Blogs

Attitudes about time in India are incredibly interesting!  Growing up, my parents would always joke about "Indian standard time" whenever we would leave to attend an Indian function that was supposed to start at 6...and didn't end up starting until 7:30.   In India, many people view time in a relaxed way -- as something that does not have to be strictly adhered to, such as an "appointment at 7:15 pm," for instance.  This attitude can even be seen in just observing the way people live life in India.  Often, you will see neighbors or friends sitting outside and having tea, or hanging out at the nearby tea/fruit juice stand, as though the time passing by didn't matter at all -- after all, they are enjoying the time with a close friend.  At first, I liked this attitude because I felt as though it provided people with a sense of appreciation for the "little things" in life -- dinner with family, drinking tea with a friend, and more. 

However, after I spent more time in India, I honestly became somewhat frustrated by these attitudes, because I felt as though things would run a lot more smoothly if they ran on time.  For example, during a vacation with my friend, I had to leave a day earlier to go back to our home city.  I asked the hotel staff to arrange a taxi for me at 8:15 am (my train left at 9:30 am, and the train station was literally a 10-minute drive away -- but it was raining immensely).  I figured that I would be at the station an hour in advance at most -- and considering "Indian Standard Time," I wanted to be safe rather than sorry.  The next morning, 8:30 passed, and there was no sign of the taxi. 8:45 -- no taxi.  I make sure that the hotel staff called the taxi driver.  9:00 -- the taxi driver comes...45 minutes late!  Since it was monsoon season, there was a huge downpour and a LOT of traffic, especially in the mountains (where I was) -- making our normally 10-minute drive about 25 minutes.  I get to the train station at 9:27 am and sprint to my train...just in the nick of time.  Although it sounds fine now, it was terrible because I was incredibly worried about the time AND my own safety in a car that was driving fast along very slippery roads!

Thus, although Indian attitudes about time aren't always the same as my personal preferences of being on time (or at least 5 minutes early :) ), I've come to realize that sometimes, it's best to just accept differences as intricacies of the culture, and move on...and attempt to be early. :)

Topic: Reflect on "Culture Shock"

I really enjoyed watching "Culture Shock," because the film gave me a chance to see UR and American customs through the lens  of someone who might not be quite familiar with certain parts of American culture.  I thought it was very interesting especially to see how others might view body language or certain American expressions -- things that I had never really thought about before because I was born and raised in Virginia.  For instance, one female student remarked that hearing the phrase "The movie was nice..." was different from "The movie was awesome!" and she utilized that difference as a way to explain how frustrating it was when Americans would not directly criticize the movie, but would implicitly remark upon it by saying it was just "nice" (with a particular tone). 

As a student who has studied abroad, the film also reminded me of my own experiences in India, especially when one of the speakers talked about the different phases of adjusting to a different culture, like the "honeymoon phase" or even when a person talks with other foreigners about how life "over there" is better than what they are currently experiencing.  For instance, I remember a particularly bad day in India where it just felt as though everything was going wrong -- I couldn't buy a train ticket without being rerouted to five different people, I couldn't figure out how to bargain for something, and people expected me to know how to speak the local language.  Often, talking to a friend is the best thing to do, or even just being busy and knowing that the day will pass -- just as one of the female students said when she talked about her first few days at UR, filled with orientation activities.

I also found it interesting to listen to how students adjust to the American college system, particularly at UR -- especially if their home country or home institution has a culture in which quietness and acceptance are values that are emphasized, rather than free discussion. 

I do wonder how UR students could help make the process of cultural adjustment easier for international students.  Maybe we could have some type of volunteer program to help ease the transition?

The "Culture Shock" video offered an informative perspective from international / exchange students here at the University of Richmond. Some of my closest friends here are international students; however, a topic such as culture shock does not often arise in our conversations.

When I first met most of my international friends, in the beginning of my first semester here, I never considered their transition to life in America. I might ask something like, "How do you like America, so far?," but I did not really take into account how much their lives have probably changed in those first few weeks. I assumed that since many of them spoke English or went to English-speaking school that they were at least exposed to American culture, in some form. 

From watching "Culture Shock" to my experiences with the international students, I do not think most UR students--myself included--ever take the time to realize how much harder being in Richmond can be for them. I believe most of us tend to assume that the international students do not want to interact with the Americans on campus, but it seems apparent through my experiences, and even more so through "Culture Shock," that the only people on campus that can truly understand the transitional period and issues of international students are other international students. In my opinion, I think it would be beneficial for the university to develop some type of program / orientation to not only allow the international students to adjust, but also the American students to adjust to being in classrooms and interacting with those of other cultures. 

