Attached below is a PDF copy of my cultural project entitled "Overcoming the Taliban: A Look at Sports in Afghanistan." For reference, my sources and the vocabulary I used can be found within the project.
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Final Blog Post: IDF
The Israeli Defense Force was created shortly after the creation of the state in 1949. The draft applies to all citizens who are 18 and not exempt. New recruits are required to pass an exam and then go through 6 months of training. Before beginning training all Israeli soldiers are required to go to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. This is supposed to remind people why being a part of the IDF is so important. Getting into the Special Forces or becoming a spy is very competitive and is very honorable. Deferment is given to those who have not yet completed high school. Exemptions are given to mentally ill, pacifists (as of 2002), and orthodox Jews who are currently studying. There is currently a huge debate if studying Judaism should be a valid excuse not to serve in the army. Something fairly surprising is that people of the Druze community (Druze is a religion you can only be born into – millions of Druze people live in the north of Israel and proudly serve in the IDF.
Serving in the army drastically changes their higher education system. After high school all citizens will serve in the army for 2 to 3 years (2 for females, 3 for males). After they finish their service they will live at home with their parents and work a simple job, like being a waitress or waiter, to save up money for a year or two. After they save up enough money they will travel for a period of time (anywhere from 6 months to 2 years). Most people travel around Southeast Asia because it is not expensive. Then after traveling they will go to a university where they can go directly into their specialization (medical school, law school, etc.).
When serving in the army all of the soldiers live on the base and are allowed to come home infrequently. They normally go home for the Sabbath, Friday and Saturday. This can constrict many of their social lives because the one night they are able to go out and socialize is Shabbat; in Judaism Shabbat is a time for rest and is Friday evening through Saturday evening. So anyone who strictly observes Judaism will stay home and rest on Friday nights. Life on the base can be very fun; most people are between the ages of 18 to 22. There are also many different types of jobs people can do in the army. A family friend of mine is the “party planner” for her unit of 300 people. She organizes social gatherings and makes sure all of the soldiers are as happy and healthy as possible. On the battlefield officers take charge and lead by example. Citizens continue to serve in the army reserves for one month a year for about 40 years. From Israelis I have spoken to about this, they say it is a great break from their daily lives and fun to be in a different environment for a short period of time.
The majority of the Israeli population supports the IDF. Due to Israel’s geographical location they feel having a draft is necessary. It is also something people can bring up in small talk when getting to know someone and many people find common ground with others through their experiences. In interviews it is asked about all of the time. The army is part of the daily life in Israel, soldiers are stationed all around the country and do not only stay on their bases but also are around in the communities. When I was in Israel a couple of years ago I was taking a train and sitting across from a girl my age that was holding a huge gun. I was shocked but no one else even seemed to notice, seeing soldiers around carrying guns is part of everyday life.
American Jews are also very proud of the IDF; when Jewish American young adults go to Israel most people come back with an IDF t-shirt. Many young Jews around the world experience Israel for the first time through a trip call Birthright, or Taglit in Hebrew. Birthright is a free 10-day trip to Israel to any Jews between the ages of 18 and 26 around the world. There are always at least 2 Israel soldiers on every trip and it is very competitive to get those spots because all of the soldiers want to come on these trips. It is a good chance for Israelis to bond with other Jewish people their age around the world and creates long lasting friendships.
I wanted to switch gears a bit with my fourth cultural post and discuss something that was not related to sports, despite that topic being the center of my cultural project. In just a few months, April 5, 2014 to be precise, Afghanistan will be electing its next president. This should be an interesting election as incumbent president Hamid Karzai, who entered office on December 22, 2001, will be ineligible to run as he has reached his term limit. Therefore, Afghanistan will be under new leadership for the first time for well over a decade. Likewise, the timing of the election also coincides with the United States' extensive withdrawal plan that is slated to occur sometime in 2014. There are 11 candidates that are competing for the presidency, including Hamid Karzai's brother Qayoum Karzai; the ballot was finalized in November and can be read here. Notably, there were originally 27 candidates who were vying for the presidency, however, 16 were disqualified for various reasons. Recent polling has indicated that Abdullah Abdullah is the election's current front-runner. Abdullah, a doctor who used to be the nation's Minister of Foreign Affairs, was Karzai's closest competitor in the Afghanistan's 2009 presidential election.
