Blogs

For my cultural posts, I decided to focus on Slovak art history as a way to connect my current studies with my Art History major. Throughout my art historical education, I have learned about everything from Tōdai-ji, the Buddhist temple complex in Nara, Japan, to the vivid frescoes of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. However, I have not had much exposure to Central or Eastern European art history. Additionally, it is important to note that like many other academic fields, art history still focuses on a largely westernized canon and viewpoint; the field of art history requires a further expansion into cultures throughout the world, not just frescoes from the Vatican or paintings by French masters. In observation of this lack of diversity in my art historical, I am choosing to study significant paintings, architecture, and other artistic media to Slovak culture.

My first focus is on Banskoštiavnická Kalvária, a 18th century Church compound. As I studied this architectural compound, I found that the naming among sources is very inconsistent. Some of its names include “The Calvary Church”, “The Baroque Calvary”, “Banská Štiavnica Calvary”, “Calvary in/of Banská Štiavnica”, “Banská Štiavnica Calvary Complex”, “Kalvária” and “Kalvária Banská Štiavnica”. For the sake of consistency, I will refer to the complex as “Kalvária”. The compound was erected in 1751 and sits on a hill in the Central Slovakian town of Banská Štiavnica (translated to “City of Silver”). Banská Štiavnica is known for their silver-mining boom in the 18^thcentury, becoming a major source of profit for the Kingdom of Hungary. The compound is especially notable for its Baroque style and its views overlooking the entire town of Banská Štiavnica. A Jesuit priest named Francis Perger convinced the town of Banská Štiavnica to erect a Calvary complex on Sharfenberg Hill (Sharp Hill) in the middle of the Štiavnica volcano. This church/calvary complex was specifically created to worship the Passions of Christ and enhance the emotional connection between a suffering Christ and Christian pilgrims. It was built and funded through donations from the Emperor, the poor, and everyone in between. The compound includes three churches, nineteen chapels, and a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. The Upper Church sits atop the highest point on the property, looking over Banská Štiavnica. Throughout the complex, there are intricate frescoes, paintings, and sculptures depicting important scenes and figures from the Bible. Kalvária became an important pilgrimage site as the complex boasted seventeen stations of the Cross rather than the traditional fourteen stations. The creator of the complex increased the number of stations by including stories from before Christ’s condemnation. Around 2007, advocates for Kalvária created the Calvary Fund and began to restore the Church after years of disrepair from the battles of WWII, neglect during Communist Rule, and a failed restoration attempt in the 1980s. Today, Kalvária continues to be a highly important pilgrimage and religious site as citizens of Banská Štiavnica use the complex for religious holidays and festivals.

Kalvária reminded me of some of the buildings I saw during my visit to Bratislava. Throughout the city, I saw Baroque-style buildings with bright colors, accentuated curves, and golden accents. The Holy Trinity Church in Bratislava really reminds me of Kalvária due to its pink coloring and prominent coat of arms above the church’s entrance.

360-degree views of Kalvária: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72LwfAtHJh4 ;

Aerial photograph of the entire compound

Upper Church of Kalvária

The Holy Trinity Church: Shot during my trip to Bratislava, SK

Sources:

https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/calvary-church/55eebda8-789d-457f-a6cf-392e9b9dd126

https://www.kalvaria.org/zakladne-info/

https://www.wmf.org/project/banská-štiavnica-calvary-complex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BV_2uL9eFo

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/calvary-of-banska-stiavnica

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/calvary-of-banska-stiavnica

Figuring Foreigners Out focused on developing tools to measure differences in individualism, fatalism, nonverbal behaviors, conceptions of time, and directness of communication throughout cultures. Dr. Hofstede’s tools focused on measuring differences in equality, individualism, masculinity, tolerance for uncertainty, dedication to traditional values and behaviors in indulgence. Ultimately, both of these resources offer quantifiable tools to understand very abstract concepts such as culture, individualism and fatalism. However, I am curious about this quantifiability and its margin of error. Obviously, some of these measurements are easier to control than others especially Dr. Hofstede’s Power Distance Index. Scholars can easily look up numbers on wage inequality, wealth gaps, and much more to understand inequalities in wealth and power. But I would love to know a little bit more about these scholars’ research in determining the correct range for each country. What resources (word-of-mouth, scholarly texts, interviews from people of each culture, etc.) do they use to make these judgements? What are their margins of error? How often do they adjust for changes within specific cultures?

Curiously, during my last tutoring session, Adriana and I talked about the state of the Coronavirus in our native countries and its representation of typical cultural behavior. I asked Adriana if most Slovaks were following the rules by wearing their masks and adhering to stay-at-home orders. Adriana told me that most people closely follow the rules and usually do not deviate from collective behavior. She explained that hundreds of years of outside, authoritarian rule created a culture of collectivism and fervent adherence to the law. In contrast, I told Adriana about the almost toxic sense of American individualism and dedication to personal freedoms. Though individualism and personal freedoms can be very important values, they are detriments to public health efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. I mentioned that some Americans, especially white, middle-class Americans, view themselves as exceptions, as above wearing masks and staying at home. For better or worse, the United States’ resistance to observing pandemic rules perfectly demonstrates the problematic nature of American individualism and our failure to care for the greater good.