Hello!

My second artifact is in 2 parts.  The first part is a videotaped conversation between me and my language partner.  I am asking her questions about her identity, hobbies, family, and background.  She is, in return, asking me questions about myself/my family as well.  Before our conversation, I came up with ideas for questions (based on what I have learned from "Teach Yourself Hindi" and "A Door into Hindi") to ask someone about their life (hobbies, favorite food, etc), and I scanned the page in.

The second part of my artifact is a written description of myself and my family  members, including their hobbies, favorite food, etc.  I also recorded a similar description to this in the attached file.

The audio link: Hindi Artifact 2, Part 2 -- Describing Others

The text: (says Description of My Family at the top)

So far, I have learned quite a handful. When I went home for break my parents were shocked at the new vocabulary that I was able to use during our conversations. It really showed that the things I was learning were applicable and it was really rewarding to be able to achieve my goal of communicating better with my parents. We were able to talk about things that were generally discussed in half English and half Korean, like countries and studying abroad, as well as random things like foods and colors. I really appreciated the coherency in the conversation because it was primarily in one language. However, there is always room for improvement and I look forward to the other things on the learning plan that I will be learning in the future. 

I also enjoyed watching a Korean television show. I watched a Korean comedy skit with my mom, and it was something that was inherently different from what I'm accustomed to through American humor. Korean humor seems very different in terms of what is considered funny and acceptable, but maybe I wasn't able to understand the subtleties that made it more similar to American shows. I picked up on some interesting mannerisms of people in the audience, such as the tendency for women to cover their mouths when they laughed. I also was able to see the general metrosexuality of the men who were on the show. They seemed very effeminate and wore flashy and trendy clothing. 

I don't think there are any real changes I can think of for my learning plan. So far, so good!

http://annals.yonsei.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=361 

This is an interesting article that shows the varying types of time perception for Koreans both historically and currently.

Generally, In my experiences with Koreans, I have had an overwhelming sense of impatience. I am generally someone who is early or on time to most appointments and meetings, and it is difficult for me to be late to something without feeling anxious about my tardiness. However, I have learned to adapt to what is infamously called "Korean Time". In the Korean community, it is generally accepted knowledge that people will be late to an appointment by anywhere from five minutes to half an hour, on average. People are late regardless of location, importance, or responsibility. I remember even our Korean Catholic church mass started late most Sundays. I was a part of the choir and youth group at our Korean church, and it was expected that most of our events and meetings would begin after the proposed time. In fact,i began to show up late to things just to insure that I wouldn't be the only one there, waiting impatiently for fifteen minutes before the rest of the group trickled in. The interesting part is that this is a phenomenon that pervades Koreans everywhere, not just those in Korea. 

I read about the history of the term "Korean Time'. Apparently, in the 1950's, during the Korean War, U.S. army officers coined the term because of the tendency of their Korean friends that were seemingly always late to appointments. Even in the 60's, the excuse for being late was that 70% of Koreans were farmers, and their lifestyle didn't call for rushing and it was contrary to their normal laid-back demeanors. 

In modern day Korea, there are differing accounts of whether "Korean time" still exists. Some believe that it has radically changed and now, "Korean time" refers to being five minutes early to an engagement. Others contend that it still exists in its original form. The influence of technology has reduced the stress for being on time, because people are so connected and can rely less on precise meeting times. 

Whatever the form it is, I will still be skeptical based on my experiences. You can catch me with a magazine while waiting. 

The "Culture Shock" video contained a lot of information that I was not aware of from an International student's perspective. I think it would be a good video for all students to see or something that should be incorporated into all students' orientation to the University of Richmond. I believe we hold a responsibility to the International students to make sure they are comfortable and enjoy their experience in our country. Many students come to Richmond so concerned about making their own set of friends that they ignore the fact that so many students are also trying to do the same thing on top of adjusting to a new country. The International students' opinions on the academics at Richmond was also amusing. I have always been used to discussion based classrooms even in high school so I did not realize so many other countries taught by lecture only. I also realized how difficult it must be to not only take the difficult languages at Richmond, but also to have to translate all the reading if it's a students' second language. This is definitely a video everyone could learn from. 

I found that this video, its themes, and the topics that were raised by both students and professionals applied to my experience both going on my study abroad through University of Richmond, as well as moving to Israel in elementary school, or going to Spain and Costa Rica for summer programs in high school.

