Final Blog

Just a couple reminders:

By Monday: Blog about your goals for this class. Did you meet them? What did you learn? How can you apply that to your life?

By Tuesday: Final projects! Remember, unless you are doing the book review, you need a presentational aid.

Extra Credit: You can watch Freedom Writers and blog by Monday. You can also do more than one project for extra credit (by Tuesday)

It has been an excellent semester. I hope you all have enjoyed the guest speakers, videos, and discussions. I really hope, if nothing else, this class has helped open your eyes to other cultures and how we have to be accepting, understanding, and tolerant.

China Presentation

Last night was the China Presentation. I was very pleased with the audience. However, I was expecting more questions to be asked. The China study-abroad was an amazing experience for all who attended. If you want to see a play by play of what we did and some of what we learned, please visit my blog, What Happened in China, http://teachingintercultural.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-happened-in-china.html

See you all in class next week!

Migration

In the video, I think it addressed a lot of misconceptions of migration. I sometimes think people in the US forget that the US was built by the Native Americans and a whole bunch of immigrants. So do we ever think about what the current immigrants go through?

Why do people come here? Why do people migrate to any area? It is definitely something that we need to think about. We get caught up in our everyday lives and sometimes think we own this country.

Somethings that the movie talked about was the culture shock for the immigrants. They had their own culture before they came and who are we to say they have to forget it and completely conform in order to live here? So the culture shock is a very important aspect.

The food, language, laws, and personal hygiene are all basic things that are different for these people. These individuals are supposed to send their earnings home to their families in their home countries to help support them. Most of these individuals were afraid of losing or forgetting their home culture.

What do you think are reasons people migrate? School, safety, asylum, and work are just some of the reasons these people migrate. They have so many different reasons to migrate and so many different effects from migrating. Remember, it isn't just the person and the new community that is effected. There are people at home that are effected and multiple communities and sometimes countries.

The Johannesburg article was discussed in all of these areas (just specifically to Africa). However, what did you think about the article that was handed out in class?

Remember, next week you need to find a time to take your test. You must be at the China Presentation in the Teton Grill at 7:00. See you then!

Disabilites and Pop Culture

Matt came to class and informed us about how to communicate with people who are disabled. One thing that Matt said should stick out to everyone...Everyone is unique. We have to build relationships with other people in order to truly understand them. That means that we need to use common courtesy in order to communicate effectively.
List of communication tips from Matt:

1. Treat people with disabilities the same way you would treat anyone else.
2. Don't stare.
3. Don't treat him or her like he or she isn't there.
4. Begin with a normal conversation and expect one in return. Adjust if necessary.
5. Don't make initial assumptions about someone's disability or perceived lack thereof.

I bet most of the people in the classroom did not know that Abe Lincoln, Julia Roberts, Michael J. Fox, Richard Pryor, and Steven Hawking were all disabled. Yet, these individuals excelled in some way.

On major thing that I think we all need to remember is that you can't see all disabilities. You may be talking to someone who you would consider to be 'normal' (whatever that is) and have absolutely no idea that he or she has a disability.

A couple things for you to discuss in your blogs (from the articles):

1. Is there a hierarchy of disabilities?
2. How do you see learning disabilities and mental disabilities as being different than a physical disability?
3. How do you think it is different for someone to be born with a disability than to find out later in life one has a disability or acquires a disability?
4. How do you feel about the young woman who was forced to have an abortion because she was mentally disabled? What about the myths that were in that article?

REMEMBER...Until you 'walk a mile in someone else's shoes' you have no idea what their life is like.

We had two articles on pop culture. One talked about hip hop in China and the other about beauty in the USA.

A couple points for discussion in your blogs:

1. How do you think pop culture in the USA has influenced pop culture in other countries?
2. How do you think the medial influences our culture?
3. How do you think childrens' books have changed since you were little?

I hope that is a little food for thought. Remember, don't throw in the towel now. You can finish the semester strong! Keep up the hard work. See you all next week!

