Blogs

At this point in the semester, I have a solid understanding of basic Indonesian grammar. I'm now in the place where I'm trying to rapidly expand my vocabulary. I've been creating picture-based vocabulary lists as part of my resource building and journaling on relevant topics. I've continued to find Duolingo helpful as well, and I've been testing into higher levels to keep it challenging.

My language partner and I have started speaking in about 80% Bahasa Indonesia, and this has been helpful for challenging me to thing on the fly in my target language. Her work packets have continued to be the most helpful textbook-like resource. The textbook I got for the class, Let's Speak Indonesian, has some helpful prompts, but it doesn't go as in depth as I would like it to. I've been using it a bit more selectively than I planned to.

In terms of my cultural studies, I'm still reading through Language Policy in Superdiverse Indonesia. Although it's in English, it has helped me to contextualize the relationship between Bahasa Indonesia, Malay dialects, Javanese, English, and other LFs and native languages. It's also helping me to connect to my studies in LLC 198, where we're preparing to do an English teaching practicum to students in Java. My professor for that class has offered to let me present on historic and sociolinguistics in Indonesia (something I've become quite nerdy about!) For cultural studies in Indonesian, I've started watching Whipped on Netflix with English subtitles.

So far I have learned how to recognize vowels, consonants and how to recognize them when they are put together. I have learned 2 apps to help me practice writing Korean syllables and have watched 2 episodes of the bilingual korean show Jadoo. I became interested in learning Korean since certain aspects of Korean culture like Kdrama and Kpop have grown so mainstream I was interested in the culture. Furthermore, I worked in a korean environment where I have caught some words in Korean. Being surrounded by it every weekend piqued my interest so that I could bring back some Korean and try to practice with them. I have not received much feedback on my Learning progress so far other than from my tutor, but I hope to keep improving.

I tried to create a study plan that resembles what a traditional language class would look like. If I don't have specific assignments to complete and deadlines to abide by, I know I will not follow through with the plan. Creating an Excel was the simplest method for me to organize my goals. I have a good foundation of Hangul so I started the plan by just jumping immediately into content. I knew Talktomeinkorean was a very useful resource to learn the language so I have purchased a subscription of that and am also using Memrise to learn vocab. I think grammar carries the country's culture so I made that one of the main components of my learning plan. By watching kdramas and speaking with my language partner, I will also be exploring more cultural topics that are outside of the language. I want to learn korean because I watch a lot of foreign tv shows and was planning on studying abroad at Yonsei University because their business school is really good. My classmates thought my plan was very well thought out and I was encouraged to keep a journal so I could get in more writing practice. I only created three weeks because I know it is subject to change depending on how i progress.

My semester goals are to stop relying on English as a crutch when speaking Korean, to improve basic casual conversational skills, develop reading and writing to an intermediate level, and learn more about everyday Korean culture for young Korean adults in their 20s.

We have been meeting weekly with my language partner to practice Korean. At the beginning of our conversations, we start by conversing in Korean. She then helps me practice my writing and to build my vocabulary. She will write out lists of words and phrases in English that I will first verbally translate, and then write down in hangul. These words and phrases have been common words that I would use daily if speaking in Korean.

Besides my language partner, I have tried practicing my Korean with my Korean friends in a more informal setting, for instance by playing Korean drinking games. This was a fun way for me to improve my language skills and learn about Korean culture for young adults my age.

I feel that in just several sessions my speaking, vocabulary, and writing has already improved. My partner corrected basic syntax and grammar mistakes that I now know to avoid. I believe that first speaking and then writing down vocabulary and phrases helps me retain what I learn.

I feel slightly more comfortable speaking in Korean, although I still feel like I can make the most progress in is area this semester. I still speak 90% in English when spoken to in Korean outside of formal meetings. During my Korean sessions with my language partner, I also still rely on English to ask questions.

My goal for the rest of the semester is to really focus on limiting my English usage. I believe that consciously attempting this while continuing to regularly speak Korean throughout every week for an entire semester will help me achieve this goal.