An interesting topic to follow heading into the election surrounds relations between Karzai, as he exits office, and the United States. Karzai and Secretary of State John Kerry had originally agreed to signing a bilateral security agreement that would ensure that several thousand U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan even after the planned withdrawals in 2014. In an interesting turn of events, Karzai has claimed that he does not want to sign the agreement, and would rather have the next president sign the agreement. It is difficult to understand Karzai's rationale as the agreement had been in talks for over a year - some foreign affairs experts suggest that Karzai may want more leverage in negotiations as he winds down his presidency. Given the recent developments surrounding Karzai and the U.S., the disqualification of candidates and the timing of the U.S.'s exit, this election should prove to be not only very interesting, but also pivotal in shaping that direction that Afghanistan is headed in, at least for the near-term.
The following articles add some more context to the discussion:
"Afghan Election Race Kicks Off" (WSJ)
"US Organization Optimistic on Afghan Elections" (AP)
"How will Afghanistan election affect U.S. interests?" (USA Today)
"U.S. urges Karzai to sign Afghan pact before Afghan elections" (PBS)
Response to reading "Bilinguals are smarter" NYT.
I definitely agree that bilingual people are smarter people. Bilinguals are people who understand and think in two different languages. It makes sense that their mental abilities are expanded, because there is much complexity behind managing oneself within two languages. I have also heard that it is easier for bilingual people to learn new languages because they already have the mental ability to comprehend the differences between languages. The brain is a muscle that needs training, and those who are able to speak more than one language are constantly training their mind to switch between two different modes. I am personally very grateful that I have been brought up to be a bilingual person with english and spanish. I hope to soon become trilingual with Hindi! If being bilingual makes you smarter, I can only imagine what being trilingual makes you!
Read: "Tribe Revives Language on Verge of Extinction" NYT.
This was a fascinating article. It was interesting to read about another language that is on the verge of extinction. It is actually a very sad thought to think that a language can just die like that. I can relate. The type of Indian that I am - Sindhi - has its own language, called Sindhi. However, the language is quickly dying out with my generation. My grandparents and their generation of Sindhis all speak it very fluently. My parents and aunts and uncles and others in that generation are also capable of speaking it, but they dont speak it very often. Now, in my generation, I have heard Sindhi spoken amongst my parents and my grandparents but normally when speaking in an Indian language, Indians just speak Hindi. I am currently trying to learn how to speak Hindi because it is important to me to be able to converse with other Indians in Hindi. However, because not many people speak Sindhi, it is not as useful to learn that language. My personal goal is to first learn Hindi, and then learn how to speak Sindhi, because I think it is very important to keep the language alive. I worry that not many others in my generation realize the importance behind their learning Sindhi. When a language dies, along with it dies the identity of a whole people. A language is a very important factor when defining a people, and to think that a language could just disappear forever is a very scary thought indeed. I hope that I can learn Sindhi and pass it on to my children when the time comes!
Reflect on how knowing a language's history can help you learn the language.
Knowing the language's history definitely helps one in learning the language because it helps you better understand the origin of the language and the words that you are speaking. It helps put the language you are learning in context. When learning the history behind Hindi, I learned that Hindi actually originated from the language Urdu (the language commonly spoken by Pakistanis). This actually helped me because a lot of things made more sense knowing this. It is for this reason that Pakistanis and Indians dont have as much trouble conversing with one another. Because the two languages are essentially the same with a few random different words.
When I spoke to my language partner about this, she confirmed it. She related it to the desi community on the Richmond campus. She told me that it is for this reason that the Pakistanis at UofR and the Indians at UofR are always speaking in Hindi because the Pakistanis can understand Hindi perfectly well. Urdu, she told me, is just like Hindi, there are just a few words that are different.