Gender

Last night we watched the video Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She. I enjoy sharing this documentary because it portrays gender and sexual orientation in different cultures. It also shows a variety of cultures and what they accept. Granted, there are some people in the video who share a lot more about their personal lives than I would sometimes care to know about, but it sheds a new light on the topic.

I think the movie tied in well with Ed's comment on transgender women. We learned at the beginning that Gwen was killed by 4 young men because they had sexual relations with her and once the greater public found out about it, they were outraged. However, when nobody knew it, it was acceptable. It comes back to the image of people again. Noah is a strong child. I am glad that his parents are supportive even if they do not understand. I also believe it is a natural feeling to fear their child being hurt or injured.

I loved the quotation, "Transgender deals with who you are, not who you want to be with." But we have this idea that an intersex is threatening. We want there to be a natural boundary between male and female. However, this is not clear. Over 300 species engage in homosexual activities.

Indian weddings are a way for men to find other men. Indian weddings are usually an outlet for social pressure. Men dance with men. Marriages are arranged between 2 families that negotiate a contract. Without marriage and a son a person in Indian culture has nothing. Men have very little affection with their wife. Men are homo-social which means they are more affectionate with men and male friends. They see sex as a means of play. Most men in this culture have their first sexual interaction with another man.

In the Hindu religion, there is a 3rd sex, Hishra. These people are not male or female. The operation they go through is illegal but it still occurs. They call the operation a rebirth and sacrifice male genitalia which they believe gives the person powers. Hishras then beg for money or people pay to have sex with them.

In Thailand, the Katoeys or Lady Boys don't belong in one category. Even those who keep their male parts have boyfriends but are considered to be heterosexual. Lady Boys is the number one tourist attraction in Thailand.

In Suriname, the Creole people believe they act the way they do because the spirits are sent by God. Sometimes a man will be possessed with a spirit of a man and sometimes a woman. The quality of the relationship is what counts. They believe their feelings come from God.

In 1996, 64 men were part of an experiment. The men were split into 2 groups: homophobes and ones who just didn't care. They measured sexual arousal of homosexual porn. Homophobic men had lots more arousal than the men who were in the non homophobic groups.

Stern College:
This article was interesting. I felt bad for Joy. How did you feel? How would you feel if you were her? Would you stay working there?

Gender Across Cultures:
The interviewee thinks that Islam gives men more power. Do you agree? I was saddened to read that beating is allowed for rebellious women and rebellious is not defined. How do you feel about men's privileges? On the Muslim marriage contract, there are 3 spaces for other women. What do you see the role of female genital mutilation being?

Born a Boy in Samoa:
A Fa'afafine is a person in a boys' body and raised as a girl. These individuals are considered lucky. Fa'afafine help babies and cooking, tend to the elderly and the sick. They are thought to have the best features of a man and a woman. Across Asia and the Pacific Islands, cultures recognize a third culture with characterisitcs of males and females. Fa'afafines are tolerated but homosexual behavior is not. Children do not make the choice to be Fa'afafines, mothers do. Fa'afafines have relationships with men but they are rarely public relationships.

Rethinking Gender:
Fewer than 1% are transgendered. I often wonder if this is because people are still not open about this. A transsexual is someone who wants to use surgery or hormones to change their sex. A transvestite is a cross dresser. A transgender is an umbrella term. Cross dressing was common in ancient Greece and Rome, Native Americans and other indigenous societies. This article had lots of great examples!

Until next week...

Guest speaker Ed

I am so glad Ed came and talked to our class. I think it was very helpful for us to learn from someone who has his background. I also enjoyed listening to him because he was so open and willing to share his ideas, experiences, and thoughts with us.

Ed shared his experience with us of being transgendered. He talked about being born with ambiguous genitalia. I am so glad he shared this part of his life with us because most of us will never meet someone like this, especially someone who is so willing to talk to us about his experience so openly.

I enjoyed listening to his story and how people reacted. I think we all like to think we are open minded. But then I wonder what we would think if this was someone in our family. I hope we would all still be open minded then! I cant imagine not having the support of one's parents because he or she is born with ambiguous body parts. I am so glad to hear that his brothers are supportive and that his parents are coming around.

