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Hello - I realize this is a bit short word-count wise, but truthfully I couldn't think of what else to say.
This is probably the hardest cultural learning post to write. As I said, one of my focuses for this course is religious Hebrew. I had a death in the family this past week, so have been familiarizing myself with the mourner’s kaddish (below) as well as other Jewish laws around death and mourning.
Mourner’s Kaddish English / Hebrew | |
Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us He who creates peace in His celestial heights, | בל: יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא. [קהל: אמן] א |
One thing that attracted me to Judaism as a religion was the lack of a focus on the afterlife as a motivator for action. In Judaism, you’re compelled to be a good person because that’s what you should do, because you’ve been given a responsibility to care for the world and all its blessings, and so what choices you make that impact the good of others and the whole is what’s most important, rather than a threat of punishment if you don’t live up to rules set for you. In my now multiple years of attending regular Shabbos service, the idea of an afterlife hasn’t been mentioned once. Even in the case of the Mourner’s Kaddish, it’s a prayer of praise rather than of true sadness.
To that end, I find the Jewish idea of death extremely comforting. The best way to remember those who are now gone is to honor what you learned from them by living a life with the virtues they’d want you to live. It’s encapsulated best in this phrase, which Jewish people say to each other when one has passed: may their memory be a blessing. (זיכרונה לברכה zikh-ron-ah liv-rak-ha).
I’m very excited to say that I was able to see Fiddler on the Roof when it came to the Altria this week! My Fiddler plot summary is below.
Fiddler on the Roof features Tevye, a Jewish milkman. The show opens with the song “Tradition”, where he explains the customs in the town of Anatevka. At his house, Tevye and his wife Golde prepare for the Sabbath with their five daughters. The matchmaker Yente arrives and says she may have a match for the eldest daughter, Tzietel. The sisters Tzietel, Hodel, and Chava discuss the excitement of the possibility of marriage – and the risks. Meanwhile Tevye in the barn asks G-d why he couldn’t have been a rich man, then finishes his deliveries for the day. While in town he meets the student Perchik, who offers to tutor his daughters. They have him and Tzietel’s friend Motel over for Shabbos dinner. When he arrives home, Golde informs him he must meet with Lazar Wolf; Lazar Wolf wishes to propose to Tzietel, though Tevye mistakenly assumes he wants Tevye’s newest milk cow. They agree to the bargain and celebrate at the local tavern. On his way home, the Russian constable stops Tevye and warns him of an upcoming “demonstration”.
The next day, Tzietel and Motel protest Tziedel’s engagement to Lazar Wolf, as they’ve given each other a pledge of love to marry. Tevye eventually agrees, as he doesn’t value tradition over his daughter, and pretends to have a wild dream featuring a curse from Lazar Wolf’s late wife, Fruma Sarah, to convince Golde to marry Motel. They are married in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, which is interrupted by a small pogrom from the Christian majority in town. This closes Act 1.
Act 2 opens and many months have passed. Meanwhile, Hotel has fallen in love with the revolutionary Perchik, who’s soon to leave to Kiev to support the revolution. She and Perchik ask Tevye only his blessing, not his permission, to marry. Tevye struggles with this, but accepts it, because once again he does not value this tradition over his daughter’s happiness and knows that they will take care of one another. Perchik leaves and is later arrested and sent to Siberia. Hodel decides to go to him, and Tevye sees her off on the train, with the promise that she will marry under a canopy, aka that they will uphold their Jewish values and bring them into their new lives.
Lastly, Chava, the middle child, has fallen in love with Fyedka, a non-Jew who lives in their town. She pleads with Tevye to accept them, but this is the one violation of tradition he will not, “cannot” allow. Chava and Fyedka elope at the Christian church, and Chava is disowned by her family.
Trouble continues brewing until ones day the constable tells all Jews that they have three days to leave Anatevka. They’re off to the far corners of the world – other parts of Russia, Israel, America. Everyone prepares to leave as they reminisce about the town that they’ve called home for so long. Chava and Fyedka come to say goodbye and make peace. Tevye refuses to look at Chava, but has Tzietel wish her well before they all depart, the fiddler playing as the show draws to a close.