One aspect of my learning I would like to expand upon is my study of Korean culture and lifestyle. I will do this by consuming more media such as YouTube videos, shows, and movies that showcase life in Korea. When possible, I also hope to continue practically experiencing and learning more about culture with my Korean friends on campus.

What I genuinely enjoyed learning another language is being able to communicate in a different way with people outside of english. Most Americans do not know another language, so by being familiar with one I felt special since I could do what they could not. When I utilize my Spanish outside of the classroom, I get excited that I can practice with people and understand what they are saying. I gain a sense of pride in my ability to understand and speak with others. My biggest challenge is pronunciation and listening skills. I always thought it was a challenge trying to get the words to sound as if I was a native speaker communicating. It bothers me when I hear Americans speaking with a very thick American accent. When I detect a thick American accent like in Spanish or French class, it means to me that they were not putting in effort to better communicate themselves to new people. Listening skills was always a struggle in my opinion since the words were not broken up and spoken side by side without a pause. I have to distinguish the words from each other in the conversation. I was surprised from the surveys to learn that I am more of an auditory learner than a visual learner and that I enjoy nature. I always thought of myself as a visual learner since I preferred to see how things are done instead of being told how to complete tasks. The best activities that would improve my language learning significantly is having consistently and being able to practice it outside of my learning environment.  When learning Spanish, I always watched Spanish shows with subtitles either in Spanish or English so that I can get used to hearing what words sound like coming from a native speaker. I currently still watch Spanish shows today to keep up with my listening skills or my reading skills with Spanish subtitles if possible. To learn korean, I  found a show that  has English and Korean subtitles along with Korean dialogue which would benefit me a lot since I could learn what they mean in the moment and how they are written in Korean. Since the show already covers reading and listening skills, something I could expand on for my language learning activities is being able to practice the writing aspect a lot more often since I do not get much practice for that.

Using Korean literature, especially children’s fairytales, combined with sociology/psychology I could improve my Korean. Reading children’s fairy tales could seem very basic, however they show me the culture and history of Korea. And since the sentences are basic, learning the grammar of the language as well as the sentence structure could be very beneficial. Furthermore, because most of these stories are based in the past, there will be terms that I won’t know. Learning these terms in an interesting and fun way will help them stay in my memory for a long time. 

Understanding the sociological perspective of Korea will also allow me to learn the language better. Obviously, the language that’s used in literature and writing is not the same as the one used in speaking. Learning the sociology can help me learn words that are used in speaking (ex: slang terms) which will help me communicate in Korean better. Which is arguably a better skill for me.

For the first few meetings of the semester, my language partner and I have discussed what my goals for this semester were, and have gotten started on our curriculum. While in the previous semesters we focused more on improvement for speech and vocabulary, we've realized that improvement cannot always happen. Rather, I want to steadily practice dialogue in Korean, maintaining my speech proficiency at the minimum. This is the basis of our meetings - improving/maintaining/practicing speech/dialogue. However, my writing is also another goal for this semester. I improved my Korean writing quite a bit last semester, but it has a long way to go. While I don't expect to be writing essays in Korean easily, I'd like to try writing a coherent paper.

To get started on these goals, my partner and I discussed the optimal way to go about our plan. While we continue to talk in Korean and choose topics to talk about - for writing I started to write about a recent event from the news, or summarizing a Korean article. This forces me to use words that may be niche to that specific news, and if I am stuck, I can read the article again and use the vocab in the article. I tried not to do this too much - it felt like cheating, but I would always try to learn the words that I would take from the article.

Going forward, I'm excited to see how my writing improves - if it does, I'll probably stick to this plan, plus a few more ideas. If not, then I'd definitely have to switch things up.

In my ongoing effort to become proficient in Korean, I have devoted the past fortnight to a crucial facet of the language: the mastery of Korean vowels and consonants. This journal entry will delve into my experiences, the objectives I established, the tactics I employed, and my reflections on the efficacy of these approaches.