The fact that transgendered women are (sometimes) killed by their partners if they partners find out about their change is scary. I can't imagine living in that fear. Ed also said that there are more transgendered people being killed now. I honestly think that it is that people are reporting it. Transgendered is much more accepted now (but still has a long way to go) but I think it is getting out into the world a little more. Meaning that people are actually aware of transgendered. I don't know if they are necessarily targeted more, but the media and law enforcement are probably starting to take better records and are more likely aware that people are transgendered. (I feel like I just wrote in one giant circle)

I wish there was more I could do t help Ed financially. I can't believe how expensive those surgeries are. I also think the surgeries should be covered by insurance. Some cosmetic surgeries are covered by insurance as long as it helps self esteem. So, I think that is a different reason, however, I think the situation like Ed's is a more valid reason. (Just a personal opinion)

I will discuss the articles here but remember, we are also discussing them in class. Keep in mind transgender is DIFFERENT than sexual orientation. However, our focus will be more on transgender because I think it is still a culture that is very misunderstood.

Yahoo News (Barbara bush)
I am very thankful that individuals like Barbara Bush are able to voice their opinions. I really think this is important when her dad was a president. I am glad that she is able to stand up for what she believes to be right.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell
I am going to clump a couple articles together here (Homosexuals in the Military, Chaplain)
So many things in these articles are interesting. I knew that Clinton formed the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in 1993 as a compromise. That way homosexuals could enlist in the military but could not talk about their sexual orientation. However, I still feel that it was wrong. I am glad that Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been repealed. There have been so many studies that show that troop morale have nothing to do with sexual orientation. Prior to DADT, people were turned away from the military based on their sexual orientation. DADT allowed homosexuals to be enlisted, but not discuss their sexual orientation. They could be discharged if they were open about their sexual orientation. However, most discharges were based on people saying they were homosexual rather than homosexual acts.
It frightened me that homosexuals in Russia are "not liked and most likely will be beaten". However, I am glad Great Britain changed its policy to allow homosexuals in January of 2000.

The Chaplain article...infuriated me. I think his thoughts are unacceptable. He needs to do his job and not honestly on the military bases, it doesn't matter what religion you are, the chaplains are supposed to be welcoming and supportive to help individuals with their problems.

Gay Couples Left in Legal Limbo
I learned there are 19 countries that permit citizens to sponsor same-sex partners for legal residency. I had no idea that there were at least 10,000 gay bi national couples in California.  However, I wonder if people will abuse this (if it is ever made legal here) like some abuse the ability to get married to a US citizen to stay in the country. Thoughts?

The Gayest One
How do you tell? That is my big question here? How do you tell?

10 Reasons Why Gay Rights is a Religious Issues
How did you feel when you read this article? I strongly encourage people to watch this video. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39691906/ns/us_news-life/ The suicide rate is 6 times higher with these individuals.

Why Lesbians aren't gay
The statistic on golf was very interesting. 30% of women in the PGA are lesbians. I also think it is interesting that a good number of leading composers are gay. The lesbian culture is very verbal, which was new to me. I wonder why this is. I really enjoyed reading that the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic have proof that homosexuality has biological roots. However, many lesbian feminists deny that lesbians are biologically rooted.

Young, Gay, and Murdered
The average age of kids self-identify as gay has tumbled to 13.4. Parents usually find out one year later. What do you think? Do you think Larry's death could have been prevented?

Workers Still Hiding Sexual Orientation
51% hide identity. 42% LGBT lie about their personal lives, 27% have been distracted, 21% have job searched, and 13% have stayed home.  The reasons for hiding their identities were: 39% fear losing connections, 28% are not considered for advancement, 17% get fired, 13% hide for their personal safety. 58% person of LGBT say someone at work makes a joke or derogatory comment about LGBT at least once in a while.

Okay, I could go on, but I think it is better to have a discussion in class about this instead! See you all in a week!

What happened in China?