Okay, so, my plot summary of the show took a very long time, but it’s like a three hour show without cuts. This was an interesting deep dive into some Jewish culture that I might not’ve otherwise known about yet – particularly after watching the gendered dancing at the wedding, I looked up a lot of Orthodox wedding traditions and learned about what it takes to be formally married as an Orthodox Jew, what vows are shared, what traditions are typical and why, such as the canopy and the breaking of the glass. I think the show does an amazing job making it close to home for Jews and still enjoyable for people who don’t understand any of the references, especially as I find myself somewhere in between.
This was recorded with Ben Lee and our language partner, Jannette You.
Podcast with Jannette and Grace
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqdlYWqzAOyDsEr64-lPS-jpq0ws?e=iqUPMS
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13s4rUpZP6jaykWFadVSkc3ITBKNPFxbj/view?usp=sharing
(Right click and select open link in new tab)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QvL_WUH04NRjob-ydViI4m7B_aZWER-O/view?usp=sharing
For my final cultural artifact post I have chosen another world heritage site that my language instructor visited while he taught me this semester. This site is known as the Incense route in the Negev Desert in Israel. Incense route is the name because the route started from the massive demand around the Middle East for incense that were being sold in modern day Egypt. Many traders would use the route all the time riding camels back and forth from each different kingdom. The site that Michael visited is actually a string of structures in the Negev known to be a trade route in the past. In this area there are many structures that were left over from when the route was used for trade. The history behind the route is extremely intriguing because it was one of the main routes the Judeau kingdom used to trade with the Byzantine empire located right across the present-day border in Petra, Jordan. The site of Petra is one that I have wanted to visit ever since I was a kid and saw the incredible back drop in movies. Nabeatan people, (the individuals apart of the Byzantine empire) routinely traveled this route selling all sorts of unique goods. The photo below taken by Michael is of one of the four fortresses located on the route. The fortresses are known as Kazra, Nekarot, Makhmal, as well as Grafon. It is remarkable to think that this route and the structures located there still exist today. Throughout Israel’s history and all the empires that have come through the territory, the site remains very intact. A nick name for the road is elephant road because supposedly a general brought his army through the rate and an elephant was apart of his battalion. I find this site particularly unique because of how crazy it is to think that trade was conducted this way when today there are massive planes that bring goods all around the world. Michael said this is also what stood out to him, how many people would routinely travel the route to make money for themselves and their families. I think it really speaks to progression and how far humans have come. Routes like these where there was likely so much death and war from traders crossing the area with their goods do not exist today. It is also remarkable to think that traders were able to traverse the route without maps or any way to navigate. Now when hiking people have phones and applications that can simply direct them to wherever they would like with the press of a button. Traders would wander through the scorching hot desert likely not entirely sure where they would end up to sell and buy goods in other empires, that were often hostile. Michael said he drove the stretch and could not imagine what it would be like walking through the desert. When I visit Israel I would like to visit this area but I will surely be driving as well.
