Conversation #4 - Vietnam Humor

I am supplementing this conversation with my conversation partner with a conversation with a friend about Vietnam humor. With Dr. Williams okay here it is:

I asked Minh Anh Dinh (Mia) to talk with me about Vietnamese humor. I have known Mia for quite sometime from a few different organizations. She also moved into my hall freshman year second semester so this conversation was an easy flow. We sat down in Union Grounds and started to talk about life. Just the normal "I haven't seen you in three weeks" catch up. Eventually we go onto the subject of humor! I asked her what she thought humor in Vietnam was all about.  The first word out of her mouth was diverse. She said in different regions different jokes were funny. The north and the south have quite different senses of humor. Mia is from the north therefore she knew a bit more about northern Vietnamese humor. She said how it required a bit off thought or more intelligence than normal humor. When northerners tell a joke their is rarely a large punch line. It is a joke that requires thought and understanding to get it. Now on the other hand Mia said the South's jokes were more about plays on words. They used grammatical errors or punctuation differences to create laughter. Rhyming jokes are often common in the South too.  Mia seemed to favor the Northern style more probably because that is what she grew up around.

This reminded me a lot of our presentations on humor around the world. Many of the presentations talked about difference within the country on humor. I remember Canada having many different topics for their jokes. I believe the US has many different types to. Often my friend Lauren will say that her jokes fall flat or that not many people get because she is from California.  I hear this from multiple people. Talking to Mia helped remind me that it is hard to summarize one whole country's humor preferences in a power point or conversations because even inside the country is different.

Mia and I talked about American humor as well. She said that coming here it can be tough to find American humor funny. A lot of American humor uses slang and the language barrier makes it hard to understand the slang. Even if Mia understand the slang often she said that it still didn't seem funny. She does find the show "Friends" quite funny. Mia mentioned that it plays at home too she she would watch it their as well as in America.

I went to the Amazing Vietnam production Mia had helped put on a few weeks ago. It was incredibly funny and well done. It was all about sharing and representing the Vietnamese culture. It truly was amazing. I laughed almost the whole way through it along with learning more about Vietnam. I know after seeing the show that a lot of Vietnamese are incredibly funny people. I did see what Mia was talking about. Often the jokes made us think a bit more than the average American joke or Southern joke according to Mia. If you didn't get the chance to go to Amazing Vietnam I would go next year! It was a wonderful submersion into their culture. We got to see their traditions, beliefs and more! Plus a lot of my friends were up their performing. It was a wonderful surprise to see my friend Ethan beat boxing on stage!

Thank you to Mia and the wonderful actors in Amazing Vietnam for helping me learn more about their culture!

In replacement of Conversation #6: Something I Value

My Most Valuable Possession:

My most valuable possession isn’t a normal possession. My most valuable possession isn’t an item that I loved as a child or my phone that I love as a young adult. My most valuable possession is my time spent at summer camp over the past 13 years.  I have been going to a small summer camp in Brevard, North Carolina since 2cnd grade.  It is a traditional all girls summer camp with three main sessions over the summer: a one month, a three-week and a two-week. After my first two years at camp I switched from a two weeker (camp lingo for someone who goes to the two week session) to a four weeker (aka the four week session). My summers have been filled with laughter, girls and hiking, climbing or caving in the Bluu Ridge Mountains in the Pisgah National Forrest.

Why is this time my most valuable memory?. Camp takes a groups of girls and throws them together, maybe for the first time and maybe for their 7^th summer together. These girls have to bond without technology, without their parents and without a school setting. What would a 15 year old do without being able to text someone if she is angry or mad at them? How does a 14 year old react when they are missing home and can’t call their parents? How will everyone sleep in a cabin with less room per person than a typical dorm room? Seems a bit tough? It is but it is worth it.

I can’t narrow down my favorite memory at camp nor would I want but for the sake of time I will let you all in on one of my older years as a camper. The summer of 2010. I was at the age considered the oldest campers at camp, the ones who “run” camp per say. I was headed into the last summer of being a camper and not a counselor with 11 other best friends.  To narrow it down even more I will talk about one of our nights we spent bonding over cold cereal and painting wall hanings. Being the oldest we were allowed food in the cabin. For the painting, as a group we create a themed banquet for the last dinner of the camp session. It is a huge extravaganza of lights, paintings, streamers and more!