China Notes, details and personal commentary:

BEIJING

Tuesday March 8, 2011

We arrived on Tuesday March 8 at 11:30 at night. The Beijing airport is amazing. When we went through customs, the Chinese guards were very intimidating. We had to stand directly in front of them. With some of us, they told us to push a button that we were very satisfied with their services and then we were to leave the area. China has approximately 1.3 billion people with nearly 20 million living in Beijing. We asked about the living situations in Beijing and learned that there are 6 rings of the city. In the first ring (inner-most) there are no sky scrapers. It is mostly the older buildings from the ancient times. Most people want to live in the third ring. To have a 2 bedroom apartment in the 3^rd ring costs about $1,000 a month. All land is owned by the government. You lease the land for 70 years.

We drove past some very unique architecture. Our tour guide informed us that when people build in China, they want their buildings to be unique. On the way to our hotel, we saw an accident with a man (who appeared to be dead) lying in the street. We were then told about how people do not follow the laws of the road. There are bikes and motorcycles everywhere. People were driving on the sidewalks and parking on the sidewalks. On the streets, there were flashing lights like on a cop car to remind people to drive safe.

We were reminded not to drink the water. Our hotel rooms were small with 2 twin beds. In Beijing, our room was very hot and we could not open windows. Our bus stayed parked outside our hotel the entire time.

Wednesday, March 9 2011

We went to Tiananmen Square (TS), the Forbidden City (FC), and the Summer Palace (SP). We could not go onto TS because the National Congress was meeting. We were able to walk by (across the street). There were guards everywhere. We were not allowed to take pictures of them. While walked we saw one of the arrow towers where people would stand guard and attack intruders with arrows.

When we went into the FC, we didn’t have to go through security. We were told they trust us so we didn’t need to go through security. In the FC we learned so much information that it is difficult to remember all of it. You were supposed to step over the thresholds so you wouldn’t have bad luck. We learned about the Temple of Heaven and other temples in the FC. There are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the FC. Gods were able to have 10,000 rooms, so the emperor had to have as many as possible but could not have 10,000. We learned about the eunuchs (castrated men). The emperors had one empress and many concubines. There were eunuchs because it insured there were not any illegitimate children.  We also learned about why there were animals on the roof of the buildings. The more animals that were on the roof meant the person who lived there was more powerful. We also learned that in front of buildings there are 2 animals (lions, dragons, etc.). There is a female version that is on the left and a male version on the right. The two balance each other and protected the buildings and people inside. There were four gardens in the FC but we went to the Imperial Garden.

For lunch we had a buffet. We found out the beer is strong. I was surprised because they had forks for everyone.

We went to a Pearl store and learned how to tell if the pearls were real. We also saw the lady kill an oyster to show us where the pearls came from. They always gave you a ‘deal’. We had to haggle. When we would walk away they would come down in price.

In the SP we learned about the Dragon Lady. She took over for her son who was 6 years old. She picked her sons wife and then she died. Her son died of venereal disease but the doctors said he died of small pox because it was too embarrassing for the royal family to have venereal diseases. Then her nephew was four years old and he was the emperor so that the Dragon Lady had power again. She rebuilt the Summer Palace 2 times because it was destroyed. At one point she spent money to build a marble boat.

For supper we had traditional food. It was very good. The shrimp still had the eyes on them. At our meals we were allowed the first glass of beer, soda, or mineral water for free. After that, we had to pay for it. The duck was good! Once again, there were forks.

There were merchants everywhere selling illegal items or knock off items. They would give you fake money. We saw a couple guards carry people away because they were doing this. The merchants would always get in your face. We learned that we didn’t make eye contact if we were not interested in buying their goods. We also saw some beggars. In the streets people clean with old handmade brooms.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

We went to the Great Wall (GW). We climbed the portion that was built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall is over 800 km long. It was made with sticky rice. The GW has been made for 2000 years continuously. It was made to keep out the people who were trying to attack. The GW does not link together. Heroes Peak is the tallest peak. At one part of the GW, there are cable cars to get you down. The steps are very uneven and the railing and side are not very tall. It was very windy once we got to the top. There were arrow towers. The guards or troops would live in the arrow towers.

We ate at a traditional noodle shop. We shared noodles and dumplings. The food was amazing. This is the first time we were able to eat with chopsticks. We also got used to people smoking everywhere (big change from ND where you can’t smoke in restaurants.)

