreans believe that a strong educational background is important because it allows the individual to climb the social ladder. If one has a low social standing, a good education will give them a good college, and therefore give them a good job that earns money. In relation to their plastic surgery obsession, Koreans believe that plastic surgery is worth it because it is an investment that will yield far greater rewards in the future. A surgery that costs $10,000 USD may give them a much higher chance to get their dream job. They believe that it will help them perform better and have an advantage at a job interview. Koreans are interested about climbing the social ladder as much as possible, and both education and plastic surgery, in their eyes, helps them achieve this.
Sweden, not Switzerland. But it had been a long evening.
When doing this presentation, I learned a lot about the LGBTQ community of South Korea. It was interesting how it is such a big issue in the United States whereas there were a large number of people in South Korea who have not even heard about it. I also learned that the media was playing a huge role in creating awareness about it. It also made realize the huge influence viewers have on the entertainment industry and on the careers of artists.
I saw Olivier's presentation about the dhabbawallas and as before amazed by the efficiency of the dhabbawallas. I particularly found it very interesting that they have developed a color coded system of labeling each lunch box to make sure that their illiteracy does not hinder them.
I enjoyed seeing Nirshee's presentation on Indian dance. Although I was roughly familiar with the different types of Indian dance, I was not aware that Indian dance originated from Hinduism. It was also interesting to know that some of the gestures used in dance were actually depictions of the lyrics of the song. It always seemed to me like an impossible feat to remember all the different moves in sequence. However, it appeared more doable when thinking of dance as a representation of lyrics.
I also loved the presentation on dating a Swede. I learned that people inSweden do not like to make any public display of affection or to express their feelings very explicitly. It is quite similar to the culture in Bangladesh. It is very rare for married couples to say "I love you" to each other. However, I feel that at times it is necessary to express one feelings so that no misunderstandings happen.
I really enjoyed working on my culture project presentations. I like that we were able to choose a topic that we were genuinely interested in. It made working on the project more fun and less of an obligation or boring assignment. Although I love dancing and know a good amount of information about the topic, I definitely learned many new things about Indian dance. One thing I learned was the religious significance Indian dance has, and how it has roots tracing back to ancient India. There is a big tie between the Hindi language and dance, especially Bollywood. Throughout the semester, I was able to use my interest in Bollywood to also help my study of the Hindi language.
I enjoyed learning about the dabbawallas in Oliver’s presentation. It is such a unique idea, that I had never even heard about before Oliver’s presentations. One thing that amazed me was how rarely the workers mess up an order. You would think making a mistake would be pretty common, but their error rate is unbelievable. The presentation made me want to watch the movie The Lunchbox, even more!
I found Fionna’s presentation to be very interesting as well. It was about the fear of the army in Korea. Most, if not all the men in Korea, are afraid of being recruited for the army. Something I found to be pretty cool, was that if the Korean team of any sport, placed in the Olympics, they were exempt from enlisting in the army.
I really enjoyed hearing Malory's cultural presentation on sustainability in Sweden. It was really interesting to hear about all the different "green" things Sweden does to try and protect the environment such as the vertical greenhouses, tree hotels, and the popularity of vintage clothing shops. I also thought the idea of midsummer holiday and everyone going to their country house sounded pretty cool. It seemed like a lot of Sweden's culture, values, and norms are focused on the environment, which is what allows these initiatives and programs to succeed. I don't know if American culture would permit such traditions because not everyone is as eco-conscious in the United States.
The presentation on Bangladesh tourism was also fascinating because I know very little about Bangladesh, but after watching the presentation it made me want to visit. I thought the different types of transportation-boats, rickshaws, etc. were fun to learn about. While the video she showed at the end made the country look beautiful and majestic, it was important to note that Bangladesh also is a very heavily populated city and that it isn't always the safest place to visit as a woman.
I enjoyed making my own cultural presentation and learning all about the different symbolism of Passover. While I have always observed Passover growing up, it was surprising to find out how intentionally interactive the meal is supposed to be and why everything is arranged the way it is.
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