While america celebrates Valentine's day, Korea celebrates Valentine's day and White Day. Unlike America, on Valentine's day in Korea, the women are expected to give men chocolates/gifts only. This is because a little later, on White day, the men are supposed to reciprocate by giving women a gift (usually two time more expensive). Korea also celebrates pepero day, which is on November 11. It is called pepero day because the date is 11/11, which looks like the popular Korean snake called pepero (similar to pocky). On this day, you are to give your friends and boyfriends/girlfriends pepero to show them how much you appreciate them. From these unofficial holidays, you can really see that Koreans care about the couple culture and are not afraid of showing some PDA.
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In Korea, blood type is often associated with the type of personality you have. It is often said that people who have blood type A are known to be perfectionist, responsible, stubborn, and sensitive. Blood type B people are creative, optimistic, forgetful, irresponsible, and selfish. Blood type O people are outgoing, social, leaders, arrogant, jealous, and insensitive. Finally, blood type AB people are cool, eccentric, talented, critical, and unforgiving. Many people think that blood type AB people are crazy, so when someone tells you that they think you are blood type AB, it is taken as an insult. Even though blood type does not actually determine your personality, the terms are used extensively in Korea. I think they use it more as a way to put people in categories based on personality. I do not think Koreans actually believe that the blood type determines what personality you have.
When talking about crime, Korea is famous for its practice of "crime re-creation". Citizens who are suspected of crimes, like murder, are led to to the crime scene by police. They are handcuffed while they do this and are told to reenact the crime scene step by step. Crime scene reenactments are intended to get a clear record of what just took place during the crime but can often times make the suspect look even more guilty. To make things even more bizarre, journalists and media crews are invited to the reenactment to take pictures and report on what they saw to the public. This has caused some trouble in Korea in the past where citizens would get so enraged during the reenactment that they would cause a scene and try to hurt the suspect.
This year marks the 5th year anniversary of the Sewol Ferry tragedy and so I wanted to include it as my first cultural post. Sewol was a ferry that was en route from Incheon to Jeju Island in South Korea. At the time the ferry was carrying 476 people on the ship, which was over the max limit allowed by law. Of the 476 people, most of the passengers were students from Danwon High School who were there having a school field ship. On April 16, 2014 the ferry sank, killing 304 passengers and crew members on board. The captain of the ferry announced that passengers stay put in their rooms, even though the ferry was already tipping over. Although he advised people to stay in their rooms, the captain ultimately escaped and was rescued from the ship. This event caused uproar in Korea and caught the attention of the world. This event also started a protest to impeach President Park Geun Hye because of her negligence and lack of knowledge about the extent of the situation of Sewol. Although she was offered aide from both the U.S. and Japan, she rejected their help stating that people in Sewol would be rescued.
Artifact 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_A8dq2fA5o
For my presentation, I discussed what emerging adulthood looked like in South Korea, and how this period was the same and different from the USA. I wanted to explore this topic more because it is also related to the next steps in the future for me as well. I am interested to see what cultural expectations are in place for both of my cultural identities in hopes to better prepare myself for what to expect.
week7- 4/9
This week I began to learn the verb vocabulary such as "to go", " to eat", " to eat", " to read", " to meet" which are all in dictionary forms and if I want to apply them in a sentence, I must change the structure of it by deleting add 다 and addingㅂ니다 or 습니다 right after the verb. For example, when I want to use "to go", which is 가다 in the dictionary form, in a sentence, I must delete 다 which is a useless part in the phrase and add ㅂ니다 to combine into the correct form 갑니다. And similar to the use of object particles, this two affixes are used base on the character before it. "ㅂ니다" must be used after the word ending with vowels and "습니다" is used after the word ending with consonants.
Michael mentioned that the most useful sentence we should learned as a language learner is "What is this/that?". I eventually get the chance to learn this sentence! In Korean, "this thing" is 이것 and it mainly used when the object is close to the speaker; "that thing" 그것 and is used when the object is close to the listener; When it comes to an object are both far from the listener and the speaker, we can say "that thing" as 저것.
week8- 4/16
This is the last class before my Korean final exam. We learned a bunch of Korean vocabularies about the objects in classroom including blackboard, desk, book, chair, window and door. And Seonghye helped me review from the first lesson and she said she was really proud of my progress! I really appreciate that!
week9- 4/23
Final exam!!!!