We then went to a tea ceremony. We learned about the two different cups and different types of tea. I really enjoyed the Oolang tea and fruit tea. We learned how tea is good for your health and skin.

Then we went to the Olympic park where the 2008 Olympics were held. We were able to see where the swimming was, the Birds nest, where there was fencing, canoeing, tennis, the Olympic Village and the television station. We walked around the area. By the birds nest there were mini birds’ nests that were made into lights for the walk way. The architecture was amazing!

The Peking Duck Dinner was great. We learned how to roll up our own duck. We did learn that they had poor hygiene in restaurants as the cook did not wash his hands when he left the restroom.

Some of us went to the Peking Opera. This was an absolutely wonderful experience. We watched the actors get ready with their makeup. They did costume changes and their costumes were amazing. The stylized movement was impeccable. There was beautiful native music in the background. Their facial expressions told most of the story. The Peking Opera is much different than anything we would see in Europe or the USA.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Our last day in Beijing:

We went on a Hutong Tour to see where people lived. In the northern building the older people lived because they could get the sun. As many as 16 people could live in a hutong. The servants usually lived on the south side because they wouldn’t get any sun. Hutongs are being tore down now to build buildings for people to move into.

We went on a rickshaw tour through bar street and past a Kung Fu School. We saw palaces. Only 2 people could be in a rickshaw at a time. We were able to see many places through the rickshaw since most of the streets were not big enough for us to use a vehicle.

We had lunch at an authentic up-scale restaurant. We were along the river. We saw some restaurants that served fried scorpions.  Lynnea ate one. They were very welcoming of foreigners.

We then went to a beer plant called Yanjing. Yanjing was the former name for Beijing. It was a huge plant. They made their own cardboard, bottles, and beer. They were a sponsor of the Olympics. The beer plant is government owned. We learned that if one works for the government they get cheaper housing but lower wages. This is almost equivalent to our military. When one works for the military they get lower wages but help with housing costs and healthcare.

There are three Walmarts in Beijing. They are NOT like our Wal-Mart at all. Although there were long lines like Williston.

We also learned that places like coach are more expensive in China even though they are usually made there because it is an international brand.

SHANGHAI

Saturday March 12, 2011

We were searched as soon as we walked in the door in Beijing’s airport. The security is not like the US. We were able to walk through with few problems. We saw a BMW store in the airport as well as other high end stores. I was the only one in the back of the plane who was not Chinese and was not a man. It made for a very unique experience. We flew into the domestic airport in Shanghai. We went to get our luggage and they had us prove that the luggage was ours.

We went to Nanjing Road and my initial response was that there were too many people. We went looking for a place to eat lunch. We went to an authentic restaurant. Nobody knew any English at all. I was able to practice my nonverbal skills. Workers were trying to be polite and not laugh at us, but they ended up dishing up our noodles for us since we were making a mess.

We went to a Park in the Bund area. We saw old Shanghai and New Shanghai (which is only 20-30 years old). In new Shanghai is where the world financial tower is located.  We were able to take a walk around the river and watch barges go up and down the river.

We went and checked into our hotel. Our rooms were a little bigger than they were in Beijing and we could open the windows! We ate at the hotel that night and saw a 100 day old birthday party for a kid.

We walked around that area at night. Most of us felt a lot safer than we did in Williston. There were unique little shops everywhere and a lot to see.

Sunday March 13, 2011

We spent the morning at the Jade Buddha Temple. We couldn’t take pictures of the actually Jade Buddha’s. We found out that a Buddha that is lying down symbolizes a dead Buddha. We also learned that Buddha looks like a woman because we are all Buddha’s children. There are also many different kinds of Buddha’s. There were monks at the Temple who were praying. We learned that in order to be Buddhist, one must be vegetarian. Most Chinese people do not follow Buddhism completely. They usually just follow parts like good luck and incense to take the message to the heavens. They also have a third eye that looks into the soul. There are two kinds of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana.