Some of the things that really stood out to me were a lot of the "firsts" where you encounter something that you find so drastically different from natural daily life to which I was accustomed. I found that despite the language being the same in Australia, I had experienced just as many culture shocks in comparison to my experience in Spanish speaking nations when I was younger.

I found that while I lived in these new cultures, I very much adopted some of the colloquialisms and the nature of natives, however, on my return to the states, I slowly let these go. I find this to be an interesting aspect of sociology and psychology and understanding how we experience these situations. 

One of the great tips I thought was provided by one of the students was to keep busy, getting a job to meet new people and not dwell on what you miss from home, and also plan your travels and goals while being abroad. International Adviser, Kritika Onsanit followed up on this concept with recommending getting active within clubs and organizations that are offered by the University.

Finally, I feel like this would be a great video to watch prior to my experience abroad. I was off campus the semester prior to going to Australia so I do not know what orientations were like, but this was a great insight to the challenges of landing and making a home in a new culture.  

The topic of this culture post is that of attitudes of time in Israeli culture. I found this topic to be one of interest especially after having watched the "Culture Shock" video. I feel like in comparison to American expectations, Israeli attitudes towards time are more laid back and it is common for being timely to be taken less seriously.

Below this article dubs Israeli attitudes towards time as IST - Israeli Standard Time. 

http://www.tikkunolamisrael.org/israeli-standard-time-and-culture-shock-kick

It is almost comforting to know that in some places in the world being on time isn't taken so seriously. I find that my family, which is Israeli, is very much in sync with this laid back view of timeliness. 

Topic: Reflect on "cultural competence."

To me, cultural competence is extremely important in my study of Hindi, since I ultimately would like to be involved in global health work in India.  Health requires an understanding of cultural competence, since patients and health practitioners may have different cultural attitudes about types of medicine (biomedicine vs. ayurveda or homeopathy) and about being able to talk with others about their health problems.  Cultural competence involves having attitudes, beliefs, and practices that help enable successful work in dealing with cross-cultural scenarios.  In my medical anthropology class last semester, we spent a great deal of time discussing the importance of cultural competence in a healthcare setting.  Imagine being in an entirely foreign culture, in a doctor's office (a different subset of culture by itself!) and having to understand a diagnosis in a foreign language.  The experience can be quite intimidating if the doctor doesn't have an understanding of cultural competence.  If he/she is familiar with the concept of cultural competence, he/she might able to speak slowly, explain biomedicine as it is different from a different type of cultural medicine, and take the time to explain the diagnosis more thoroughly.  In addition, the doctor might avoid certain hand gestures, or they might avoid making assumptions about their culture.  When I was applying to volunteer in a healthcare setting last semester, I was required to take a test in cultural competence.  I'm not sure if cultural competence can ever be "assessed" though -- I feel that my understanding of different cultures is ever-changing as I meet people of different cultures and travel.  However, my test asked questions about eye contact, religion, and more.  Understanding these attitudes would definitely be helpful in a healthcare or linguistic setting.  Thus, in my study of Hindi, I am also trying to learn more about Indian culture to improve my own cultural competence with regard to India.  Even though I am of Indian heritage, there is still so much about the non-verbal aspects of communication in India that I am still learning.

This week, I have been focusing on learning words and expressions relevant to ordering food in a restaurant, and in talking about food as a way to make conversation with others.  When I met with my language partner, we went over a list of foods that I would need to memorize, and we practiced saying the words aloud and asking questions relevant to food. In India, the foods are, for the most part, quite different than in America, so I had to learn the names of many different dishes, vegetables, and fruits.  I learned the phrases for how to order a dish in a restaurant, and how to ask others what the taste was like (good/bad), etc.  I have learned the colors, but I am still working on the adjectives that are specific to food (sweet, sour, bitter, etc).  For listening practice, I listened to the GLOSS Foreign Language Center's audio segment about food (specifically, about coconut), but I did not find it very relevant to my focus on learning about how to order in a restaurant.  It was still good practice for listening, however.  My language partner also had an online menu in which I could try to understand the different dishes listed, and that was great practice for pronunciation of the different foods.  My reading practice this week was reading the different types of Indian food dishes in a restaurant, and I am also working on reviewing all the vocab I have learned so far this semester as a mid-semester review.