Hi everyone! Check out my Korean learning plan here! As a beginner in learning Korean, my language tasks for this semester focus primarily on the basics like the alphabet and phrases to engage in casual conversation with others. I also incorporated tasks that were suited to my interests and future plans, such as talking about food since I really enjoy cooking as well as phrases that could help me get around as a tourist since I hope to visit South Korea someday (when this pandemic is over haha). Through putting this plan together, I've come across some really cool resources that I think will be very helpful in learning Korean, such as KoreanClass101.com, Duolingo, and Mango. I'm also definitely going to utilize YouTube to help with training my ear with sounds of the language and to improve my listening skills. Also, there are so many informational short videos on YouTube to help with more targeted topics such as the alphabet, common phrases, vocabulary for foods, numbers, places, etc. as well as just helping with grammar and writing skills! As I progress throughout the semester, I hope to be able to incorporate resources such as children's books as well as incorporating games to help me learn Korean to make it more fun! I want my language learning experience to be an immersive one, so I hope to learn to cook traditional Korean dishes, play traditional Korean games, and learn about the history of Korea throughout my studies. 

 Kayla%20Wise%20-%20Korean%20Learning%20Plan.docx

The cultural artifact I chose for this month was a video about the traditional Indonesian fabric/dyeing technique called batik. The technique centers on using wax as a method to color the cloth, which is also considered an ancient art form.

The most notable aspect about batik is the many patterns and motifs. In the video, the presenter mentions a few which correspond with a place and/or theme:

1. Motif Tujuh Rupa: originated in Peklongan, includes a lot of motifs related to nature (animals/plants), mix of local culture and ethnic Chinese culture.
2. Motif Batik Sogan: identical to the area of the Javanese court, classical palace motifs (in the past, used by Javanese royalty but now used by everyone).
3. Motif Batik Mega Mendung: from Cirebon, popular in Indonesia and worldwide, cloud motif which represents patience (reflective of the nature of life, artisans/users of this type of motif must also exercise patience).
4. Motif Batik Gentongan: from Madura and cannot be found elsewhere, unique process using a barrel (soaked and stored for a certain amount of time).
5. Motif Simbut: includes a shape resembling taro leaves, simple repeating motif, from Badui tribe in Sunda.
6. Motif Batik Parang: one of the oldest in Indonesia, diagonal motif (pereng), motif that resembles letter “S,” symbolizes continuity/eternity through ocean waves.
7. Motif Batik Kawung: the oldest motif in Indonesia, includes a pile arranged in four square corners, founded in Java, represents self-control, clean heart, etc.
8. Motif Batik Pring Sedapur: from Magetan City, must be preserved through research of the development of the decorations, pring sedapur means “cluster of bamboo trees likened to strength.”
9. Motif Batik Priangan: developed in Priangan region and representative of the beauty of the region, use of flora and fauna motifs.

Even though there exist many batik motifs, I think the fact that they are all considered “Indonesian batik” is representative of the unity present in Indonesian culture. This reminded me of a previous lesson in which an aspect of Indonesian culture is their collective identity. When learning about the different motifs, I was surprised that none of them were directly influence by religion, especially by Islam (seeing as Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world). I have taken a religious art class in the past, and the different symbols (nature, patience, continuity, etc.) reminded me of other forms of religious art, so I was expecting some mention of it.

In a class lesson, Farida went over some popular tourist spots in Indonesia, one of which was Yogyakarta. I learned that it is common to purchase batik when visiting Yogyakarta as there are many batik vendors there and stores selling batik. I have been to Yogyakarta once and I remember visiting a batik store in one of my trips to Indonesia, though I cannot remember if it was specifically in Yogyakarta or Jakarta (where I usually visit my family). Even so, I was young and did not understand the motifs, so I hope to be able to go back one day and appreciate the different designs.

In order to familiarize myself with Vietnamese, my favorite pastime activity has shifted from watching mostly meaningless compilations of vine videos on Youtube to watching Vietnamese reality television and listening to Vietnamese music videos. 

Due to the recent rise in the global popularity of Korean Pop (dubbed Kpop), other Asian countries have jumped on the bandwagon. Vietnam is no different. 

Unlike before when most, if not all, professional Vietnamese singers are seen sporting traditional costumes or formal wear while performing minimal gestures, rising Vietnamese stars like to imitate the eye catching, colorful costumes and energetic street style dances that are common in a typical Kpop music video. 

Additionally, with the introduction of western pop culture, musical genres like rap and hip hop are gaining popularity in the previously ballads and folk songs dominated music industry. This gave rise to a new generation of Vietnamese artists such as Sơn Tùng - MTP, ERIK, SOOBIN, JACK97, MIN, and many others. 