All 12 of us were sitting around the cabin either on top of beds, trunks or on the floor. We sat and talked.  What did we talk about? I can’t say exactly what was said. Not because it is necessarily private but because it wasn’t the words that mattered as much as the time we spent and what it meant to us. As we sat on the floor that night we fell even more into a group full of life and love for one another. We sat and talked. I repeat this because how often do we sit and talk now? We had no distractions besides a paint brush or a handful of cereal. We had no mother or little sibling running through the room. We had no cellphone beeping or TV on in the background. Looking from face to face in that room I could tell we realized how special are time was. It seemed as if time was frozen. In that moment we had everything. We had friends that cared exactly what we were saying. It didn’t matter if we weren’t popular in high school, couldn’t throw a ball 20 feet, couldn’t cut in a straight line (me) or didn’t have your typical family. What mattered was that we could share things with each other. We could share and not be judged but be comforted. 

This time to sit and talk is my most valuable possession. Without it and without camp I would not have grown in the person I am today. Camp pushes me to be a better person every day. Camp pushes me to live for others, to work hard even when I am down, to be intentional, to love unconditionally and so much more. That summer of 2010 I realized for the first time and defiantly not the last time how much camp had given to me. I am now working to give back to it all that I can. I want someone else to be able to say they had the time of their life like I did. I want to make someone see the value they gain from attending a summer camp filled with love and acceptance.

With my last blog post of the year I will leave you all a tip of advice. If you haven’t been to a summer camp it’s not to late. Go work as a counselor. You will have the time of your life.

In place of Conversation #5

A transitional event, moving, a new school:

College, this place that was 18 hours away from home and here I was walking into my dorm room parents in tow. I was walking into Colby the all-girls dorm thinking it looked like an old, creepy building that might be my new paradise.  The dorm room had two twin beds right beside each other (almost exactly beside each other). When I walked into my room the first time my thought was “well that has to change” those beds were way to close. My roommate (later found out her name was Brea) hadn’t come in yet. I grabbed the bed by the window. I almost didn’t knowing that my roommate might want that bed and I didn’t want to her to have any reason to dislike me on the first day of college. Feeling slightly guilty I dropped my stuff onto my bed that we had moved away from the center of the room and headed out with my parents to buy things to decorate! I was pretty excited to get cute new college like things! The one time I got to decorate my own room (of course matching colors with my roommate). We went from store to store buying things. In target we saw hundreds of other students buying things too. From shaggy rugs to wall hangings I imagined that everyone in college was out that day trying to decorate. People almost seemed to be running through the store trying to beat each other to items. I imagined the scene in mean girls when the students are hanging out at the mall and they all turn into wild animals. I imagined the moms running wild through the store, mouth wide open and foaming, on all fours and hollering to claim their territory or store items. Throughout the day in every store we went into this image kept appearing. I kept seeing moms and students turn into wild animals. It made for a funny day to say the least.

After a long day of shopping, getting credit cards denied thinking it was fraud and fighting of the wild beast we made it back to the dorm. I walked into the room to see my roommate! My first thought was wondering if this was the same girl I met on Facebook. Did she look like a cheerleader who had won nationals twice? I figured I would find out! We had a whole year ahead of us to figure out who each other was. I wondered what I looked like to her. Did I look like a typical college girl in my prepared outfit of Nike shorts, my ONE big t-shirt and colorful shoes? I sure was trying to be a college girl. I believed that my outfit would help people see me as a college girl and not some short girl who should still be in high school. My thoughts that morning getting ready where about how I would fit in or transition per say into a college lifestyle.  

Going through rush for most people doesn’t seem like a good transition to college. Girls are immediately judging you from your looks to how well you can hold a conversation with a stranger. For me I loved it. I felt a rush(see what I did their) getting to talk to girls about college. I got to ask questions about what it was really like: were classes really that hard or was the freshman 15 a real thing. I loved the talking. Getting into a group with other freshman going through rush was a thrill too. I found myself talking to girls about everything from hometowns to high school boyfriends. I can remember sitting on the floor waiting to go into the sorority houses during recruitment bonding with girls. I can remember feeling like I had made the right choice to come to TCU.

Rush went well. My roommate worked out. My room was cute. I transitioned the way I wanted to with high hopes and happy thoughts that worked out. I felt and feel so lucky to have had an easy transition. I hope this blog entry gave you a glimpse of my first week in college and the transition I was making.

