For my final presentation, I was reading articles on how the international popularity of Korean dramas and k-pop has affected the Korean society. A lot of the clothing item and food that are prominent in tv shows and music videos are now more expensive. For example, in the US, a bubble tea cost around $5 which more expensive than other beverages. In the past, bubble tea was not considered expensive in Korea, but in the recent years, prices have gone up and it now costs around $3 in Korea which is higher than what it used to cost in the past. Growing international for Korean products has actually increased local prices and has negatively affected the population in the country.

 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/bubble-tea-market.html ;

https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2163187/bubble-tea-craze-super-sweet-market-inventive-hong-kong ;

Along with my tutoring sessions, I have also been watching youtube videos that go over the Korean alphabet and grammar. Listening to a native speaker really helps me to remember the proper pronunciations.

This video goes over the Korean alphabet: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN4mysljHYc

I started watching the Korean show “Kingdom” on Netflix. The show is in Korean so I have been following along with subtitles, and sometimes I go back rewatch the episodes without the subtitles to see if I can figure out the words. Slowing down the speed of the video, as we discussed in SDLC 105, is also very helpful. Now that I am starting to watch foreign shows on Netflix, I was really surprised by how many Korean shows Netflix offers.

Here's a clip from the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l-yByZpaaM ;

Although I am able to write the words I know in Korean, it makes me a lot longer to type in Korean especially when using my computer because I have the location of all the letters memorized yet and I have to keep looking down to find the correct letters. I have been trying to type my notes more often so I can get used to using the Korean keyboard. This will also be helpful when I continue to learn Korean after college and will have to look up things on the internet on my own.

나는미국에서왔습니다.

나는 한국에서 왔습니다

나는 미국사람 입니다.

나는 한국사람 입니다.

I also looked into Korean beauty norms and standards. These correlate with the traditional gender roles that are still prevalent in the mainstream media. Korean makeup focuses a lot more on looking natural and youthful. Women in Korean actually focus more on skincare than on makeup. Skincare provides a way for them to maintain younger looking skin; whereas, makeup is almost used as backup to things that can’t be fixed with skincare. Another thing, that I noticed was beauty standards and how they relate to Western ideals even though it is not always practical for people with Korean ethnicity. For example, narrower and longer noses are seen as more beautiful, or wider eyes. And a lot of the times, people carry umbrellas with them to prevent from getting tanner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDtyFINqapg

I have been watching more Korean drama and listening to k-pop. This really helped me to recognize words after and also understand social connotations of certain phrases. Something that really stood out to me was the traditional gender roles that is very prominent in Korean pop culture. This is especially applicable to women. Women are mostly portrayed as quiet, humble, and they are expected to be elegant and carry themselves in a certain way. Moreover, whenever as seen in dominating roles or they take charge of a scene, it is depicted as a rebellious gesture or as a reaction to things that are happening around her.

I am using this paper my final project; in this paper the author examines the stereotypical gender women are assigned in Korean Drama and the effects it has on the society/audience:

https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/aiks/article/view/2740/2613 ;

As seniors, both Evelyn and I have been applying and interviewing for jobs this semester. I have only applied to jobs here in the states. Evelyn has been looking at jobs here and in Korea. We talked about how the interviewing processes and workplace cultures are so different in the two countries.

Most people applying for jobs, especially entry level jobs, have the required qualifications. A lot of the times, in the USA, it comes down to how you represent yourself in the interview and how you “sell” your qualifications, or even how well you are able to interact with the group of people you’ll be working with. In fact, during one of my phone interviews for a company in Richmond, the recruiter told me to more “braggy” and readily offer information about my accomplishments without trying to be modest when I went in for the interview.

On the other hand, when Evelyn was interviewing for companies in Korea, the opposite is expected. It is considered disrespectful if you are not modest. And employees don’t salaries as much in Korea either. The employers focus a lot more on your professional experience, and don’t take into account how you are in your personal life. Employees are almost expected to adapt to a company’s culture. Whereas, in the states, they look for someone who already identifies with the company’s values.

Here's one of the articles I read about workplace culture in Korea

http://www.englishspectrum.com/differences-in-work-ethics-between-korea-and-the-west/  

Last semester, my final presentation was on Korean food so I focused a lot on the different types of dishes and eating etiquette in Korean culture. I wanted to build on that and learn more about the formalities surrounding a dinner and the social customs. I also think as a novice learner, learning about eating etiquette is easier for me because I can easily picture it. Evelyn and I also went out for traditional Korean dinner so she was able to explain all little steps to me.

As someone from an Asian culture, I do think eating etiquette says a lot about the social norms of a society. For example, in Bangladesh, how you eat, how you point your fingers when you, or even what type of food you prefer carry connotations about which region you are from and even your social status.

Screen%20Shot%202019-04-29%20at%2010.49.55%20PM.png

The last two weeks of classes, we went over everything I learned this semester and prepared for the final. I also asked Evelyn to look over my final presentation. For my presentation, I am focusing more on pop culture in Korea and the societal differences between the USA and Korea so I wanted to make sure I was interpreting my research properly.

We decided to have the final on the last day of classes. The final would have a similar structure as the quizzes we had and also have dictation and speaking portions.

I learned prepositions and sentence structures in Korean. This helped me to be able to use the vocab I had learned so far and I was also able to make basic sentences on my own. We also had a quiz on prepositions, and we did dictations where I had to identify the meaning/the correct preposition.

I learned vocab for emotion, and how to describe or how to ask someone how they are feeling to build a conversation. In the past, I had only learned basic greetings but didn’t have the vocab bank to carry on a conversation in Korean so I wanted to learn new words that I can use in a formal setting. I also focused on the different honorary prefixes and suffixes that Korean uses when talking to elders.

The weeks after spring break, I started learning vocab for days of the week, seasons, and how to describe time. This was helpful because I learned how to contextualize the two different number systems and helped me to remember them better.

This semester, I wanted to focus on making sure I remembered the things I was learning instead of trying to cover all the topics I listed in my initial learning plan. Having taken Korean in the fall, I realized I didn’t remember a lot of the phrases I had learned due to lack of practice over winter break. Even though I remembered the vocab, I couldn’t use them properly in sentences.

The week before spring break, we went over everything I had learned so far. And had dictation and vocab. This acted as a midterm for the class and also helped to highlight all the topics I had covered so far.

We started learning numbers and the different types of number system. And what they're used for. We also talked about why there are two different number, and their origins/cultural significance.

We went over the alphabets and had a quiz. And we went over vocabulary and phrases I learned in the fall. I learned new sentences/scenarios where I can use the vocabulary I already know. 

We went over the alphabets and had a quiz. And we went over vocabulary and phrases I learned in the fall. I learned new sentences/scenarios where I can use the vocabulary I already know. 

At the beginning of the semester, we planned out my learning goals for the semester. I focused more on vocabulary I can use in basic communication in Korean. We also planned on having more homework assignments and quizzes this semester to keep track of my progress. We also spent time going over things I learned last semester.

SDLC%20Reflection%20%232%20Islam%20.docx

I have been practicing using common phrases with other native speakers. 

American and Korean makeup and fashion have subtle differences that helps us understand a lot about the cultures and how people like representing themselves in different societies. American makeup is more bold -- with darker eyes, sharper eyebrows, etc.; whereas Korean makeup is more natural and tries to focus on healthy skincare including healthier eating habits to have better skin. Everyday American style is more focused soon comfort with a lot of athleisure clothes. Korean fashion is more girly and formal. In general, Koreans dress up more for day-to-day wear than Americans do. 

Here's a video that highlights the differences between Korean and American makeup:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EphjkWOoLas