As I previously mentioned, musical genres such as pop, hip hop, and rap are relatively new to the Vietnamese musical industry. Before Kpop became a global phenomenon, the Vietnamese musical scene was heavily dominated by love ballads, songs depicting nationalism, and soulful folk songs. This lack of diversity is largely due to the Vietnamese government’s banning of what they labeled as kích động nhạc (literally “exciting music”) in the later 1970s period. Nhạc trẻ Sài Gòn (literally “youthful music of Saigon”) is a term that was used to refer to the vibrant, fun folk songs that were forced underground during this time period due government censorship. It wasn’t until the late 2000s that ‘Vpop’ - based off of Kpop, Cpop, and Jpop - became a recognized genre of music in the industry. Even then, Vpop only encompasses the previously driven underground folk songs that bore little resemblance to what we would be referring to as modern pop music. 

Looking at the recently released contents of the music industry, it is evident that modern Vpop is heavily influenced by Kpop with its colorful concepts, energetic dance sequences, and catchy melodies. Vpop has also recently started to borrow heavily from western music as well. New artists have started to incorporate rap and hip hop into their songs, a combination that was practically unheard of in the Vietnamese musical industry before the 2010s. During this period, the pop / hip hop artist Sơn Tùng was among the first Vietnamese artists to make the international chart with a musical sequence almost identical to the internationally recognized Kpop. 

However, unlike the Korean music industry where boy bands and girl groups tend to dominate the industry, the Vietnamese musical industry tends to favor solo artists, partnerships, and collaborations. The rise in popularity of pop and hip hop music in Vietnam has paved the way for musical reality television such as Vietnam Idol, Rap Viet, Giọng Ca Bất Bại (literally “the unbeatable voice”), and Giọng Ải Giọng Ai (literally “who’s voice is that?”). 

My personal favorite genre that resulted from this musical revolution is the cross between traditional and EDM that created artists and producers like JACK97 and K-ICM. This genre utilizes a unique combination of traditional musical instruments and modern EDM mix that give a modern twist to the upbeat folk music that previously gave way to the Vietnamese imitation of Kpop.

For New Year’s Day this year, my family and I celebrated with traditional Korean food. My cultural artifact is a photo of homemade 만두 (mandu/dumplings). We made the dumplings ourselves, and they were a lot of fun to shape. There was pork, tofu, noodles, and vegetables inside a wonton wrapper. We put these dumplings in the 떡만둣국 (tteok mandu guk), which is rice cake soup with dumplings and garnished with eggs and seaweed. The 떡 (tteok) in tteok mandu guk is white, thinly sliced round rice cakes, but there are different varieties of tteok. According to ancient customs, the white tteok symbolizes purity and cleanliness. 국 (guk) is the Korean word for soup. It is traditional to eat tteok mandu guk on New Year’s Day because it is believed to grant people good luck for the upcoming year. While my family doesn’t necessarily believe eating tteok mandu guk causes us to have good luck, we still eat it every New Year’s Day because it is a delicious tradition. In addition to tteok mandu guk, my family and I ate 전 (jeon/a savory pancake) and 갈비 (galbi/short ribs). Of course, we also had to have 김치 (kimchi), or spicy fermented cabbage, which we have with almost every Korean meal. After dinner, we ate 송편 (songpyeon), which is a small rice cake shaped like a half-moon. I believe the ones that my family and I ate were filled with sesame.

After doing some research on the history of tteok mandu guk, I learned that in the 19th century, it was custom to say, “How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?” in order to ask a person’s age. In Korean society, the Korean New Year is similar to a birthday for Koreans. Once a person finishes eating their tteokguk, they are one year older. The Korean age reckoning is different than the international age system because babies born in Korea are born at the age of one. Every New Year’s Day, they add one year to their age (rather than on their actual birthday). For example, a baby born in Korea on December 31 is considered two years old on the following day (New Year’s Day), even though they are only two days old. The opposite formula is also fun. I was born in August 1999. In the United States, I am 21 years old, but if I go to Korea, I would be considered 22 years old!

When my family lived closer to our relatives in New Jersey, we used to observe 세배 (sebae) on New Year’s Day. This is a ritual in which children wish their elders a happy new year by bowing deeply and wishing them good fortune for the new year. Each family would go up to the grandparents, bow together, and say “새해 복 많이 받으세요,” (saehae bok mani badeuseyo) or “Please receive a lot of good fortune for the New Year.” In response, my grandparents would give money to us children. When I was younger, I felt awkward doing this since bowing is not common in American culture. However, now that I am older, I appreciate this act of respect and tradition toward my elders.

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My Learning Plan

Where are you now?  What can you do?  What do you know?

Use the Levels of Competence document and the LinguaFolio® checklists to assess your current abilities in your language.  For more information, see the SDLAP Wiki.

Interpersonal Communication

Beginning 0

Interpretive Listening

Beginning 0

Interpretive Reading

Beginning 0

Presentational Speaking

Beginning 0

Presentational Writing

Beginning 0

I have no prior experience in ASL

What is your ultimate goal?  What is your goal for this semester?
What do you want to be able to do with this language at the end of this semester and in the future?

My ultimate goal is to be able to communicate with Deaf patient population without a medical interpreter. So, I am aiming for fluency in the long term. My goal for this semester is to be able to exchange greetings/farewells, introduce myself and my role, and explain basic registration procedures in a health care intake setting.

What tasks will you complete and what activities will you do this semester to meet your goals?  How will you document and evaluate your progress?