For the past two weeks, my primary focus has been on gaining expertise in Korean vowels and consonants. ​This represents a fundamental step in the acquisition of any language, as it underpins correct pronunciation and facilitates comprehension in reading. I begin by introducing myself to the Korean alphabet, which comprises 14 consonants and 10 vowels. During this period my principal object was to acquire proficiency in the recognition and correct pronunciation of Korean vowels and consonants. My aim was to discern them in written form, and to articulate them accurately in speech .In addition, I wish to commence a rudimentary vocabulary employing these characters.

​I achieved these goals using the following strategy:

Daily practice: I commit to daily practice sessions, along with a study of the Korean alphabet chart. Each day, I set aside a minimum of 30 minutes to acquaint myself with the characters in order to remember them.

Utilization of Flashcards: I devised flashcards in which I wrote characters on one side and their corresponding sounds on the reverse. Sometimes the pronunciation is expressed in Chinese or English. This method serves to reinforce both visual and auditory memories of each character, which is also very useful.

Listening and Oral Repetition: Online resources for native Korean speakers to pronounce these characters have become invaluable and so helpful .I improved my pronunciation by repeating the sounds aloud after them.

 Language Learning Apps: Using language learning apps that teach users Korean pronunciation and reading proficiency, I participated in interactive exercises.. All of them facilitate structured practice in reading and pronunciation.

Upon reflection on these strategies, they are shown to be highly effective. Consistent daily practice and the incorporation of flashcards significantly enhanced my ability to recognize and retain knowledge of Korean vowels and consonants.. In addition, the native speaker's articulation sharpened my articulation significantly. The amalgamation of these learning resources, including applications and online tutorials, enriches the learning process by making it both engaging and comprehensive.

In the future, probably within the next month, I intend to broaden my vocabulary by acquiring basic words and phrases that incorporate the vowels and consonants I have studied. I will undertake the practice of reading short sentences and paragraphs to further enhance my reading skills. I have been through so much during this period. As I observed the improvement in my Korean reading, a feeling of pride and accomplishment came over me. Still, there were instances of frustration, especially when grappling with the intricacies of pronunciation. Still, my desire to become proficient in the rudiments of Korean remains unwavering. The study of Korean vowels and consonants has shed light on the unique Korean script devised by Emperor Sejong. It's always fascinating to learn the vowels and consanants’ intricate connections to Korean culture and history.

All in all, the past two weeks have constituted a highly rewarding stride in my pursuit of Korean language acquisition. The mastery of vowels and consonants provided a firm foundation for further exploration of the language, and I eagerly anticipated the further development of my skills and cultural acumen in the weeks that followed.

Bahasa Indonesia Syllabus

For my syllabus, I tried to maximize the amount of language I was exposing myself to during the first half of the semester, while the second part of the semester will be more oriented to practicing composition and presentation. I've recently decided that one of my goals will b to create an online "Bahasa Indonesia Learning Lab" that will serve as a hub of resources for future SDLAP students. I've noticed this being a difficulty of mine-- not having many reliable resources.

So far, I'm noticing a few things:

- I'm testing into higher levels on Duolingo, so I'm moving through that faster than I expected to. Considering the relatively simple grammar structure of Indonesian, I've enjoyed using Duolingo as a resource and have found it quite helpful.

- My language partner (through Italki) has been a wonderful resource for providing worksheets. She has me bring them to sessions, and I've found them more helpful than the exercises in my textbook. She's begun to have a busier schedule (and canceled some of our sessions), so I'm unsure if I'll be able to keep working with her, but it's been wonderful for the time being.

- Creating vocabulary lists for the Lab has been wonderful for expanding my vocabulary. I've been trying to use images rather than English translations when relevant, and this is helping me to mentally retreive the words faster.

   I visited Budapest for the first time in 2017 during my summer tournament camp which was around 7 years ago. Now when I think about it does not seem to be a very long time ago, but 7 years is a long time indeed. I wish I started to learn Hungarian back then which means that by now I would be a fluent speaker. However, I have chosen a little bit more complicated path for myself - learning one of the toughest languages in the world during my senior year of college. If not now, then when? First, I downloaded Duolingo (by the way, I am on my 62nd day strike). In about a week I found myself the tutor on the Italki platform with whom I started to learn the basics of the language like the alphabet, vowels/consonants, grammar structure, types of verbs, etc. During the early beginning of my learning journey, I was struggling a lot with motivation because I simply forgot how tough, and time-consuming learning a new language can be. 