Knowing the history of a language can help in many ways. It can help one understand why people converse in the ways that they do. It can help one understand why the words and the script are the way they are. But it can also help one truly appreciate the language and the culture they are learning. It helps one gain a deeper understanding for the culture they are trying to enter by learning the language.
Reflect on "Communicative Competence".
While this entire chapter was definitely very interesting, the part that interested me the most was when the author said, "What are the rules that govern our conversations? How do we get someone's attention? How do we initiate topics? Terminate topics? Avoid topics? How does a person interrupt, correct, or seek clarification? These questions relate to an area of linguistic competence possessed by every adult native speaker of a language, yet few foreign language curricula traditionally deal with these important aspects of CC [Communicative Competence]" (page 228).
Thinking about this, I completely agree with this! It is so true! There are certain aspects of a language that one really only knows if they are native speakers. This doesn't even only refer to slang. There are many phrases and ways in using certain sentences that reflect certain things only native people understand. In this way, it could be very easy for a foreign speaker to innocently insult native speakers because they don't know any better. For this reason, it is very important to also learn about the culture that relates to the language you are learning. I recently learned (I have not verified and do not know if it is actually true) that it is considered rude in China to say please and thank you to a waiter. Therefore, when the Chinese people come to the United States, they are not used to saying please and thank you. However, in the United States it is considered rude not to say please and thank you.
An interesting article that Professor Grove shared with our class spoke about "Huh" being the only universal word. "Huh" tends to mean basically the same thing in every language. This was a fascinating article to read and reflect on. It is true, there are not many universal words and expressions, which puts additional barriers between people of different cultures, even when they have begun learning similar languages.
Reflect on "Culture Shock"
I was having trouble viewing this video online so I will just talk about my experience with culture shock in general. I have never actually experienced complete culture shock despite all the traveling I have been fortunate enough to complete in my life. I think this is because I try and educate myself on the place I am going to before I go. I try and prepare myself for what is to come. Something I have experienced, however, is having international friends who are not used to the American ways and therefore have trouble with certain things. Whether it be with their english pronunciations, or just the American culture, it is interesting to hang out with international people and get their perspective on the American people. One thing that amazed them is the big portions given at restaurants in this country. Many internationals have mentioned that they don't know how people finish their plates! They are also amazed by the free water. I have many Indian international friends who are uncomfortable drinking from the tap here in the United States despite knowing that the water is very much clean. This is because they are used to having to be careful with the tap water in India. In India, one has to pre-boil tap water, and then put it in the fridge to drink later. It's interesting because when I am with Indians here in the United States, they almost always, ask for no ice in their drinking water, because in India people dont eat ice. Whereas when I am with Americans, they sometimes ask for extra ice! There are so many cultural differences between people, even in the smallest ways, if you pay close attention, they are really fun and interesting to notice!
Reflecting back on my classmate's presentations throughout the semester, I found that I have learned so much, not only about the cultures they were studying, but about my own culture and my own cultural/political opinions. I am not sure if it was only because we were all females in our class, but we spoke a lot about gender issues, and I found that these weighed heavily on my mind, even when I was not in class. There was so much variation between different countries and cultures and their gender norms/practices. I think this is wrong. I was shocked by Shiksha's awesome presentation on the history of arranged marriage. It makes sense to me after seeing the start of her presentation as to why arranged marriage began. However, it is one of the most power-stripping practices that there is for women. To have no control over who you marry is something that I can literally not even imagine. One must feel like they are doing it for their community, their family, etc... but to not be able to marry for love, that is bad enough. However, to potentially be forced to marry someone who is a bad person, abusive, or even just someone you don't click with, that is horrible to me.
Sweden was on the other end of the spectrum. I enjoyed hearing about the new pronouns they are creating to represent gender non-conforming individuals or people who simply wish to not be identified in speech by their gender. I also thought it was super cool to hear about the different movie ratings that are now coming out to rank movies more highly if they have strong female roles and high levels of feminism. This is so cool! However, it made me wonder what the real reaction to these movements is in Sweden. It is all fine and good if people in other parts of the world approve, but how do people in the actual country feel? Do they really like these changes or do they resent them? I loved hearing about the different directions that gender relations can take depending on the conservative status of a country's history and a country's level of modernity. Israel, I think, is in the middle. Most of it is very modern and westernized, but the very religious parts are probably more like India. Tel Aviv, however, is known as one of the best cities in the world for gay couples. It is fascinating to me that the rights of women - the simple human rights and liberties of more than half of the citizens in the world!!!! - differ across the globe. What a long way we have to go in securing the status of our global citizens.