Novice learners should consult the ‘Language Tasks’ page of the SDLAP Wiki and incorporate the required tasks in their learning.  Be as specific as possible when planning activities, e.g., “I will watch YouTube videos to learn how to talk about the family.” or “I will consult a grammar text to learn about possessives.”  Make sure you include some tasks that are relevant to your interests, e.g., “I will learn to understand soccer commentary.” or “I will learn to talk about the stock market.”  Culture and language are, of course, inseparable.  It is expected that all your language will be culturally appropriate and that every task will contribute to your cultural competence.

In addition to posting your learning plan to the Ning, provide brief commentary describing how you have organized your self-directed learning plan. What have you learned so far? Have you identified resources and textbooks to promote your task-based objectives? How will your studies allow you investigate your target language and culture more deeply? What first prompted your interest, and motivated you to start learning? What feedback have you received from your classmates? Dr. Marsh-Soloway will provide written feedback

Given my experience of being an immigrant after moving to the US from Nepal, I am in awe of how languages have the ability to overcome geographical barriers and connect people and their cultures across the world. This realization is my biggest motivation behind pursuing a new language. For this class, I have chosen ASL specifically because I often volunteer in client-facing roles in different healthcare settings for low income, marginalized communities. In my roles, I have seen how language is one of the biggest barriers to accessible healthcare for patients who do not speak English. Finding an interpreter and accommodating non-English speaking patients takes time, lengthens the already long waiting time for appointments, and mostly results in an overall disconnected healthcare experience for patients from not being able to form a closer connection to their provider. The situation is even worse in medical emergencies, where there is lot of oversight regarding Deaf patients. Hence, I have organized my learning plan in a way that I can help address these specific issues that we commonly encounter in health care. My tasks are mostly focused on interpersonal communication. For example: greetings/farewells, basic introduction, compliments, basic medical emergency questions, technology related conversations etc. Along with practice sessions with my language partner and the ASL textbook, I have identified ASL YouTube channels, ASL dictionaries, goreact and some exceptional websites created by independent ASL instructors and non-profits serving Deaf communities. One thing that I have been fascinated with is how expressive ASL is. Even though I did not know any ASL while identifying these resources, I was surprised to see how much of the signing I could feel on a more emotional level. This makes ASL learning unlike any other language. Another thing I noticed is how different it feels while talking to my language partner. There is this deafening silence, which is a really strange feeling and I often find myself lip-syncing even though my signing itself is enough to communicate. While I did decide to learn ASL after seeing its importance in healthcare, I have also found myself being really interested in the history of ASL and the Deaf culture. This happened when I stumbled across some really thought provoking articles while I was trying to identify tasks and resources for my learning plan. I think I had always associated sign language as a solution to a physical condition, rather than a whole different way of life and culture- the Deaf culture. So, it was really eye opening to read about the Deaf communities, their organizations, and their challenges. As per all the resources I came across, the biggest challenge that Deaf communities face is that media and policymakers address their issues from a distance, without really understanding the Deaf culture. I am hopeful that my ASL skills will actually allow me to immerse myself in ASL environments and will help interact with/experience Deaf culture firsthand, so that I can be a better advocate for them.

My Learning Plan

Where are you now?  What can you do?  What do you know?

Use the Levels of Competence document and the LinguaFolio® checklists to assess your current abilities in your language.  For more information, see the SDLAP Wiki.

Interpersonal Communication

Beginner, no ASL experience.

Interpretive Listening

Beginner, no ASL experience.

Interpretive Reading

Beginner, no ASL experience.

Presentational Speaking

Beginner, no ASL experience.

Presentational Writing

Beginner, no ASL experience.

What is your ultimate goal?  What is your goal for this semester?
What do you want to be able to do with this language at the end of this semester and in the future?

My goal for the semester is to be able to have a brief conversation in ASL with either native or non-native speakers. My ultimate objective is to be proficient enough in ASL to have a deep conversation with a native speaker.

What tasks will you complete and what activities will you do this semester to meet your goals?  How will you document and evaluate your progress?

Novice learners should consult the ‘Language Tasks’ page of the SDLAP Wiki and incorporate the required tasks in their learning.  Be as specific as possible when planning activities, e.g., “I will watch YouTube videos to learn how to talk about the family.” or “I will consult a grammar text to learn about possessives.”  Make sure you include some tasks that are relevant to your interests, e.g., “I will learn to understand soccer commentary.” or “I will learn to talk about the stock market.”  Culture and language are, of course, inseparable.  It is expected that all your language will be culturally appropriate and that every task will contribute to your cultural competence.

In addition to posting your learning plan to the Ning, provide brief commentary describing how you have organized your self-directed learning plan. What have you learned so far? Have you identified resources and textbooks to promote your task-based objectives? How will your studies allow you investigate your target language and culture more deeply? What first prompted your interest, and motivated you to start learning? What feedback have you received from your classmates? Dr. Marsh-Soloway will provide written feedback.