   My decision to get enrolled into both SDLC 105 and SDLC 110 gave me that extra motivation, and opportunity to include Hungarian learning into my schedule. I was lucky enough to find an exchange student from the UK who was born and raised in Hungary and, therefore, fluently speaks Hungarian. I meet with her every week at least twice a week, and sometimes we manage to schedule the third session depending on our schedules. As it says in my study plan/syllable, we use 2 MagyarOK books - one for grammar, and the second one for vocabulary and practice of communication skills with audio files. I have been working a lot on my own, doing homework, and finishing the rest of the assigned pages from the books for which we did not have time during our meetings. Before every class I text my community partner and let her know my progress on homework, share with her my questions, and the exercises I want to go through with her. I have been using a lot of flashcards and stickers with new vocabulary which I take with me and review on my way to classes. Also, my community partner suggested that I listen and translate to English some popular Hungarian songs that have a lot of new and useful vocabulary. I find these strategies very useful and effective in my learning experience. I feel that I already drastically expanded my vocabulary, and moved from zero level and not being able to say a word 2 months ago to some level of A1 and being able to participate in basic conversations. I am planning to maintain the same learning techniques, meet with my community partner, and do my homework, learning activities, and exercises from books with the same frequency. 

Link to my google slides presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pllulfDDb-1x-mTYYoBO1jXM5ReQf-aG2YaDxFROawY/edit?usp=sharing

-- I tried to be as realistic as possible with the organization of my self-directed learning plan. I wanted to make sure I crafted a plan that fit around my HECTIC schedule, as well as keeping it casual and informal for myself. I will not be using any textbooks and my primary resource will be the iTalki language learning platform. My study for the semester is conversational French, as this was something I struggled with when I first arrived in France summer 2023. I have only learned to speak high French in an academic setting, and I want to be able to speak more casually. This is why keeping my learning plan informal is important to me. 

My goal on iTalki is to spend a minimum of 30 minutes on the site per week. Thus far I have only completed one lesson, and 45 minutes felt a little too long. I am going to start with 30 minutes and make my way up. The great thing about iTalki is that I am able to practice my French with a native speaker from a Francophone country. I have aspirations to spend a semester in an African french-speaking country. My next lesson is with a native Moroccan, which is where I want to study.

My classmates gave me positive feedback on my learning plan because of how realistic it is. My learning plan is flexible, and my goal can be achieved around a busy schedule. It is not incredibly difficult to find 30 minutes out of my week to speak French. Hopefully I can keep this up throughout my time at university and into my life post-academia. 

            Military archery in Korea goes back to 1 BCE. Korean history has been marked with centuries of defensive wars against its larger and more powerful invading neighbors. Centuries of conflict contributed to the development of Korean archers into some of the most skills archers in the world. To this day, Korean archers are consistently the most successful in Olympic archery. Since 1984, Korea has been awarded 23 of 34 Olympic gold medals for archery.

One cannot discuss Korean archery without delving into its bow making. The Gak-gung (각궁) or Korean Bow is a composite reflex bow developed on the Korean peninsula. The Gak-gung being was officially standardized centuries ago by the Korean government as the national bow. In 1971, it was designated as an important intangible cultural property by the South Korean Cultural Administration.

Traditional Korean bows are one hundred percent handmade. It is a composite reflex bow, meaning a traditional bow made from animal products and wood, with the ends curved away from the archer. This style was also seen in Mongolia and Turkey. Manufacturing a single Korean bow is an arduous process that takes four months. The materials needed are bamboo, mulberry wood, oak, cow tendons, and buffalo horn. The materials are very similar to other Eurasian composite bows. Where Korean bows differ is in their geometry. They are smaller in size but have extreme reflex. This means that they allow for a much longer drawback. This leads to a longer effective range. For reference, Korean archery is practiced at a range of 145 meters. Olympic archery takes place with a target distance of 70 meters.