Learning Plan with Self-Assessment Portion Attached
For my cultural presentation, I talked about South Korea’s version of cover letters and Linkedin! The main difference with cover letters in Korea are that they are more of a question and answer format rather than the standard three paragraph format that we are used to in the U.S. Next, Korea’s version of Linkedin is called Saramin, which seems to be more complicated to navigate and use. However, a benefit is that most companies use this system and that they provide free statistics on the applicants, so you are able to know the percentage of competing applicants for the job you are applying for!
Lastly, I talked about a few quirks with South Korea’s job hiring process as it relates to both cover letters and Linkedin. I learned that Korea uses a system of hiring multiple people with many different skills for the same job rather than hiring just one potential candidate. Overall, all three topics were discussed through this presentation of exploring the culture of South Korea!
Technology in Korea is one of the most advanced in the world. Specifically, South Korea boasts the highest internet speed in the world. A large majority of Koreans also own a variety of the latest electronics in their homes. With more than 90% of the population connected to the internet, South Korea is considered to be very advanced in terms of technology. Despite high personal computer ownership and high internet speeds, internet cafes have become increasingly popular in the last few decades. These internet cafes called, PC Bang (PC room), allow customers to pay hourly fees to get access to high end computers. Internet cafes have become a social meeting place for many young adults due to low costs and convenience. Many internet cafes offer food and drinks so people can stay as long as possible. Internet cafes were a big part of my childhood because it was my go-to place with all my friends.
Transportation in South Korea is very much different than that of the United States. Unlike the US, most Koreans utilize public transit. Because of how efficient the public transportation is in Korea, many people opt out of personal vehicles. There are many advantages of Korean transportation that US lacks. First is that it is very well organized and efficient. Most railways are not privately owned so one doesn't have to purchase multiple tickets. Instead, people can load currency in one card and use it to pay for subways and taxis. Arrival and departure times are prompt, and facilities are very modern as well. In addition, many large cities are connected through high speed trains. These trains, called, KTX (Korean Train Express), connect several cities such as Seoul, Busan, and Jinju. Because of how well the public transportation is set up, it may be better to stay away from narrow roads and aggressive drivers.
I think that overall I reached all of my goals that I made in my initial learning plan and more.
I wanted to learn about the names of countries in Korean, and I was able to do this. I was happy to have learned how to say various countries because I felt that it tied my international and cultural experiences altogether. I was able to describe what countries I got to visit while also speaking in Korean. Furthermore, I reached my goal of how to describe others' personalities. I wanted to be able to talk about people in my life more in depth, and I felt that I got to do so. I also learned about the history of Korea. It is easy to think about the history of the USA because it was part of the curriculum in school in the USA. However, I did not have many opportunities to learn about the history of Korea. Therefore, it was really inspiring for me this semester to be able to learn about what Korea did to gain independence from Japan, such as staging a protest that continues to be celebrated yearly to this day. I also was happy to read short fables in Korean. It was fun reading these short stories and understanding the hidden messages behind them. Stories are fun to read because of their content, but they are also fun because they highlight what is important in a society versus what is not important. What qualities and actions are considered heroic, brave, and noble and what are considered negative.
Overall, there are so many concepts I got to learn that were not mentioned in my learning journal. I was able to learn new phrases, vocabulary words, and slang that I was able to use with my classmates and family. I am happy with my overall progress in learning Korean. As I am graduating, it is bittersweet to realize that I will no longer be able to learn Korean in a regular and consistent manner in a classroom setting such as at UR. However, I do not plan to stop learning Korean. I hope to continue from what I have learned from all of my teachers and continue to learn more about the language and culture.
During these final weeks of Maltese language learning, Karen and I would like to squeeze in a couple of extra lessons to solidify what I have learned. I will be graduating this semester and putting my language learning on hold, but I feel very fulfilled in the progress I made during my senior year. I spent time during these two weeks preparing my final cultural presentation about Maltese cuisine and reviewing all of the materials that I have accumulated throughout the year. In preparation for the presentation, I learned a number of new food-related words and a couple of phrases while reading through websites online.