I have organized my self-directed learning plan into a three-stage process where the first stage involves learning the basic letters, a few words, phrases. The second part would be to start getting comfortable speaking using these signs before finally going into the third phase that deals with more advanced topics such as the grammatical intricacies, sentence structures, punctuations, reading articles/books, etc. So far, I’ve learned how to fingerspell the alphabets and certain words like happy, sad, baby, help. In the buildup to the SDLC 110, I learned that sign language is not universal and that ASL was originally adopted from FSL (French Sign Language) and that it incorporates facial expressions into the signs as well. Yes, I have identified resources and textbooks to promote my task-based objectives. Some of these resources were mentioned above but I think our assigned textbooks and Goreact will be some key resources. My studies will help me become more educated and empathetic towards people who cannot speak. I hope that it will act as a tool in my quest to learn more bout and explore the world around me. As it stands, I cannot communicate with an ASL speaker comfortably but once I am able to, I hope that will help me to learn more about these communities and what we as humans can do to facilitate better connections. What prompted my interest in ASL was initially to learn to be able to communicate non-verbally. I think that is an underrated skill that can have my practical applications on a day-to-day basis example using sign language to have a private discussion with our friend in a public setting. Based on the presentation of my learning plan, I generally had positive feedback from my classmates. One thing that they did ask was how useful I see ASL being in my career and how I can potentially keep practicing it at the end of the semester. That was a valid point that really made me think. As the weeks go on, I will get a better understanding of what it would take to maintain my ASL and then I hope to tailor my approach from there as to what techniques will work best for me.

Ahoy!

My language plan revolves around achieving four main goals:

1. Pronunciation- ability to pronounce typical Slovak words without hesitancy
2. Understandability: ability for Slovak speakers to understand my speech production and pronunciation
3. Casual Conversation: ability to verbally produce language in a consistent manner without pausing
4. Cultural Competency: acquiring knowledge of Slovak culture to properly follow social conventions.

My language plan may seem a little ambitious but, I am ready to put in the time and effort to work towards these goals. My strategies for achieving these goals center on immersive strategies, playing to learning strengths, and improving confidence.

Immersive Strategies:

I will focus on mindfully consuming different types of Slovak media. At the moment, I have been enjoying the Comprehensible Slovak Podcast, music by Sima, Včielka Mája (Maya the Bee, a children’s cartoon) and Mesto Tieňvo (a CSI-esque Slovak crime show). Consuming Slovak media will help with proper pronunciation, processing/comprehending Slovak and learning more about Slovak culture (particularly pop culture). Additionally, I will read/listen to the top headlines in Slovak News three times a week in order to emphasis my cultural competency goal. I will start by reading/listening to the news in English and slowly, add in Slovak versions of the news.

Playing to Learning Strengths/Improving Confidence:

For 2 hours each week, I will meet with my italki tutor, Adriana. I also plan to study 5-6 hours of study per week. Typically, I retain more information by working in 1-hour increments or less. I will be sure to pay attention to the time and step away in order to avoid an “information overload”. These short study increments will assist in remaining confident in my language abilities and avoiding feelings of anxiety. Additionally, I find that I learn best through visual and auditory learning strategies. To complement my visual learning skills, I plan to organize my notes in a colorful, simple format and regularly rewrite my notes as I revise. To complement my auditory learning skills, I plan on talking to myself out loud as I am study/explaining topics and formulating sentences aloud. Talking to myself helps with my comprehension abilities and makes me feel less overwhelmed when studying.

Additionally, I plan to supplement my studies and tutoring sessions with instruction from Mango. I also would like to implement Amy’s idea of keeping a private journal documenting the language learning experiences. I think it would be helpful in voicing any frustrations that may hinder my language production or hinder my confidence levels.

Lessons thus far:

I have taken about four hours of Slovak lessons this semester. We have focused on basic greetings, common vocabulary words, and feminine/masculine/neuter endings/words. I also learned to conjugate byt’ (to be) and mat’ (to have) in the present tense. After learning these verbs, I started to form simple sentences using the vocabulary words. Additionally, we have worked a lot on proper pronunciation by going through the Slovak alphabet letter by letter to practice pronunciation and identifying letters not in the English alphabet. Throughout the lesson, I regularly read and produce language which helps Adriana correct any mispronunciations.

Exploring language through course:

The SDLAC program is an excellent way to learn a more uncommon language. My other attempts to learn Slovak were often shut down by expensive course materials or a lack of available resources. However, with the collection of course materials and financial assistance of the program, I finally can learn Slovak without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money. Additionally, I really enjoy learning about Slovakia through my italki tutor, Adriana. She gives me insight on culture and current events unlike programs like Rosetta Stone or Duolingo.

Now, for the most important question: Why Slovak?