One of the first things that I thought of when I read this article was the definition of "smarter". Does smarter mean a wider array and variety of knowledge? If that is the case, then bilinguals are definitely smarter. There is no doubt that people who know more than one language know more words, more grammar, have a higher amount of cultural competency, and are just generally a larger wealth of knowledge. However, I object to this NY Times article because I think smarter is not just about how much you know, it is about how quickly you ascertain something and retain something. Obviously I am biased because I am not bilingual, and it is insulting to think that people are automatically smarter than you because they had the privilege of being raised in a home where more than one language was being spoken. However, I do not think that this is just my bias shining through. I really believe that people who are bilingual are not more intelligent, they simply know more. I understand the article's point that the brain is stretched more and is used to moving and being used in different ways. But does that make one smarter, or simply more adaptable? I think people who are bilingual have more agile brains, because they are used to exercising their minds in ways that monolingual people just don't. But I just do not think this makes them smarter. More adept, maybe, more practiced maybe, and certainly more mentally "in shape", but not more intelligent.
Cultural Competence is a fascinating concept. The idea that people can be competent and aware of a specific culture, understand its cultural nuances, and become fluent in more than just a language is important. There is more to learning a language than just learning how to speak. You have to learn the other parts of a language, which are speaking in a certain way, understanding the dress and physical aspects of movement and appearances, and knowing physical and social interactions. For example, in Israel, to be "culturally competent", one has to understand that Israelis are tough and abrasive even though they do not necessarily mean to be. It could be very off-putting to be in Israel because one could just think that everyone is really mean, negative and harsh. Israelis are not any less nice than anyone else, they just are blunt and they do not mince words. This results in a certain type of culture, and this mixes with the language as well. Israelis rarely say please or thank you, and their body language rarely suggests that they mean please or thank you. Understanding this cues is a type of cultural competence. One cannot just know how to speak the language, you must understand how to speak the culture as well.
The following was my Learning Plan
- Enrich vocabulary
- work on pronunciation
- work on reading without vowels
- work on speaking with Emily
- learn to construct correct sentences
- work on spelling and texting
To do this we will:
Read short stories (once Emily can find a couple online)
Watch youtube videos in Hebrew about something
Work through my workbook
Lessons will be: 15 minutes of talking in Hebrew about: our day, school, life, the weekend, and trying to incorporate words that we are learning in the workbook and the short stories.
Reflection: I believe that this semester was 100% successful. Emily and I know each other, we are friends now and we can understand each other. I had difficulties with Emily's method of speaking Hebrew, she was a little fast and would stop me in mid-sentence to correct me if I used improper grammar. I found this initially very irritating because i would then lose my train of thought. However, this really helped me because I am making much less mistakes in the present tense. In the past tense I am still making some mix ups, but also the words begin are jumble a bit. The past tense begins to have lots of consonants, which make it very difficult to speak.
I over the semester my reading has truly improved. I have been steadily working through my workbook and I can usually understand every prompt and work through it. However, reading through the story at the end of my Final showed me how much I had truly learned this semester. I was able to slowly make my way through the long paragraph and understand most of the sentences. I had difficulty with some of the questions because there were a few sentences that didn't make full sense because I didn't know three or four words in a row so I would lose the meaning behind the sentence but I knew the overall gist of the paragraph.
i still struggle with listening and comprehending. That will come with more time listening to Hebrew and more speaking. I will most definitely get better at that while abroad, because everyone will be speaking Hebrew around me and I want to be able to understand them.