We then went to the Silk Road where we saw how silk worms create silk. We also saw how silk worms are only 30 days old and then they die. I did not know silk was so strong. In order to tell if silk is real, one must burn it and smell it. If it smells like plastic, it is polyester. If it smells like burnt hair, it is real silk. 

We at lunch at a four-star hotel. Then we went on to the Yu Garden. The Swastika (from Nazi Germany) means sunshine. The meaning dates back to 1000 years. Which means the Germans (Hitler) adopted the Swastika to mean something much darker. We learned how a man made the garden for his parents but his parents died before it was finished. So he sold it. The garden consists of four concepts: rocks, water, plants, and zig zags for Yin and Yang—or balance. There were koi fish in the water as well.

We went to a market and people were constantly trying to take you to a back area where it wasn’t safe. People were constantly trying to haggle.

We listened to the Legend of the Phoenix group on the bus.

We went on a river cruise to see the lights. We saw a boat that looked like a Naval ship. We asked, and they told us it was owned by a company. The other ships on the water were all lit up.

Monday March 14, 2011

We went through a tunnel that goes under the water. On the way to Shanghai Lixin University of Commerce, we saw some rice patties and where the farmers live. The farmers each get a house. However, they tend to have larger families and extended family living with them.

The school was large. There was a lot of green space. The library was huge. We had Question and answer time with the students from China. The students were able to meet friends and share their differences and similarities. They have visiting scholars. They have groups of students in Detroit, Boston and California. The students life there is much more specific. At 6:30 all students run. At 8:00 they eat breakfast and at 8:30 their classes start. They have lunch around 12-1 and then are in classes again until 4:15. The tuition for the classes depend on the major. Some of the tuition was $700-$1500 a year.

We ate at an authentic noodle place, where they did not speak any English. Then we went to Maple Auto Manufacturing Plan. They did not share wages with us. The company is privately owned, therefore the wages are probably higher than other places. There were 70% men and 30% women working there. The company bought Volvo in 2010. Each step in the plant takes 1 minute and 50 seconds. There are 10 teams and 115 steps to complete.

We went to an off street market, where I conveniently left my phone. I later found out how honest the Chinese people are. They found my phone and would not even take a tip when I offered it. There was a lot of bargaining and people were constantly talking to us and pressuring us to buy. It was very loud and overwhelming.

We went for supper in the shopping district. We went to an acrobat show. The company has traveled around the world. They used the plates, changing hats, did gymnastics, had 8 motorcycles in sphere (2 women and 6 men), and other remarkable acts. All of these people have a short career. By the time they are 30 they usually become trainers. They usually start training around the time that they are 6 years old. The only thing I was disappointed with was that we could not take pictures.

HONG KONG

Tuesday March 15, 2011

In the morning while we were getting ready we watched students march to attention outside our room. They were young children. If they were not in a straight line the teachers would pull them in place. They would also get in their faces and yell at them. It was very disheartening to watch young children be treated this way. It reminded me of a military boot camp and of Nazi Germany. They would march and salute while the flags were going up. They would sign the anthem. The students would then march to their classrooms. We then watched Thai Chi and Fan dancing.  

We went to the international airport and there was no food in the airport. However, they did feed us on the plane. We flew to Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong the arrival was scary. We were about 10-20 feet from the water. The Hong Kong airport is the largest in the world.

We learned that there are four sections to Hong Kong. We arrive on Lantau Island. There are 3 tunnels that go under the water. Then we were on the longest suspended bridge. It is actually longer than the Golden Gate. There is lots of fresh seafood everywhere. We also learned that for a condo, it is $1000 a square foot.  If someone wants government housing, then the person needs to get married and be on a wait list for 3 years. In that 3 years the family usually lives with the man’s parents/family.

We went to a light show in Hong Kong. We had to take a ferry to the other island. I thought I was going to vomit! I hate water! We watched skyscrapers and the lights with music. How they were able to coordinate everything was amazing.

We went on our own for supper. We went to Eurotown. The food was expensive. We used public transportation to get back. It is really easy to get around in Hong Kong. However, I would not want to use public transportation all the time like that.

They started building into the mountains. They called the ground that they were creating landfill. We have a very different definition for the term landfill. Hong Kong has 7 million people.