I have four main reasons:

1. An opportunity to learn something completely new! I have never learned a Slavic language before or really explored the history and culture of Slovakia. The SDLAC program allows me to discover a different language, history and culture.
2. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Opportunity (ETA)! This last October, I applied for a Fulbright ETA grant in Slovakia. The course allows me to prepare for this potential opportunity.
3. Study Abroad! I spent two nights in Bratislava during October of 2019. It was an incredible experience and I plan to talk about my travels more on my blog posts. I attached a picture of myself and my friend, Charlotte, at the Austria-Slovakia border and a picture of the KGB bar, a very interesting bar to have a beer.
4. Heritage! My last name (Hoholik) is Slovak. It is an important part of my identity due to its rarity and ability to confuse any substitute teacher. I have gotten all kinds of pronunciations from “o-o-leek” to “ha-ha-lick”. Apparently, my ancestors came from the High Tatras of Slovakia, a mountainous area of North Slovakia right near the border of Poland. According to family genealogy, the Hoholiks came from Leśnica, Slovakia (see the map attached) and immigrated to the United States in the mid to late 1800s. Unfortunately, my family and I are estranged from my paternal side of the family. My motivation for studying Slovak and applying for the Fulbright ETA grant is to reconnect and forge a sustainable connection with my paternal identity.

I look forward to tracking my language experiences and reporting back on my progress.  

 Ďakujem! Dovidenia!

Leśnica on the map 

Views from Leśnica

KGB Bar in Bratislava, SK

Charlotte and I at the Austria-Slovakia Border at Devín Castle

Figuring Foreigners Out reading focused on four ways in which different cultures interact with each other. The four ways are individualist-collectivist, nonverbal communication, monochronic-polychronic, and direct/indirect communication. Individualists generally satisfy their own needs before those of the group. On the other hand, collectivists value harmony and interdependence between the group members. Nonverbal communication could have the same or different meanings depending on the cultures. Cultures also prefer direct or indirect communication, and they have different ways of perceiving time. The Hofstede Dimensions of Culture focuses on how culture influences values and the working environment in the workplace. There are six dimensions to be aware of, such as Power Distance Index, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, Long Term Orientation, and Indulgence.

I compared six dimensions for South Korea and the United States of America. I did not exactly agree on the measurement of South Korea’s Power distance. It was at 60, but I think it should be a lot higher. Korea strongly emphasizes seniority in society. If someone is older, has more experience than you, it is looked down upon to treat them as your equal. Korea also emphasizes addressing someone older than you or someone in a higher position with honorific titles. I think Korea’s power distance should be closer to 100. 

I predominantly agree with these assessments because I had to adjust the way I socially interact with people after I moved to America. For example, indirect communication is crucial in South Korea, while direct communication is more important in American culture. Koreans tend to be more attentive to posture, expression, tone of voice to draw meaning. Many Koreans like people who have nunchi (눈치), which is having the ability to understand and gauge people's thoughts and feelings, and being socially aware of your surroundings. However, in America, they prefer to communicate with each other directly rather than indirectly. They tend to convey their message verbally and do not pay as much attention to body language as Asian countries do.

The cultural artifact I focused on this week is Children’s Day (어린이날). In South Korea, people celebrate Children's Day on May 5th. On Children’s Day, parents dedicate their day to make sure that their children have fun at an amusement park, zoo, or anywhere they want to go. Parents traditionally give their child a gift for Children’s Day as well. 

The backstory of how Children’s Day became a National Holiday in Korea is fascinating. At the beginning of the 1900s, the general public did not care about children’s rights and their role in society. As a result, Korean students, social leaders, and activists wanted to speak about the importance of children’s social status. A novelist and a children’s writer, Bang Jung-Hwan, noticed this and sought to create a positive difference in children’s lives. Along with the students, social leaders, and activities, he established Children’s Day in Korea in 1923, with hopes of instilling independence and national pride. However, Children’s Day was originally called Boy’s Day, and it fell on May 1st. When Bang Jung-Hwan established this holiday in 1923, Korea was under Japanese rule. The Japanese authorities did not like this because they thought people would use this holiday as an excuse for activists to gather. Although the holiday remained in place, not many people celebrated it as much as they do now. After Korea gained independence in 1945, Koreans revived the holiday. In 1975, Boy’s Day turned into Children’s Holiday, and Korea moved the holiday date to May 5th because May 1st was Labor Day. 

Children’s Day not only celebrates the dignity of children, but it also honors the parents’ never-ending love for their children. Since Children’s Day is an official holiday in South Korea, workers get a day off from work, and all children do not have school on May 5th. Because many parents work overtime and on the weekends, they miss out on spending a lot of time with their children. Children’s Day gives an opportunity for the parents and children to spend the entire day together. Parents go above and beyond to make sure that their children enjoy this day and allow them to do whatever they wish to do. 

On Children’s Day, cities host parades, festivals, public activities, and special events. Some typical activities include going to the amusement park, museums, zoo, picnics at the Han River, eating at the children’s favorite restaurants, and many more. Many public places also offer free admission to children. At these events, a variety of food trucks line up, and children can enjoy their favorite type of food picnic-style along the Han River. There are also many arts and crafts stations, face painting stations, cotton candy stations, and many more. One popular public activity available for children at the festivals or parks is Taekwondo demonstrations. Taekwondo originated from South Korea, and it is a self-defense discipline and art. It is one of the oldest forms of martial arts, and many Taekwondo dojang attend Children’s Day events to teach kids the basics and art of Taekwondo. To put it into simple terms, everything that a typical child wants to do is available for them on May 5th. 