My typing skills have most definitely improved this semester, I can type on my personal laptop without the onscreen Hebrew keyboard. I know relatively where every letter is located on the keyboard to type words. I am still much slower typing Hebrew than English, but that will come with time :)
This has been a great semester for learning about something cultural. This past summer when I was in Israel I learned that the refugees were a problem in Southern Tel Aviv. I walked through Levinksky Park and I saw people sleeping on benches, I saw some stores closed with signs stating that the business was illegal. I also talked with some of the asylum seekers and heard their stories. Listening to their stories made me want to learn more about the situation. I mentioned the problem and what I learned about it to a friend in Israel and he had a totally different viewpoint on the situation. He identified with the Israelis who state that if they give them refugee status then they will settle in Israel and it will be a drain on the resources. I found his viewpoint very narrow minded at first, but because I respect him, I decided that I would look into the situation myself and read up on what was happening.
Having now been informed on the situation, I believe that both sides have very valid points. It is true that Israel has a limited amount of resources and giving refugee status would drain the resources tremendously. However, if the asylum seekers are given refugee status then Israel can send them to other countries. Nonetheless, the other countries have to be willing to take in those refugees and every time Israel has tried to send them to Germany, Spain, Italy or any other country they have been denied. The US has not offered to take in the refugees when asked. I find this very sad. It's tragic that we do not help our fellow human. I understand both sides of the story, I just wish that things were better and other countries would open their arms to the refugees. History always repeats itself, refugees have never been welcome to any country, there has always been discrimination against refugees.
However there is hope, the story about how Israel is sending aid to Jordan to help the Syrian refugees warmed my heart and showed me that there is some hope. Israel is playing the political game, but staying morally right by helping those in need.
By knowing this information about the culture of Israel, it enlightens me to know about another political situation that is not often heard of. It is another source of tension. I always believe it is best to be aware of all of the tension spots so you can avoid them.
Gaming in South Korea presentation.
Swedish learning plan
Section 1:
Learn:
- Alphabet
- Hard and soft vowels
- Pronunciation
- Numbers
- Colors
- A few animals
Outcome: I thought this was our easiest section. I still find the vowel rhyme to be helpful because it shows me how to pronounce certain words. Something challenging about this section though was that I learned that in Swedish the way you write a word doesn't always correlate with the way you colloquially say it. For instance, the word for monday is måndag but you say it moooondahhh. I got a 65/60 on this quiz because knew extra credit words.
Section 2:
Learn:
- Basic greetings
- Pronouns
- En vs ett
- Family words
- Description of ourselves
- Basic question to start a conversation
Outcome: I found this section to be really practical because they are the words and phrases I am going to need to know when I spend time with the Andersson family. I think a bulk of the information I will be sharing for the final will come from this section because I know a lot of words and sentences to talk about myself and my family. I got a 40.5/40 on this quiz because I missed some points for grammar related issues like pronouns and word order.
Section 3:
Learn:
- Weather
- Transportation
- Directions
- Time
Outcome: This part of the semester got challenging because we started learning very long lists of vocabulary. I probably know a few hundred words combined in terms of weather, transportation, directions and time. The most challenging is time because Swedish people use military time which we don't and they have a very precise and complicated way of telling the time to one another that isn't very similar to here in the U.S. at all. I got a 41.5/40 and the issues I had were with prepositions, per always!
Section 4:
Learn:
- Food
- Silverware and utensils
- Cultural differences with dining
- Clothing
- Parts of the body
Outcome: This section was fun because we were able to learn these words and concepts while making our Swedish dinner. This was also the first time we really talked about Swedish culture! Towards the end of this section I found that it was harder to learn all of the words because the semester had gotten pretty crazy. Before the final I want to go over clothing and parts of the body so I will know those words too! I got a 75/80 on this quiz, again related to the prepositions I used incorrectly in the essay portion of the quiz.
Final: The best part about this final and also the most challenging was that Louise didn't want it to be just a review of vocabulary so we spent the bulk of the final writing our own sentences about the categories of words. I got a 161.5/200.
Notes from this semester!photo-3.JPG
We had four quizzes and a midterm/final to show what we had learned, keep us on track, and help us construct sentences from the vocabulary we learned!photo-4.JPG