Citations: Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Photo Credit: Michael Hibner
For my third cultural artifact I have chosen Masada because my language partner visited there during our time working together. Masada is a very significant site for the people of Israel and the Jewish community as a whole. Current day Masada is a fortress located in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea. It is apart of the remains of Israel when it was an empire back in the AD period. Current Masada is only remains of the much larger fortress that was there before the Roman Empire invaded. Masada was the last defense position for the Jewish people against the Roman Empire. The site was originally a complex created by the king of the Judeo kingdom. Even the remaining architecture is incredible according to my instructor. It is seen to represent the strong response of the Jewish people in the face of adversity as they fought until the last defender that was alive. Its location in the desert is extremely advantageous from a defensive perspective but there were so many Romans in comparison to those fighting for the Jewish empire that the group was still over run. It is a very unique site in the sense that most places the Romans invaded were completely destroyed. My instructor said that the tour felt very surreal because of how many individuals on both sides perished in the fighting. After the Romans prevailed, the new ruler of the area renovated the site and added many Roman aspects such as barracks as well as armories for Roman soldiers. There is talk of the possibility of a mass suicide of all the Jewish people who remained at the site when the Romans invaded. This can not be confirmed however, so the validity of this claim is heavily put up to debate. After the Romans prevailed, capturing this last stronghold, life for Jewish people who lived in the kingdom was not the same. Jewish people rebelled against the new governing power and this resulted in countless inhumane events like mass crucifixions. Today many young Jewish boys and girls opt to have barmitzvahs or batmitzvahs at the site’s synagogue. Special forces and military units of the IDF also routinely march there and are known to take oaths to the State of Israel at the site. It seems that Masada has significance in Israel as a place that will not be allowed to be controlled by a foreign power again. Israeli’s even sometimes use masada as a term to criticize Israel foreign policy. Obviously, this is a highly contested subject as people have differing opinions on the foreign policy of Israel. Excavations during modern times have also revealed even more remaining roman military sites like defense walls and camps that would house Roman soldiers. To my language partner as well as many Israelis, Mosada is a site meant to symbolize the history of the Jewish state and serves as a reminder that an invasion of Israel in the present day would be devastating to Israel. When I do eventually visit Israel I will be sure to visit this incredible site.
For my second cultural post I will explore Hasidic Judaism because even though I am reform, my Dad’s side of his family was Hasidic before my Grandfather. I think it is very interesting to explore a different strict interpretation of the religion that a lot of Jewish people follow. The idea behind Hasidic beliefs is to not change your lifestyle and keep practicing life like the ancestors of Hasidics in Eastern Europe. This means that the language that Hasidic Jews use is actually Yiddish most of the time not Hebrew. Yiddish is based off German then has aspects of polish, Hebrew, Russian, and English. Growing up I would say some short phrases in Yiddish so it is interesting to see how this language connects to Hasidism. Gender roles are also kept how they were in Eastern Europe which is not the same as how the Reform community tends to operate. Marriage happens much earlier than in the general population. The clothing style is also very strict in the Hasidic community. Hasidic Jews tend to wear black coats and hats year-round. This is something that stuck out to me because it shows the dedication that Hasidic Jews have to their religion. To dress like this year-round is true dedication. That means even when it is very warm in the Summer months Hasidic Jews are dressed the same. Hasidic women also dress very conservatively. There are also many cultural differences between the Hasidic community and the regular population. Hasidic Jews tend to have many more kids than on average because they view it as god’s order for them to do so. Holidays are also taken much more seriously in the Hasidic community. Every Saturday is Sabbath where Hasidic Jews are supposed to relax and there are strict rules to make sure this happens. Activities that are prohibited are cooking, shopping, and operating any electric device. This is why so many Hasidic Jewish people can be seen walking around and not operating vehicles. I am very impressed by this amount of dedication even more so than the clothing rules. I think most reform Jewish people and Americans in general would not be able to live this type of lifestyle. There are also even more holidays that Hasidics celebrate than the average reform Jewish person. This includes Sukkos, a 7 day holiday meant to celebrate the redemption of ancient Israelite Jews. During this holiday a Sukkah is built which is basically a small hut. Then meals are eaten in the hut. It is very interesting how new of a sect of Judaism Hasidism is. I think most people think of Judaism originating a very long time ago in its entirety. This is not the case with Hasidism and is really what makes it a unique part of Judaism. For the artifact I chose related to Hasidism I picked a man playing an art piece which shows a man in traditional Hasidic clothing playing a flute of some sort. I think this piece depicts Hasidism well because it shows commitment and tradition.