Bang Jung-Hwan told the children to “be a brave and genuine child and love and help each other.” Children’s Day is a time for the family to value each other, have fun, and pour their love for each other. This day allows children to get a break from the rigorous hagwon (private academy after school) and schoolwork and gives them a chance to be themselves and enjoy their day. 

For More Information on Children’s Day

https://www.90daykorean.com/childrens-day-in-korea/

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EE-ZBhgOVrMUvGc05fIrk68K7nLLgcsxoe3cCwHKZ30/edit?usp=sharing 

I organized my self-directed learning plan to make it writing, reading, and listening focused. I organized it this way because I feel like I do not know a lot of advanced vocabulary in Korean, and through my language learning plan, I hope to expand my vocabulary. Through listening to radios and reading articles, I have learned many new words. I used a couple of the new words that I learned when talking to my parents, and they were surprised and happy that my Korean was getting better. In my Korean class, we watched and discussed 2 Days 1 Night, they had a mission to make a promotional video of South Korea, and they captured the beauty of two cities, Gyeongju and Incheon. I knew Incheon because their main international airport is located there. However, I have never thought of it more than a transportation hub city. Through this show, I saw a different perspective of Incheon, and if I go back to Korea in the future, I hope to visit Incheon and go to the places that they showed in their promotional video. I also finally learned the difference between 돼 and 되 through watching youtube videos, which was one part of grammar that I did not understand. 

To promote my task-based objectives, I have been writing diaries about my days and writing summaries about the articles that I read from Naver. These two activities have helped me practice my writing skills, using the new vocabulary I learned from listening to radios and finding the areas I still lack in. To practice my grammar, I have been utilizing youtube videos and following along with the example problems. I also found free worksheets and grammar practice problems online. Because I have been able to find everything I needed online, I have not utilized a textbook yet. I also feel like I would lose interest if I bought a textbook since I already know which areas I want to improve on and struggling with. 

Taking a Korean class makes me happy as I can connect with my language and culture more deeply. My goal is to talk to my parents about advanced topics without using English and connect with them. My Korean class also has exposed me to different Korean traditions, food, and entertainment that I did not know about. Learning about my language and culture makes me feel more connected with my Korean identity. At first, I wanted to learn Korean because when I talk or text my parents, I realize how much I forgot Korean. I would sometimes have to translate English words into Korean for us to understand each other, and I realized that I should start improving my Korean. I also hope to study abroad in Korea in my spring semester of sophomore year, and I wanted to improve my Korean skills and move beyond the basic conversational level.

After my presentation on Tuesday, my classmates gave encouraging feedback on my learning plan. They thought it was interesting how I can speak so well, but my writing skills are lacking since Korean was my first language. One of my classmates in my group was also learning Korean, and we talked about how confusing Korean double vowels could be and related with each other.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qGR_X8LNPNSssX_AGqGahSMAyZ1o56Cn5a-ctFwQh2g/edit?usp=sharing

February 6^th, 2021

On Wednesday, January 20^th, at 12:00 P.M. our country of the United States of America experienced a monumental shift in leadership. As many American’s know, that day was the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration. It was the day he was sworn in as the 46^th president of the United States. Not only was Biden’s induction as president the mark of a new beginning, but it marked the end of the hateful and dividing presidency of Donald Trump. That day was the day democracy prevailed. It was the day of firsts and a day that signified a united future as Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman, first African American, and first South Asian American to hold the title. It was the first time the “Pledge of Allegiance” was spoken and signed using ASL at the presidential inauguration. It is this event, that I will be discussing today.

       The individual who recited the “Pledge of Allegiance” was Andrea M Hall, the first black woman to become a Fire Captain in the City of South Fulton Fire-Rescue Department, in Georgia. She is also the president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3920, an association that had endorsed Biden in his early stages of the presidential companion. As such, the Biden inaugural committee reached out to her to see if she wanted to participate in the inauguration on behalf of the firefighters, which she agreed to do. Following the stunning performance of the National anthem by Lady Gaga, Hall approached the podium and recited the pledge while also signing it were her hands. A link to this video is below.  

Let us discuss a bit more about Andrea Hall. Why does she know ASL? Why did she use ASL during the inauguration? Well, Hall identifies herself as a CODA, an acronym that is equivalent to  “Child of Deaf adults/parents”. (Side note: In comparisons, if a deaf child is born to deaf parents, the term is “DODA” ). Her father, Russell “Bubba” William’s was born hearing but soon was plagued with an illness that took his hearing away. As a result, Williams went to Georgia school for the deaf starting at 6-yers-old where he began to learn Black American sign language. During his time at GSD, segregation between white and black schooling was still present. Much like hearing white and hearing black schools, the white school received better funding and greater opportunities for the students. The white students went on field trips, had sports teams, and received better supplies than their black counterparts.

When watching an interview regarding the segregation of GSD through the Deaf Moth and an interview with Hall herself, on Sign1News, I learned that ASL was distinctly broken into two languages during segregation– Black and White ASL. I had heard about the difference in signs between communities and I am aware that ASL has grown and evolved with time; however, It never crossed my mind that during segregation in America, there would be two languages of ASL based solely on race and not location.