Learning #4

Learning Experince #4 - Looking back

Looking back on the semester I can think of one very important lesson I have learned. It had a lot do with my major and what I plan to do when I graduate. I have learned that when I teach I want to combine styles of teaching. I do not want to have a powerpoint everyday with notes nor do I want it to be discussion based all the time. I want a classroom filled with conversation and learning.

I am in a history class about European since 1800 something. I thrive on history. I believe it is like reading a pretty good book. I think their is so much to learn from it. Unfortunately in my history class we sit and look at a powerpoint almost the whole class. On occasion he ask us questions and considers it our participation grade. We sit and listen to our professor talk about the powerpoint.  I can tell he does know the material and does enjoy it but the way the class is taught I don't know if he enjoys teaching.  I would like to teach History after graduation therefore this class has been a good eye opener for some ideas on my particular style of teaching. I hate to admit it but this class has been a let down with teaching styles.

I am also in a wonderful education class on the profressional roles and responsibilities for teachers. This class could not be more polar opposite from my history class. In this class we sit and discuss everyday the readings we have read. We ask questions and we get asked questions that challenege our way of thinking and that help us grow. Much of the class is on our own as well. For example we did a personal learning project throughout the semester to improve one or more of these categories: cognitive, spitural or emotionally. We could pick anything from running a marthaon to learning out to play the guitar. We were given the freedom and responsilbity to do what we want as long as it improved us or we grew. We had many other things similar to this such as letters we wrote to our professor and did many 1 to 1s with him as well. This class helped improve not just my knowledge about teaching but also my self as well. This style of teaching really hit me. He really cared about us and wanted us to improve ourselfs and to get something that mattered out of his class.

Now for  my Lit and Civ class I have enjoyed the style of teaching. I have enjoyed getting to know my classmates so well. I have enjoyed getting to know Dr. Williams so well. I think in this class the flow of communication has been wonderful. We have learned and had fun doing it. We have laughed (surprising in a comedy class I know) and we have talked seriously about problems. We have read books and then discussed them. We have presented many small projects in groups or alone. To sum it up it seems like we have done a little of everything. I quite enjoy that.

Just looking back at these three classes this semester I can see my thoughts on styles of teaching expanding. Getting to have multiple different teachers and different styles has helped me learn what might work for me while teaching. I don't want to put down any one style of teaching some just aren't for me but might work for you or whoever is teaching it. I want to have a teaching style that isn't a method or a model but combines what I believe will be the most useful and intentional to teach my students, to be able to connect to my students and to be able to keep them involved.  These classes have helped me re-look at teaching styles and re-look at the stereotypical style of college teaching ( I believe there is one... just look at the movies).

Thank you to my teachers for letting me have a look at so many different ways to teach. Thank you for letting me glimpse and observe. I believed I have learned a lot or in the very least thought about a lot.

Learning, Learning and Learning

Learning, Learning and Learning

I have been thinking about what I wanted to write about what I have learned recently. I think I want to write on a bit of everything so bare with me please.

For starters let us talk about what I have learned in this class recently. I have learned that there are poems I do like. I have gone through English class always not looking forward to the poem section of the curriculum. I did enjoy our poem in class the other day. It opened me up a bit more to the idea that poems aren't just things I don't understand. Maybe I will read more poems. Maybe not. Either way I think I will go into reading poems with a better opinion of them. I have found more a style of poetry that I prefer. I enjoy poetry that isn't overfly wordy or fluffy. I rather like William Carlos Williams. I took the time to look up a few more poems and found that I enjoyed this one a lot!

Berket and the Stars

A day on the boulevards chosen out of ten years of
student poverty! One best day out of ten good ones.
Berket in high spirits--"Ha, oranges! Let's have one!"
And he made to snatch an orange from the vender's cart.

Now so clever was the deception, so nicely timed
to the full sweep of certain wave summits,
that the rumor of the thing has come down through
three generations--which is relatively forever.

 

I think I like that so much because it is simple but it tells a great story! The lines "One best day out of ten good ones" really hit a note per say. When looking through William Carlos Williams poems I didn't not like all of them but I did like some. It seems I can now enjoy poetry a little more than before. I have learned to realize that not every poem is for me but their are some out their that are for me!