Considering cultural competency in the study of language is imperative in order to successfully communicate with native speakers and feel comfortable with applying the language in countries in which it is spoken. This includes a variety of congruent behaviors, attitudes, values, and politics that are assumed within the culture of linguistics. This competency is important not just in the study of language and its general application, but also in certain areas of business where clear and concise communication is essential. This example is increasingly important with the age of globalism, increased interactions and international relations, and the compression of space, identity, the trade of ideas, services, and material goods. Having cultural competence supports successful trade and functionality within an organization or situation other than ones own. In our Business Communication course last semester, we spent a week studying the importance of conducting successful international business and being aware of cultural expectations. Especially because culture and language may influence the way people think about certain events or scenarios, or the way they view the world, it is especially helpful in understanding differing perspectives and coming to a place of common ground. One of the politicized events that I remember studying that relates to this subject is the topic of genital mutilation in certain nations. Genital mutilation has been actively protested by justice and human rights institutions, however certain cultures hold this as a traditional ceremony that has occurred throughout several generations and when outsiders attempt to change such customs, local culture is undermined. During our first weeks of class we have outlined things such as hand gestures, personal space, social behavior, etc. of our countries and languages. This information can be extended to political values, history, positions on healthcare, standards of living, and so many more aspects of daily life. 

I really enjoyed this assignment of designing a lesson plan to teach others. The topic I have chosen is Jewish holidays and related vocabulary and cultural concepts that is designed to teach the non-Jewish Hebrew student some of the key vocabulary and ideas that are prevalent in Israeli society and the context of Hebrew linguistics. Just like I have had to do some contextual research in order to understand the background of political cartoons or opinion articles on recognized figures that I am not familiar with, there are many figures, foods, and concepts that pertain to Jewish holidays that occur in popular culture of television series, the arts, music, etc. 

In honor of the recent celebration of Purim, I have outlined below how I would approach teaching about the holiday:

Using photos and a word bank of popular words can support telling the story that we commemorate in celebration of Purim. The story thus explains the shape of the hamantaschen and the reason for making tons of noise with groggers. Having a background knowledge on the holiday also explains the common history that Jews around the world had experienced for thousands of years.

Providing a video of the Purim story and an example of a masquerade party further supports this contextual learning.

Finally, having this background supports the student in learning the appropriate word bank that relates to the holiday themes, foods, and values.

This week I have:

Continued both my reading in the novel as well as summaries of news briefs on Ha'aretz.co.il

In evaluation of my learning plan, I have realized that I am not getting to study as much about environmental policy and opinions within Israel. This requires more research than I have been able to get to. I might try to shift my focus from reading the general news into this more specific topic in order to gather some specific vocabulary as well as knowledge on a topic that interests me. 

I think that the new vocabulary that I have gathered thus far I have been able to successfully apply in writing out sentences, in better understanding the news I am reading, and in increasing my proficiency and decreasing the amount of time it takes me to go through an article.

Communicative Competence is a term to deepen the understanding of languages. It exemplifies that language is more than just knowing words. Learning a language requires a complex set of skills beyond memorization. The dynamics behind learning a language must be built up over time. It takes a good amount of time and practice to master the four components of second language teaching that Canale and Swain defined: grammatical competence, discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence. The last category, strategic competence, is definitely one that comes with years of studying, practice, and research. It took me about 3 years of Spanish to be comfortable with the organizational competence which includes everything from vocabulary to rhetorical organization. I have learned a lot about the Korean language, but I know it will take time and practice beyond this semester to be fully confident when speaking. The complexities of all languages are so great and so unique to each separate language.

The most interesting section in this reading to me was the seven functions of language. Language goes beyond just needing to talk to someone. Communication is vital for purposes that are instrumental, regulatory, representational, interactional, personal, heuristic, and imaginative. It is difficult to put a limit to these functions because language is so useful in every sense. I have never heard of several of the terms used in this article, but knowing the words to these concepts that I have been thinking about is very useful. 

The_Culture_of_Beauty_in_Korea.ppt

This was my cultural presentation that I worked on with Claire and Sheetal. I learned a lot about the unnatural culture of beauty that many Koreans hope to look like. It is far from the common face where they would prefer double eyelids as opposed to the one-lid they are normally born with. They also prefer the lightest skin tones and s-shaped bodies. The western culture inspired much of this change. 

Korean_Language_History.ppt

This was my language history presentation that I worked on with Claire and Sheetal also. The most interesting thing I learned was about the development of the Korean language. The western culture also influenced much of this especially when it comes to "Konglish." Konglish is a term used to describe the Korean words that were borrowed from the english language and pronounced very similarly. Learning the history was a useful aid in learning the language. 