Citations: Hasidic Jewish Rules - Ultra Orthodox Beliefs & Practices | Brooklyn Unplugged Tours
hasidic art artifcat - Bing images
For my first cultural post I will explore the origins of a song that I have sang every year while lighting Channukah candles since I was very young. Every year my Dad, Brother, sister and I light Channukah candles using the same menorah that has been passed down through generations on my Dad’s side of the family. With the new skills I have learned from my time learning Hebrew I can now recite this song and actually understand the words that I am saying. Growing up I always heard a description of the holiday and that it is essentially significant because Channukah is also known as the festival of lights. The vague story that I have heard is that a group of Israelites were looking to light candles in order to stay warm for a period of nights and the candles lasted longer than they had anticipated. The holiday has always been a great time for my family and I so it will be cool to explore its origins in greater depth. From what I have read online, a Syrian king sent soldiers to Jerusalem in order to destroy the Jewish temple there. This action was unsurprisingly terrifying to the Jewish inhabitants there because aggression like this was scary to see in the Jewish homeland. The Syrian king named Antiochus Epiphanes then made Judaism and said anyone who practiced the religion would need to convert or die. In response a Jewish resistance movement was created to rebel against this oppression. The resistance rebelled and even though they were outnumbered, defeated the much bigger Syrian force. Channukah means dedication and is meant to commemorate this resistance in the face of great adversity. The significance of the eight days of Channukah comes from the story that when the Jewish group entered the temple, they found a jar of oil that would be able to burn for one day. They used the oil to light the ner tamid, which is a large hanging torch in Synagogues. The Ner Tamid, to the Jews surprise burnt for eight nights. Hence the great 8 night celebration every year. It is awesome to know the in depth significance of the holiday that I practice each year. The actual meaning of the channukah prayers are slightly different for all three of them. The translation of the first one means essentially that we thank god for commanding us to light these candles. For the second prayer observers thank god for performing helpful actions for Jewish people in the past such as during the Syrian invasion. The next is thanking god for preserving the Jewish people throughout any hardships they have faced. Knowing all these meanings behind the prayer I have sang for so long feels very cool because of how united the holiday is meant to make Jews feel. Now after knowing the whole meaning behind the holiday I will be able to tell my relatives this story that is so significant in the history of Judaism.
Citations:
I moved on to questions and words that I would be able to use in conversation commonly at the final stretch of my learning. We also touched on more cultural parts of Israel than before because I became curious with my Cultural Presentation coming up. The questions that I learned would ideally help me in real world situations in basic communication when I do end up visiting Israel which is great because it is always great to see real world applicability to what I learn. I find that seeing this real-world connection further motivates me so I was very enticed to learn a lot of questions that I could use. We learned words like ma which means what and Apho which means where. To do so I would read these questions in sentences which really helped me learn in real time. We then tried to piece these questions together with common objects. These included basic words like Talmid or student or Yelda which means girl for example. This was the first time I was using real conversation back and forth with my instructor which was awesome to see because I could feel my progression throughout the course. Like I had mentioned prior, we started to delve more into the cultural aspect of Hebrew, more specifically pertaining to Israel. I was very curious about the IDF because I had always heard about it growing up and really wanted to learn about how the fact that most individuals are conscripted into the army affected the overall culture in Israel. My instructor informed me on how this system does affect the culture in Israel and what his experience was like. He also shared cool anecdotes about the military specifically which were fascinating to me because I have always been intrigued by history since I was young. We also got into how many of the holidays celebrated by Jews all over the world are so much more emphasized in Israel. This was of course not unobvious when you consider that Israel is the Jewish homeland and is home to the most Jewish people per country only behind the US. The story that stuck out to me most is how Passover is a hectic, awesome holiday in Israel. The way he described it reminds me of 4th of July in the US with people celebrating all over in different cities. It really seems like one big communal holiday which would be cool to be a part of one day. I also took note of an interesting cultural observation from discussions like these. Religion is much more emphasized in Israel because so many people are Jewish. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the course because I think there is no better way to learn about culture than to discuss with someone who has lived in a particular culture. Overall, I was ecstatic to where I have gotten to thus far. The whole learning experience and especially my awesome instructor has really motivated me to want to keep on learning Hebrew and has further sparked my interest with Israel as a whole.