Making a Korean bow means first carefully cutting the materials into the desired size. There is then a lengthy process of molding the woods and horns into shape with a combination of exposure to fire, soaking in water, curing under sunlight, and using frames to mold the bow. Once the bow has been built and glued together, it must be unwound and shaped into its final shape by manually bending it. This is a physically difficult process.

I watched two videos of traditional Korean bowmakers during the bow making process. I was impressed by how much craftmanship, and hard work goes into the process. The Archery Historian video showcases the skills of Mr. Kwon, who had over four decades of bow making experience. He was the 13^th generation of a family that has been making bows for four hundred years. This was an incredible story to hear. It is amazing to think that this tradition could be passed down for so long, and that knowledge from centuries ago could be passed along this way. The Korean language video showcases another artisan at work is even more detailed and showcase the entire arduous process. It is no wonder to me that the Korean government chose to protect bow making and recognized it as an important element of Korean history and culture.

Today, archery of course is no longer a pillar of the Korean military, however it is considered the national sport and is practiced as a martial art. Knowing the incredible history and process of making these bows, I would love to have the opportunity to try it one day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gakgung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIIxyHBRAgI&t=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjgtsGKdhMs

Different countries and regions all have different cultures. This is obvious but in what ways do they differ? Well according to Figuring Out Foreigners by Craig Storti, these differences can be seen in Individualist-Collectivist, nonverbal communication, monochronic-polychronic, internal-external, and direct vs. indirect communication. Some of his strongest arguments, in my opinion, are the differences in nonverbal communication and direct vs indirect communication. Regarding nonverbal communication, it can be broken down into 3 main categories. 1) Behaviors that exist within two different cultures. Both have the same meaning as well. 2) Behaviors that exist within both, however, they have differing meanings. 3) One behavior has completely no meaning in the other culture. The direct communication cultures tend to rely less on implications but rather on the explicit conveying of thoughts. Whereas indirect cultures rely more on intuitive understandings. 

I’ve spent a couple of summer vacations in Korea and of course I’ve lived my entire life in America. In my time in Korea, I’ve definitely seen a more indirect communication culture. People essentially know everyone throughout their respective apartment floors, People join each other in activities whether they know each other or not. Definitely a more collective environment among the people. A strong example I’ve seen in Korea is when I was at a restaurant, and my glass of water was nearly empty. The waiter, without asking, just refills it back up for me. Now this may seem very rude in American culture standards, but not filling it up and having to ask them to do it would be a burden in Korea.

I’ve lived in different regions in America. Athens, where I was born, was a “college town” because of its vicinity to UGA. In Toledo, Ohio, the place I lived was very rural. And in Maryland, it was a suburban area near a busy town center. Throughout these places, Maryland and Athens were direct in culture (mainly Athens). Whereas Toledo felt more like the indirect nature that was present in Korea. Everyone’s main goal in that area was to maintain a peaceful life without any conflicts.

"Love" the Local, "Use" the National, "Study" the Foreign: Shifting Javanese Language Ecologies in (Post-)Modernity, Postcoloniality, and Globalization - University of Richmond (exlibrisgroup.com)

I'm centering the cultural studies of my course around the historic linguistics and comparative sociolinguistics of modern Indonesia. As a country that is incredibly diverse linguistically with around 700 spoken languages, I wanted to begin to explore how these languages interact with each other. 

Current language policy in Indonesia encourages people to "Love the local, speak the national, and learn the foreign" as a formula for engaging with language. Bahasa Indonesia serves as a Lingua Franca and the language of trade and educational instruction across the country. I didn't realize until recently that for a language that is so widely spoken, it only came to exist officially in the mid-20th century as a means to foster a national identity. Thus, speaking the national. As English continues to serve as a symbol of a globalizing world and, for many, a symbol of opportunity, much of the LOTI (Language other than Indonesian) education is focused towards English. Here, the value is placed on learning the foreign.