Last semester, I identified that my primary goal of taking this course was to gain a deeper understanding of the culture through the lens of language. I traveled to Malta over a year ago and was fascinated by the blend of various cultures that existed in the food and spoken language, prompting me to seek opportunities to pursue this new interest at the University of Richmond. Through the study of language, I have gained a deep knowledge of the Maltese traditions and customs that exist and I feel more connected to the native people. I only traveled to Malta for 3 days, but I knew it would be one of the most inspiring and memorable places I have ever visited. As I read news articles, analyze poetry, speak the language, and write cultural posts, I reflect upon my trip to the country and constantly make connections to my personal experiences. I look through my photos and can now identify important landmarks, the cultural significance behind the meals I tried, and key areas for tourism. The purpose of the language goal I set was to achieve an acceptable cultural competency for returning one day. If I were to return, I believe I could communicate basic phrases to show respect to locals. In addition, I am motivated to visit the historical and tourist landmarks that I missed the first time. Finally, I would seek ways to interact with the local people and better understand the perspectives of the Maltese. Although the Maltese language is on a global decline, I would strongly encourage language learners to consider adopting this study. There are admittedly limited opportunities to practice with natives and find resources online, but there is a very valuable history/culture behind this obscure language. I look forward to applying my own knowledge of Maltese culture and language to my future endeavors and hope that this is not the end of my learning!
Cultural Post #5: Reflect upon what you have learned about the culture(s) you have been studying
Every semester that I have taken Korean, I have been able to not only learn more about the language, but also about the culture as well. With multiple Korean teachers with unique perspectives, I felt that being in the SDLC course offered opportunities to grow and be exposed to Korean in a classroom setting, but with the added factor of being able decide what I want to learn about.
I think that as American and Korean values have moments that don’t align, it has been challenging to learn about and accept that. However, I realize with every semester that I have come to understand and be more open to understanding about these moments. Culturally, Korea differs in many values from the USA. I used to be upset by this, but now I have come to be more open to learn about why this is and what these differences say about the two respective countries. I have learned that Korea values community. Korean culture values being together, group effort, and deference for one another. It is kind of a paradox. A society that values inclusivity but also is distinctly known for being one of the more hierarchical societies. Though from an American perspective this can be perceived as unacceptable, I believe it should be understood for what Korean society values. It values community but with respect and honor.
Learning about Korean culture has encouraged me to take an open-minded and ready to listen attitude to learning about other cultures. Though I may see these differences, learning Korean has challenged me to understand why these differences exist. Why does Korea value their elders more than the USA? Why is education a higher household cost in Korea than the USA? These questions help me to further connect with Korean society and embrace it.
Artifact #4: Document a learning task that you have completed
In this artifact, Heera and I talk about our parents and what personality traits we would use to describe them.
Biweekly #6
For our last class, we learned how to ask questions in multiple formats in Korean. For example, with English when we say, “Isn’t the weather nice today?”, we expect a response of “yes, it is hot.” Our questions are phrased to be validated on the spot. However, in Korean, while they also have this version, they also have another version where the question involves a negative word, and it, hence, requires a negative response. For example, in Korean, while the question may include the word “not”, it is not truly being used in the meaning of not. I would best translate it to this following scenario:
“Sally, do you not want to go to the movies?”
“No, I want to go to the movies”
In this conversation, even though not is being used, it is used more to propel the conversation as a “don’t you want to?”
We also watched a few minutes of a tv show that discussed cultural views from various people of different cultural backgrounds. They shared how one thing would be seen as normal in their society is not culturally acceptable in Korea and vice versa.
Cultural Post #4
For my cultural presentation, I plan to discuss how emerging adulthood looks like and what independence means in South Korea vs. USA. It is evident that adulthood is defined differently in various cultures. It is a unique experience where an individual shifts to becoming independent and experiencing a new life shift. As I was researching about individualism, independence, and what emerging adulthood looked like in South Korea, I realized that these are factors that are culturally independent of what is currently occuring in the society. For example, one marker of emerging adulthood is the concept of stability. However, in both South Korea and USA, stability is perceived differently. In the USA, stability is often in terms of financial stability. The individual becomes financially independent of their parents, and they become their own primary providers. This shift is often accompanied by moving out of their parents’ homes and becoming their own person outside of their parents’ house. In South Korea, stability usually refers to finances as well. However, it differs in that stability is seen as if the individual has the resources to provide for their parents. Furthermore, while the individual may move out, they are not independent entities from their parents. Oftentimes, their parents will live with them and the son/ daughter will begin to provide for their parents. This trend was interesting to see because it also sheds light on what the society values. In the USA, society values letting go of your parents’ hands and moving forward. In South Korea, society values the co-dependent relationship between parent and children.