Next, we moved on to more applicable learning which I was really excited for because one of my goals for learning Hebrew was learning info that I could use in the real world. We once again focused on reading short sentences and becoming more fluid in my interpretation of Hebrew words and listening. We began by learning basic numbers so I would be able to count in Hebrew. We focused on learning 1-10,000 because the way Hebrew numbers work is that once 1-10 is mastered the rest are much easier to learn as well. 1-10, echad, shtaim, shalosh, arba, etc. were very easy because it was simple memorization. The 10’s were harder because it required more thinking and this made saying bigger numbers much more challenging but nevertheless I eventually was able to say numbers well through consistent practice. Next to help my reading and greater interpretation of Hebrew as a whole we decided it would be good to move onto male and female pronouns. I was also excited for this part off my learning because I would be adding additional functionality to my arsenal of Hebrew. Now I would be able to address people and better describe situations when speaking in Hebrew. It was really cool to see this progression real time in such a short amount of time. I went from learning the alphabet to being able to describe a situation like someone who fluently speaks the language and that was really cool to see. We first discussed common indicators at the end of a word that would make the word feminine. These were ah, eet, oot, et, ot, and at. At first it was kind of hard because it was tough to actually apply these endings to words that I had just learned. Through practice and continuous exposure however, I was able to really start applying this knowledge quickly. We would use exercises like looking at a group of words and deciding whether they were masculine or feminine using the endings that were assigned. This whole experience was pretty gratifying overall because I understood these concepts much better and quicker than the past content we had studied. It seemed like as I became more settled in to what I was learning I was picking up and retaining information much quicker. I also noticed some interesting differences between Hebrew and English that my instructor pointed out. There is a different use of applying masculinity and femininity to words in Hebrew than English. Some words have a masculine ending even though they are not affiliated with the male gender and this applied vice versa as well which is something I had to be aware of when learning. I was pretty excited where I got up to as far as my overall proficiency with the language at this point. I was one step closer to being more fluent and being able to use Hebrew like a native speaker even though I obviously had and have a long way to go until I am objectively fluent. This part of my language learning endeavor was fun and interesting.
In the second month we were mainly focused on the vowel system or niqqud. I was excited to move onto this part of the language because with this knowledge is how Hebrew can actually be used in the real world. We first went over what vowels in Hebrew are and how they are used. We went over how the vowels differ from English in the sense that they are not distinct letters. Instead, vowels for a beginner are added to a letter and they make that letter have a distinct sound. Once someone becomes proficient enough for speakers who are more advanced then there is no need for the vowels because they are simply anticipated and someone can interpret how a given word sounds based on reading it. For my level of Hebrew I would be using the vowels to assist in my interpretation of the language. We went over some strategies of memorization that would help me memorize the vowels and how to identify each. I watched a video and played a hand game that uses hand motions to help me learn each vowel and what they would look like when attached to a given letter. I practiced the making the sounds of AH, EH, EE, OH, OOH, AY which were distinct from aeiou for English vowels. This really helped me because I became familiar with the differences and made me fluid with pronouncing the vowels. Repetition really helped me in this case because it is a lot easier for me to memorize content when I am exposed to it over and over. Next, we moved on to actually reading letters and short words with the letters and vowels attached. Initially, this was very challenging for me because it is hard not to be eager to read quickly. A lot of the time I would be sitting there and trying to come up with what sound the letter made while attaching the vowel sound. Some rules also really tripped me up like when reading words with a vowel on one letter, the next letter would be silent in some cases. This made it so a lot of the time I would use a vowel at the end of the letter when I did not need to. This really does not sound like a big deal at first glance but the issue with Hebrew is that these mistakes can make a word completely interpretable or even change the word to a different word. This also really inhibited my speed of utilizing the vowels because I was worried that I would forget these rules. Nevertheless, with practice and time I became able to recognize these aspects and became more confident in my ability in the long run. Eventually, I was reading short sentences while using vowels as well as speaking simpler words quite well. As far as my emotions during this part of learning was concerned I was pretty optimistic. I felt like as long as I practiced I would be able to move on and start reading more advanced sentences on my own. Overall, learning vowels to eventually be able to speak and read well was a successful endeavor.