My cultural project is currently "in the shop". I plan to do a comprehensive (photos included) description of some popular Korean foods. I needed to go home to do it, obviously, since I don't get to have Korean while at school. I am working on my mom who is extremely conscious of her presentation now that I sprung it upon her that I will be photographing our meals. My dad is a sushi chef, and does some Korean food on the side, so I will have some great pictures from him as well. I plan to collaborate with my mom and go to the grocery store and take more pictures, as well as learn about ingredients and some cultural food practices and report on them.

So far, I have a few pictures of things called "ban-chan", which is kind of similar to sides in American cuisine. It would be the equivalent to stuffing and mashed potatoes in a turkey dinner. However, Koreans generally have at least five of them, and are sure to have a great variety in addition to whatever the main dish is (a stew, soup, protein). Generally, these types of sides are vegetables or something that stays for longer, like pickled vegetables. They are very flavorful, either very soy saucey, salty, or garlicky. There are definite favorites, and my mom takes care to make sure there are a few of mine everytime I come home. Adults generally have a different taste for them, and especially as a Korean-American, my preferences are very different and a lot less sophisticated. 

Then, there are the main dishes. Generally, this is a soup, stew, fish, or some sort of meat. Culinary prowess is generally indicated through the quality of this dish. I personally love something called kimchi chiggae, which is (the spicest) soup made of hot pepper powder, tofu, and kimchi, which is pickled cabbage. You can imagine it's very pungent and is also very much a favorite for many Koreans for its authenticity. I will be sure to take some pictures of these things! I've already been treated to kimchi chiggae twice (once by my mom, once by my dad). I won't tell whose was better!

In my second artifact I will show additional sentence elements and syntax present in basic sentences and questions:

Persian

Persian Artifact Two

The unfamiliar sounds present in Persian verbs can make them difficult to learn. However, as an indo-European language, Persian utilizes a system of verb conjugation that is not totally unfamiliar to speakers of European languages.

"Man fahmidam o fahmidi ke fahmidam"--Taken from a famous Afghan song, this sentence literally translates as "I know, that you know, that I know." Note the common stem in several of the verb forms.

"Diruz zeyad cheez nakhardam"--"Yesterday there was much to eat." The subject, yesterday, comes first while the verb 'to eat' is placed at the end of the sentence.

"Ahnjal hecheez baroy khardan n’ast"--"There is nothing to eat here." 'Here' becomes the subject sentence with the negated verb 'khardan n'ast' placed at the end of the sentence.

Hebrew

Hebrew Artifact Two

"Bevekasha, ma shelhem shelqa?"--"May I ask your name?"

"Kama anashim b’mishpaha shelqa?"--"How many people are in your family" The question often begins Hebrew sentences. 'Kama' means how many. Next comes the indirect object, people. The sentence ends with a word meaning, 'of yours,' to show who the object refers to. 

"Bevekasha, m’eyfo ata?"--"May I ask where you're from?" 'You' is placed at the end of the sentence. The sentence literally reads as, "Please, where from you?"

Learning the history of a language gives you an interesting aspect on language in general. Language is always changing and being influenced by other languages. I think a language's history can show us how one language is similar to others and how it is different. This ability to make a connection between languages broadens our learning experience in a very unique way. It gives us a chance to explore even more than we thought by looking at how our target language originated. Over the years, Korean has been influenced by Chinese and Japanese. I can see that there are many similar words. Just from the similarity of words, I am encouraged to explore if the words mean the same in the other language, whether it is used the same way. In this way, language learning offers variety and an opportunity to explore other languages in the context of your target language. 

I think that learning about a language's history also puts things in perspective. Seeing how, over time, the Korean language has transformed helps me to get a better understanding of the language, it's grammar and vocabulary. Culture  can heavily influence language. The more modern Korean used today is a good example. Times change and there are many phrases and words used by the Korean youth that weren't used before. 

There is also the influence of English. Since English is a language that has, in a way, crept into many other languages, Korean is no exception. There are many English words that have been adjusted to fit the Korean language. Such as

컴퓨터, which is computer in Korean. In romanized letters, 컴퓨터 is keom-pyu-teo. It's a Korean take on an English word.

I'd also like to reflect upon my progress so far. I think I've done a good job keeping up with my learning goals and activities. I've been practicing reading by reading newspapers and that's helped me to increase my speed which I'm happy about because I used to be extremely slow at reading. I think I need to work more on memorizing voabulary, so that's what I will be doing more of in the second half of the semester. Other than that, I think I've been progressing at a good pace.