This creates an issue for the protection of local languages. Although Indonesians are encouraged to hold their native languages in high regard, their unintentional deemphasis in favor of national and global ways of speaking is distancing people from their cultural and linguistic identities. One element of Bahasa Indonesia (as well as its predecessor Malay and the related Javanese) is the presence of formal and informal registers. Unlike Germanic and Romance languages with differing second-person pronouns, the manner of speaking varies widely based on the formality of the interaction. In Javanese, this distinction divides the language into two extremely distinct registers. Kromo, on one hand, is the highly-regarded formal register often associated with the elite. Ngoko, on the other hand, is more often spoken at home and is the register that is often learned as a native language for those in Java. 

Because Kromo is both quite distinct from Ngoko and much harder to speak "correctly," many native speakers of Ngoko claim that they cannot speak Javanese, but rather that they can only speak in "daily talk." The imposed standards of fluency are high, and as the educational system deemphasizes local languages, more and more people are distancing themselves from a Javanese linguistic identity, despite it being their first language.

This paper included transcripts (in Bahasa Indonesia with an English translation) from a conversation between two young people in Java who, despite speaking L1 Ngoko and proficient Krono, talked about how "cool" it would be if they could speak Krono. It seems as though, from this paper, local languages are still highly regarded, but are feeling more unattainable as time passes.

For me, South Korea is a nation rich in culture and history. It is renowned not only for its influence on popular culture and city views but also its diverse and mouthwatering food, or cuisine. Throughout the history, Koreans develop their food in a way that reflects the country's tradition. For me personally, the meals I had during the visit to South Korea this summer offered a sensory journey that delights my dpirit while informed me of a deep cultural significance. In this cultural post, I will embark on the culinary adventure through South Korean food, exploring its unique falvors and uncovering the cultureal dimensions behind.

Both literally and figuratively, rice is the core of Korean cuisine. It is not only a staple food, but also a symbol of livelihood and prosperity. In South Korea, the most common type of rice is "short grain rice", also known as "bap". Koreans believe that rice embodies a spirit of hard work and diligence, reflecting their values of perseverance and dedication. In South Korea, every meal starts with a steaming bowl of rice, usually accompanied by various side dishes such as banchan. Banchan represents the deep-rooted sense of community and sharing in Korean culture. Among the meals I had in SOuth Korea, rice seemed an inevitable dish.

Without mentioning kimchi, any exploration of Korean food is incomplete. Kimchi is not just a side dish; It is a cultural symbol that embodies South Korea's resilience and protective spirit. This spicy fermented cabbage is made by mixing seasonings such as garlic, ginger, and Korean chili peppers. Kimchi is usually stored in pottery jars called "onggi" and fermented underground. This traditional method reflects the importance that Koreans attach to preserving culinary heritage and plays an important role in Korean culture. It is also my personal favorite among all Korean cusines.

Korean barbecue, also known as "gogi gui," is not just a meal; This is an interactive cooking experience. At a Korean barbecue restaurant, diners cook meat on the built-in grill on the dining table, creating a fun and charming dining atmosphere. This dining style emphasizes the importance of shared experiences and group gatherings, which are core values of Korean culture. I would really recommand this to Amercians since they can get access to a brand-new while uniqe way of cooking beefs and lambs.

In short, Korean cuisine is a delightful fusion of flavor, texture, and cultural value. From a humble bowl of rice to spicy and delicious kimchi, to the interactive fun of Korean barbecue, each dish provides a unique understanding of Korean culture. To truly understand South Korea, one must taste its cuisine, because it is through the taste and aroma of Korean cuisine that the soul of this country can be revealed. Therefore, next time you have the opportunity, you can embark on a cooking trip to Korea and experience the rich and colorful cuisine of Korea. Also, I think it is essential in exploring its unique flavors and uncovering the cultural dimensions that make it a fascinating aspect of Korean life.