During the beginning of my learning endeavors my Language Partner and I primarily focused on gaining more knowledge about the Hebrew alphabet. His goal for me was to understand how to read, write, and pronounce each letter of the language so that I could eventually be able to form sentences of my own. We started off extremely basic, simply trying to sing the alef bet Het song that he introduced me to. This song was very helpful because it was essentially the abcs for English. It was very catchy and he even referred me to an app that would help me memorize the song in a fun way. My language partner was hoping that a few sessions in I would be fully familiar with the alphabet and would be able to move on to actually practice the language. I am happy that I was actually able to reach this goal through practice on my own that primarily revolved around repetition and writing the letters over and over. I also took on the alphabet from a speaking perspective. I focused on saying the sounds of each letter over and over so that I was going to be able to properly pronounce words when I got there. This strategy was very successful because while speaking the letters out loud I was able to become more familiar to identifying which letter was which when they were spoken out loud for me to listen to. One part of learning the alphabet that was quite frustrating was how close some of the letters look to each other. For example, the letters He and Chet are nearly identical except for a small gap in how they are written. These subtle differences were extremely frustrating a lot of the time because it is hard having to be aware of such minute differences in a language when you are first starting out. For example, in English when I was learning the alphabet as a child there was no way to mix any of the letters up because they all look distinct. Learning the Hebrew alphabet was much more challenging because it felt not only was I memorizing a foreign alphabet but I was also simultaneously having to stay focused on these small details. Nevertheless, the fact that it is a harder alphabet to read and write, it made it more satisfying to actually learn and become familiar with. I was not so successful in writing the alphabet for the first time given these minute differences. This being said, my instructor really was incredibly assistive. Whenever I would mess up he say good job and then nicely correct me. This was a great way to help me learn because even though I did not get it exactly right, I was still motivated to keep on learning. When it came to saying the letters I also was often times not successful. I had a tendency to add a bit of an American accent, to the point where it changed the whole sounding of the letter. This was not good because later when I would be forming words, this kind of accent would make it hard for other Hebrew speakers to interpret what I was saying. Overall, I had a great time learning and applying the alphabet.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12KjlkJI9-2BL3jFzGj_L2myKnYZa6mR0/view?usp=sharing
Some insights that I’ve gained as a language learner is that I should never be afraid. One thing I realized when I was speaking Korean in Korea was that I was very anxious about saying the wrong thing or my pronunciation was not accurate. There were actually a lot of times where I attempted to say something in Korean but they weren’t able to understand it. But I learned that I will never grow if I am always so conscious about my Korean language because I will never know if I try. During the last several weeks, I felt that I had really improved and developed my Korean skills. My initial objectives for this class were to increase my vocabulary, improve my grammar (particularly in terms of subject markers and verb conjugations), and engage in daily conversation. I was pleasantly pleased at how much I was able to learn, particularly in terms of vocabulary, when I utilized and practiced them on a regular basis. In contrast to my Korean lesson, I only had to memorize them for a week before forgetting about them. However, every week with Vivan, we went over all of the vocabulary we rehearsed and revisited the terms from the previous week. Same thing with grammar, reviewing the previous concepts helped me grasp the new concepts. And in the long term, helps me actually learn the language better
Something I found difficult was definitely the sentence structures of the Korean lanauge because they are in SOV form. An example would be 나는 피자 먹어요 (I eat pizza). From Korean, it would literally translate to “I pizza eat”. This sentence structure was very hard for me to get familiar with because when I learn languages, I usually link the English to Korean, but it was more difficult with Korean just because I had to think ahead about what the object was before.
Something that I have enjoyed was learning about the culture along with the language. We were able to get some cultural immersion experience by going to get Korean BBQ at Korea Garden in Richmond. During this experience, I could use my Korean skills to order in a restaurant. I remember being in Korea I was a bit uncomfortable speaking the language because I didn’t have anyone there to check or correct me. But getting to go to Korean BBQ with Vivian was as helpful as she was in our classes. If I used a wrong measure word, she would correct me right away on the spot, which I feel is the most useful way to learn something.