Furthermore, drawing back to Hall’s speech, she used ASL at the inauguration speech because she has felt the deaf community has always been supportive of her. She wanted deaf people to feel as though they were part of this new, unified America. She hoped to make the deaf community, family, and friends proud.

https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/nation-world/video-pledge-of-allegiance-sign-language-fire-captain-inauguration/287-00dc613b-96a7-4441-96e4-2e8ba48a0b94

https://www.facebook.com/sign1news/posts/1143118802825102

https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/captain-andrea-m-hall-a-coda

S

January 31^st, 2021

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen!

It has been some time since I have posted on the Ning, and I apricate your patience. My final semester at University has begun, and we are approaching the end of the third week.  Additionally, I apologize for the delay of this journal as I meant to post on January 31^st, but due to a combination of medical and scheduling issues, my sessions with Reba did not begin until yesterday. Nonetheless, I have exciting news! Two new students have signed up for the SDLP’s ASL program. Yesterday, during our first meeting with Reba, I helped translate the ASL alphabet as well as some elementary-level signs including “baby”, “tree”, “sad”, “happy” etc. Although I have only completed two semesters worth of ASL, I am faced with my progress and development of the language head-on when I act as a translator. As I see myself two semesters ago where the students I translate for, I feel a sense of accomplishment for my devotion to the langue and excitement to continue my journey with it.

       This brings us to the current semester and what I hope to achieve. In the past, Reba and I have focused on the building of vocabulary and terminology in ASL. As time has progressed and I can form complete sentences, thoughts, and maintain a conversation, I hope to improve my speed of signing as well as my understanding of ASL grammar. I hope to not fall into the habit of translating ASL directly from English sentence order, thus, I am trying to solidify a foundation of proper ASL grammar from this point on, so that as my language abilities grow, my fluency of the grammar grows in conjunction. To enhance such a goal, Reba has provided me with a new textbook, Barron’s “American Sign Language A Comprehensive Guide to ASL 1 and 2 by David A. Steward and Jennifer Stewart. Since receiving the book, I have made it a goal to read at least 25 pages of the book a day and practice whatever exercises are in it. So far, this has been the most helpful book in addressing questions regarding the language, offering advice towards classifiers, grammar, directional verbs, role-shifting, and more! I am excited to continue working through the book and am beyond grateful to have Reba guide me through the more challenging chapters.

       An additional form of learning that I have picked up is the watching of The Deaf Moth. This is a youtube channel with the Deaf host, Alex Abenchuchan, which covers trending stories and Deaf topics with a twist of humor and Deaf culture (www.dailymoth.com). Each video is fairly short, around 5 minutes, but it offers me the opportunity to practice interpreting from another ASL user, learning new vocabulary, insight on global news, and gain a sense of how the deaf community reacts to the hearing world. Often, I will watch the videos at reduced speed to discover the meaning of every sign, thus converting the 5-minute video into a 15-minute exercise. I figured this could be a helpful way to practice my skills, especially because with many auditory languages, one could practice their language skills by listing to music, reading books, or watching movies in said langue. With the limited amount of Deaf friendly entertainment, I must utilize what is out there to ensure my own success.

This semester, I am going to try to repeat what I did last semester as I seemed to be able to retain my Korean proficiency last semester. Things that I will be doing would be talking to my language partner in Korea, talking to my mother in Korean whenever we chat over the phone, listen to Korean songs, and watch Korean Dramas. I found out that Rachel Lim is my language partner and we had our first meeting this week. We discussed what I wanted to do and what my goals were this semester. I basically told her what I did last semester with my language partner, Somyung Kim. Last semester, we made a rule that during our weekly sessions we would try to only talk in Korean. We would also read Korean news articles, learn some Korean history and discuss/watch Korean entertainment together. So this semester, Rachel Lim and I will be doing more or less the same things. During our first session, we got to know each other by having conversations in Korean. We discussed where we both came from. I told her that I was originally born in Korea, but then immigrated to the U.S when I was around eight. I also told her that I live in Ohio. Rachel told me that she was born in the U.S in Texas but she moved to Maryland when she was younger. However, her family moved to Korea and she attended an international high school in Korea. We also shared why we both chose the University of Richmond as our undergraduate school. I told her that I primarily chose the University of Richmond because they offered a generous financial aid package. Funny enough, she also chose the University of Richmond due to financial aid reasons even though she was accepted into other good undergraduate colleges. We also talked about our schedules and what we are studying at the University of Richmond. I shared with her that I am currently conflicted in deciding what I want to major in. I told her that I am considering majoring in either Music or Computer Science. I told her that I am currently working on making an album with Professor Brohening for my MUS 307 class. I told her that my plan is to make an album and submit it to some record companies to see if I could get a record contract. I also told her that If this plan fails I will be majoring in computer science. Rachel told me that currently, she is thinking about majoring in accounting, but she is still not absolutely certain about it. We also decide on a Korean tv series together so we have topics to discuss during our sessions. We were talking about some of the dramas we have watched and I remembered that a friend of mine, Ephraim, recommended that I watch this thriller Korean tv series called Kingdom. Although Rachel said she is not too fond of horror films, we both agreed to watch Kingdom for our sessions. I am looking forward to bettering my Korean this semester.