Media / Live-streaming (Afreeca TV)

In one of my previous Ning posts, I have covered the topic of Mukbang. Mukbang is a type of content for live streaming, which has been very popular among Koreans for many years. Along with mukbang, other types of content include talk-bang, cook-bang, game-bang, study-bang, and girl or boy cams. These content names are abbreviations of the activities followed by “bang” which means room but also an abbreviation of bang-song (show). This popularity of live streaming all started with Korea’s own internet broadcasting platform, Afreeca TV. Afreeca TV stands for “Anybody can Freely Broadcast TV.” 

After its appearance in 2006, the popularity of live streaming has greatly increased due to its ranking system and star balloons sent by viewers that convert to real cash. Viewers tended to send these star balloons as they were also ranked between other fans. There was an unwritten rule that streamers should have a signature reaction for their fans who sent the star balloons. These reactions included dancing, singing, or aegyo (expressing with a cute, baby-like manner). This platform became another influential community, allowing streamers to personally connect with their fans. 

However, there seemed to be a limit of Afreeca TV as it was only used among Korean users and specifically younger users. A problem with the Afreeca TV platform is that it could tend to get very violent, disturbing, and inappropriate to attract more attention. Another controversy was that Afreeca TV did not treat their streamers fairly. Due to the falling Afreeca TV trend and appearances of competitive live streaming platforms, the popularity of foreign entertainment platforms started arising. Users started using YouTube, Twitch, Popcorn TV, and Kakao TV to reach their fans. YouTube has been around for a long time but now with different functionalities like live streaming and shorts. Twitch is mainly used for game-bangs (gaming) while still communicating with the viewers. Popcorn TV is an LLC that supports the development of the live streaming while incorporating free ads. Finally, the Kakao TV is a Korean based messaging platform but incorporated the live streaming process like Instagram. 

The streamers were able to reach a wider audience using these platforms that were used worldwide. Some of these streamers became extremely popular, they started entering the broadcasting television shows. This transition also applied to broadcasting television shows. These shows would edit their episodes into shorter videos to stream on YouTube to attract more viewers and provide convenience. 

One of the live streamers, Poongja, started off her career on Afreeca TV. Her typical content was talk-bang, sharing her personal experiences. When YouTube became the new trend, Poongja shifted from Afreeca TV to YouTube Live. She would also edit snippets from her live streams into full YouTube videos. After shifting to YouTube, Poongja started collaborating with other popular YouTubers to gain more attraction. She had also broadened her content by putting up mukbangs and makeup videos. When she reached a high number of subscribers, Poongja started appearing on television shows. These live-streaming/video content platforms started blurring the line between all different types of entertainment platforms. I believe that the shift of the fast-paced media has greatly affected this transformation.

https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/11180

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AhrFsLEgm8KWgZFnXCJKK4QCKttzKA?e=qx5hO4

So far, I've learned that simply forcing myself to speak Korean has already produced results. The more I speak the more comfortable I become. My preferred resource will be the Korean community on campus. Talking to our Korean students will allows me to practice and learn the language while learning about their daily life in Korea. I want to learn Korean because it is my mother's native language, and I would like to be fluent in it. Justin has suggested we practice Korean together with a dubbing exercise of a popular movie or show.

SDLC%20105-%20Learning%20Plan%20Template.docx.pdf

I organized my self-directed learning plan based on my learning style as well as my goals for the semester. Since I already have a basic understanding of Korean grammar and sentence structure, I chose to focus on what I am lacking in. For example, since my main goal is to increase my speech fluency and my learning style is auditory, I included many activities that involved speaking aloud and listening to podcasts. So far, I’ve been studying some daily Korean phrases like self introduction and talking about my day and am practicing using those phrases with my language partner. Some resources I’ve identified are Korean current events radios like KBS world and Korea 24 to learn both translation and also more about Korea’s current political, social, and cultural environment. I also plan to start attending a Korean church in the area and listening in on Korean sermons. 

I first became interested in learning because my relatives live in Korea and I would love to visit them and talk together one day. The accounting firm that I am interning at also has a location in Korea and I am interested in transferring there one day, so learning Korean would be a big advantage there. I also included more details about what “daily language” meant after some feedback and decided to focus on introduction, talking about my day, and talking about college and business to reflect my current daily language.