I will continue my learning by continuing to seek out free resources, such as Youtube. There are some good videos that I could invest in that are ideal for speaking, engaging, and pronunciation. Also, I hope to be able to watch K-dramas and understand everything without subtitles. There is a feature in Netflix called Netflix Language Learning, which offers translated subtitles in two languages. In this case, I could do it in English and Korean at the same time so I can actively be studying the subtitles while watching.
I was able to reflect on my learning styles and find out what kind works best for me. I was always a visual learner, but I realized that my learning styles may be different from the way I learn in my business classes vs. Korean classes. I also found out that I learn best through repetition, as many others may, with languages. I found out about an app called Drops, which is a vocabulary builder game. Everyday, you can play matching games but the special thing about Drops is how repetitive it is. Unlike Quizlet, everytime you click on a word or match a word, it says it. Hearing it along with thinking about it really helps it stick in my brain. It also repeats it over and over many times even if you get it the first time. I still remember the first word I learned from that app because it stuck with me. Something also really helpful that Vivian did was create weekly tests for me. Although no one likes to take tests, I think they were really useful in helping me study and retain the information that I learned.
Something I would like to learn more about is Korean Pop Culture. Specifically, the history, and how it grew to be a global phenomenon that has garnered millions of fans throughout the world. Overall, this class has been very interesting to me because I have always found the growth of Korean culture and its effects in music, movies, dramas, brands, and many more aspects around the world very compelling. One of the most prime examples is K-pop, K-dramas, and movies in the United States: BTS thriving in America, Korean dramas taking over American Netflix, and the movie Parasite making history by being the first non-English film to win best picture at the 2020 Oscars. These factors push me to explore how and why Korean culture grew all around the world and how it has impacted other cultures as well.
Korean Cuisine
For this week, I wanted to focus my cultural artifact on Korean cuisine. For numerous reasons, Korean cuisine is a distinctive feature of their culture. The first is that food is inextricably linked to Korea's environment, which includes the country's location, topography, and climate. Korea is a peninsula with a climate similar to that of the United States' north central region: chilly winters, mild summers, and lengthy, beautiful autumns. Korea features several microclimates since the terrain is largely made up of mountains and stretches from the North Asian mainland to milder oceans in the south. Rice, beans, and vegetables are produced in the lowlands, while mushrooms and a variety of wild plants, such as bracken and bellflower, are picked or farmed in the mountains. Each location has its own set of foods that are specific to its climate. The country's rugged northeastern region. The topography (peninsula), temperature (hot, humid summers and bitterly cold winters), closeness to China and Japan, and the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945 all influenced Korean food. The introduction of chili peppers to Korea by Portuguese traders in the 17th century had considerable influence on the cuisine. Chili peppers were commonly employed in the making of Korean cuisine by the 18th century. Much of today's Korean food, as well as the conventions that surround it, are derived from royal cuisine and the intricate customs of the ancient court. The cuisine is a balancing study, with particular attention paid to temperature, spiciness, color, and texture, as well as thoughtful presentation.
The main meal is constructed around a variety of shared side dishes that compliment each other, beginning with ritual bowls of rice and soup. The amount of side dishes served can range from two to a dozen or more, although most meals will have at least a handful. Rather than being served in courses, all of the foods are presented all at once to be shared. A Korean banquet consists of a variety of meals that have been steamed, simmered, pan-fried, and stewed, among other methods.
Many side dishes are plucked, fermented, or salted, and many are spicy, since the Koreans have perfected the technique of preserving food. Kimchi, Korea's famed spicy cabbage, comes in over a hundred distinct types made with other veggies and is a staple of every meal. It's loved for its sour, acidic crunch as well as its ability to assist digestion. Sesame and sesame oil, chili pepper paste (kochujang), soybean paste (daenjang), garlic, ginger, and chilli pepper flakes are all popular spices and sauces. Korean cuisine is known for being flavorful, spicy, and pungent. Charcoal grills in the middle of the table, a sort of indoor barbeque, are common in traditional eateries. Bulgogi (meaning "fire meat") or beef ribs (kalbi) are marinated, grilled, then wrapped in lettuce leaves with garlic, chili, and soybean paste. They're eaten in one mouthful since biting into a lettuce packet is considered impolite.