 

From another class of mine I have been learning sign language. I have learned the alphabet and I am learning things like bat, ball, jump, throw and more. I have learned how hard it is in memorize this. How hard it would be to have a conversation in sign language. Learning a new language that doesn't have words is tough. I admit its one of the more challenging things I have done this semester. My heart now feels more for parents who have a child that needs sign language communication. Could you imagine having a brand new baby to take care of and learning a whole new language so that you can teach your child or at least speak with them once they learn. I can't imagine the challenges that parents could face. I can't begin to imagine the challenges a child who learns this as their only language. Wouldn't it be tough to know a language only a few people can speak in. It would be challenging to go about every day not knowing if anyone will be able to communicate with you. I know I strive on communication. I love when someone says hello to me or mentions something me to me like " I saw you walking the other day!". I thrive on communication. I think knowing that you can not communicate with everyone will be so challenging. I understand they learn to read and write and that what texting is for! But just stop and think for a moment: what if you couldn't hear? Kind of hard to imagine right? Maybe you never get to hear Of Mice and Men or John Denver. How would life be different. While learning this new language I have learned more to thank the Lord for the gifts he has blessed me with. For a mouth to sing with, a ear to hear with, eyes to see with and hands to work with are all blessings. I take these for granted. With this class I am learning to see these not as a given but as a gift. I thank my Physical Activity and Disability teacher Dr. Esposito for helping me rethink this. I am not sure he knows the depth it hit me. But none the less thank you for encouraging our class to think.

 

Thank you teachers at TCU for helping me think and rethink thoughts. Some that I haven't thought about before and others that I have set in stone too much.

Funny Conversations

Funny Conversations in Photos:

 

Oranges - hard to eat, squishy, juice everywhere

awkward situations

 

Sid. Rich. - getting lost, no signs, getting lost,

getting lost and getting lost

Bunk Beds - things falling, people falling, no sheets,

Converstation #3

Meeting up with Ali for a third time! I must say this guy is hard to get a hold of or rather pinned down. I would ask to meet almost every day and he would say today doesn’t work well, let’s do Wednesday. Then on Wednesday I would email and ask "see you today?" or something along those lines. Normally I get the response: oh sorry I can’t today with some excuse. We tried to meet up on Monday but he had some sort of reason not too, it was rather unclear as to why. I hope Ali enjoys our conversations because he seems to never be able to make them. Maybe I am a bit annoyed at him for no reason. Americans have a particular importance on time and setting meetings. We are annoyed when people are a late or cancel or reschedule. In other countries this isn’t always so. In my Chancellor's Leadership Program meeting we were talking about mission trips. One of my fellows talked mentioned one of the hardest things was getting used to a different cultures sense of time. For them it was more important to finish a conversation or to be with family than to make sure to be somewhere perfectly on time, they lived more in the moment. I think this might be how Ali is!

I was happy to hear from him! We got to talking about our weekends of course! He had another big weekend. His grandparents came into town from Saudi Arabia! They were flying here to stay in Fort Worth for a few days then headed to Austin for quite some time, two months perhaps. Ali was very excited about seeing his grandparents. Like I said in my earlier blog posts, he came to America without a "safety net" of friends and family so I am sure having family come visit meant a lot to him. We got to talking about what they did while they were here. I was shocked to hear they did normal things like I do when my parents come. I shouldn’t have been shocked, by now I see how similar we are versus how different we are! They went walking, shopping and watch TV. They also baked! When I asked what they baked he said cookies and cake. I think my stomach rumbled when he mentioned it, I was a bit hungry! All of these things are just what any TCU student would have done. Ali just seemed so happy that is family was in town! When they left he said he was sad to see them go but they aren’t to far away. They will be staying in Austin for two months or so with his cousin's sister. I think he miss said it by accident because isn’t your cousin's sister still your cousin too? Perhaps not but these are moments when I reminded myself wait English isn’t even Ali's first language!

It's crazy to think he can speak almost fluently in English now. I am impressed at how much he has learned. I don’t think I would be quite as advanced in my language as he is with the amount of time he has had. I struggle learning intro Spanish classes and he is keeping conversations about more than just your typical intro class I presume. It always seemed funny to me that in beginning Spanish classes we learned a lot of vocab that we wouldn't use in ever day talking. When learning a language shouldn't you learn how to converse in it? Personally I want to be able to hold a conversation in a different language over knowing how to say stapler. I haven’t asked Ali yet but the next time we meet I think I will ask him how they learned English!

Ali and I wrapped up on conversation by talking about the rest of the week. He is headed to play billiards with friends and watch the Barcelona game and then has BBQ tomorrow! Ali is a pretty busy guy! While told him I was headed off to write this and to start writing a term paper. I wish I was having as much fun as Ali was in the next few days!