In my cultural post #1, I would like to reflect on my personal experience living in Hungary and tell you a little bit about one of the most important and famous Hungarian National Holidays - Saint Istvan’s Day. I do not blame you if you do not know who Istvan is, why he is such an important figure in Hungarian history, and why the whole country shuts down and spends a lot of money on fireworks and celebrations. 

First of all, I would like to give you a little historical background. Stephen I, also called Saint Stephen (in Hungarian Szent István; original name Vajk), was the first king of Hungary, who is considered to be the founder of the Hungarian state and one of the most-renowned figures in Hungarian history. Stephen was a member of the Árpád dynasty and son of the supreme Magyar chieftain Géza. The official website for the Saint Istvan Cathedral (the main Hungarian cathedral which is located in the heart of Budapest) writes:

“On Christmas Day, 1000 CE, Stephen was anointed king of Hungary. According to tradition, he received from Pope Sylvester II a crown that is now held as a national treasure in Hungary. His coronation signified Hungary’s entry into the family of European Christian nations. With the exception of an invasion by the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II in 1030 and minor disputes with Poland and Bulgaria, Stephen’s reign was peaceful.

Stephen organized his kingdom on German models. He founded bishoprics and abbeys, made the building of churches mandatory, and established the practice of tithing. He promoted agriculture, safeguarded private property with strict laws, and organized a standing army. While a ruling class was created, the institution of slavery was left virtually untouched. Stephen also opened the country to strong foreign influences, while saving it from German conquest. He treated the church as the principal pillar of his authority, dispatching missionaries throughout his realm.

Stephen is Hungary’s patron saint. In Hungary, his feast day (celebrated on 20 August) is also a public holiday commemorating the foundation of the state, known as State Foundation Day.”

(source: https://www.bazilika.biz/en/saint-stephen)

King Stephen’s achievements and his successful attempts to transform Hungary into a modernized European catholic state is the first thing you have to learn when you visit Hungary. I live there now, so it is definitely valuable and crucial information for me. That is why I decided to dedicate my first cultural post to King Stephen. 

I was lucky enough that the semester at the UR started a week later this year, and I got a chance to still be in Budapest on August 20th - the State Foundation Day aka Saint Istvan Holiday. Free entry to all the main national museums and galleries, a lot of handcrafting fairs, and food markets which take place on the main streets of Budapest are just a few of the great things about this holiday. Another interesting tradition of the Saint Istvan Holiday is that sometime at the beginning of the year the national baking contest takes place, and the winner’s cake gets to be the symbol of Saint Istvan Day for the particular year. This year the winner’s cake was made out of figs, and the fig is one of my favorite fruits, so I could not miss trying the cake at one of the markets. It was delicious. 10/10. 

Also, me and my sister planned out the day so that we could use the opportunity of the free entrance to the museums and galleries. In the morning we went to the National Hungarian Museum (in Hungarian Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum) and in the afternoon to the National Hungarian Gallery (in Hungarian Magyar Nemzeti Galeria). I really enjoyed my time at both of them, it was a great balance of just walking around looking at the art pieces and learning new facts of Hungarian history. In the evening there were 30-minute-long fireworks all over the city. I did not go to that because I do not like fireworks. So, this is a small overview of what I did on my first Saint Istvan Holiday, and it seems like it is what most of the locals do every year. Hope you enjoyed reading it!

Below I will include a picture of my ticket and a small brochure from the Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum. 

SDLC%20105-%20Learning%20Plan%20Polina%20Shitikova.docx.pdf

I decided to organize my learning plan for Hungarian in a pretty specific form. I have divided pages in both of the books that I am using for learning Hungarian (grammar & language book) into 13 weeks of the semester. This way I can keep track of the topics, grammar, vocabulary, and always have homework to do. Each week I will be having at least 2 classes with my community partner, and the rest of the days I will be learning on my own. 

Below is the link to my recorded plan presentation from the class:

https://urcapture.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=09e20ca5-1970-4998-b7dc-b07b014d66a2 ;