References:
http://upbproducts.co.uk/2016/04/06/korean-food-regions-history-tradition/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618116300099
https://hannaone.com/korean-cooking-blog/the-amazing-history-of-korean-cuisine.html
My Personal Interests in Korea and Study Abroad Experience
During the Fall 2021 semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad at Yonsei University in South Korea. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Growing up as Chinese, I’ve had the privilege of being raised in a multicultural home and visiting my home country Shanghai in China often. My parents were Chinese immigrants, which gave me the chance to explore the complex layers of my Asian-American identity. The thing that captivated me the most was the duality of being able to coexist within different cultures and experiences. From universal ideas like our bond over family and food, there is nothing more important than accepting and understanding not only what brings us together, but what makes us unique as well. Since an early age, I have always been curious to see and experience Asian culture beyond my home country, but never had the chance to. And growing up with many Korean friends, I’ve become exposed to many of their cultural practices and traditions.
I gained first-hand experience of the important traits that lead to success in the business world. Being immersed in Korean culture, learning Korean, having access to historical resources, and overcoming the challenges of living in another country will all help me be successful in my future career. An aspect of South Korea’s culture that intrigues me is the music and entertainment industry. The growing popularity of Korean pop culture, such as K-pop groups like BTS and movies such as Parasite, the first non-English film to win a main Oscar, has made them a global phenomenon and success. My strategy for engagement is to integrate myself into the culture as much as I can. In the classroom, I took cultural elective classes such as Popular Culture and Korean Wave, Contemporary Korean Cinema and Society, and Korean Food and Culture and learned more about how Korean pop culture and the Korean wave contributed to the increase in worldwide popularity. Outside the classroom, I explored the city during my free time and visited historical landmarks relevant to my interests, like Dongdaemun and Deoksugung Palace.
My experience returning home was like the opposite of going to Korea, reverse culture shock. I felt fatigued and exhilarated in many ways, just as I did when arriving at Korea a few months earlier. It felt good to be home, enjoying home cooking, phone calls from old friends, and sharing adventures with my family. However, just as I felt my initial excitement at being back in a familiar place, I began to also feel discomfort. Things that I thought were familiar may now appear strange. Hearing English spoken all around sounded strange, I was hesitant to spend $50 on lunch when I considered that I would have subsisted on that amount for a week. I think that I never felt more American when I was in Korea and never felt more alien when I returned to the United States. However, I know that this feeling is normal and is an opportunity to learn not only about myself and how I've developed while in Korea, but also about home from a much more objective viewpoint.
To reflect on my experience, I learned to not take anything for granted. As cliche as it sounds, this means to meet as new people as possible, go to all the places, take on new experiences, and go into the uncomfortable. Whether that means exploring a place by yourself or learning new things, you push yourself to learn how to navigate and assimilate with the way things function. When confronted with severe and demanding conditions, you learn to rely only on yourself. You may learn something new every day and gain confidence in your talents. I learned the importance of spending time by myself and self care. At Richmond, we often get caught up with our friends or roommates, so we barely have any time to spend with ourselves. In Korea, I could say I was alone for most of the time. Also living in a single room, I often felt lonely and homesick at times. Especially during the first few weeks, I did not have many close friends or people I could turn to. But after some time, I realized that I’ve experienced some of the best things in Korea by myself. I learned how to be truly comfortable with the uncomfortable and independent. But I do regret not doing many things, such as not meeting as much people as possible or traveling to more places. I only realized the things I am going to miss after I leave them. For me, this was Korea, the culture, and the people. But now, my mindset in what I accomplish has changed because if I can live in a nation for six months knowing barely any of their language, then I can accomplish anything.
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