Wednesday March 16, 2011

On our tour of Hong Kong we went to Victoria’s Peak. We had a crystal clear view of the city. Most people do not drive in Hong Kong. Only 6% own cars. However, Hong Kong has the largest amount of Rolls Royce in the world. Gas is approximately $8.50 a gallon. There is a 120% import tax to own a car. Hong Kong does not have smog because it imports everything it needs.

The cemeteries are private. We learned that in Hong Kong you can be buried in a government cemetery for 7 years. Then you are dug up, cremated, and given back to the family. That way someone else can be buried.

Horse racing is the only gambling that happens in Hong Kong. It is a large industry. However, the company gives all of its proceeds to charity. Over $13 million USD is bet on each race. Before 1972 men were allowed to have more than 1 wife. Therefore, there are still people who have more than one wife. There is not a one child policy in Hong Kong.

People/residents are covered for medical. That is where the tax dollars go. There is a 35% income tax for the rich and 15% income tax for the poor. People can fall anywhere in that range.

Hong Kong has the freedom of press, speech and demonstration. They have their own administration but are considered to be a part of China. In China there are 1.4 billion people with over 60 dialects of Mandarin. In Hong Kong people speech Cantonese and English. The number 8 is the favorite number. People spend extra money to live on the 8^th floors. A man paid a million dollars for his license plate to say 888. The number 4 is a bad number for them. They say there is not a 4^th floor (or 14, 24, etc.) because it would be bad luck. However, if there is a 4^th floor, it is much cheaper to live on it.

In 1997, Hong Kong went back to China. Before then it was part of Britain. The Chinese government is now in charge of the military. People who are residents of mainland China cannot come to Hong Kong to work or to live there. However, residents can go to mainland China to work or live. There is different currency between the two as well.

Status is a major thing in Hong Kong. A big dog means a big home. Living high on the mountain also means you have more money.

65% of the residents are Catholic. The rest are Buddhist. 10% are wealthy and 65% live in government housing. The people between there are the sandwich class.

We had a dim sum lunch. Honestly, this was probably the only meal that I did not care for while we were gone.

We then went to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. I took some of the group to Pizza Hut for supper. The pizza is so much better there than here.

Thursday March 17, 2011

This was our last day in Hong Kong. It was mostly a free day. Most of the group went to Lantau Island to go to the giant Buddha. I stayed back and tried to contact the Embassy and EF to get our flights changed so we didn’t have to fly through Japan.

We walked around and saw a goose hanging with its head and beak still on. The meat markets were not refrigerated.

We all had supper together. The food was very good.

DJ and Vinny had a dance off in the streets.

No sleep!!! We were up all night trying to change our flights.

Friday  March 18, 2011

We flew out to London. Heathrow is a HORRIBLE airport! We got split up and flew in two separate groups. We then flew to NYC and spent the night.

Saturday  March 19, 2011

We flew to Chicago and then Fargo! We were finally home! Oh, but then we had a long drive J

Health Readings

Women's Health Issues in Kenya
The statistics in this article were very interesting to me. First, women do 65% of the agricultural work, they are more likely to vote and they are over 50% of the total population. I then was alarmed when I read that women must get their husband's signature in order to obtain a passport.

One thing that did not alarm me much in this article were:
There is a high mortality rate and morbidity rate with pregnancy, childbirth, and sexual transmitted diseases and AIDS

I also had to look up the date of this article because some of the statistics are no longer relevant. For instance, 70% of the AIDS transmission is not from homosexuals in the West.

However, in Kenya students associated condoms with mistrust and infidelity. This is interesting to me because we see it differently here and in China. From my recent trip to China I think I can easily say this. Our first hotel (in Beijing) offered free condoms in the bathroom for its guests.

Some cultural and traditional practices that I saw as either harmful or discriminatory were (and I know that I have a very western view and that is why I feel the way I feel about these topics):

• female circumcision
• early marriage
• polygamy
• high inheritance cost
• eating taboos
• preference for sons rather than daughters
• low literacy rate for girls
• women can not refuse sex and should not questions husband's sexual tastes

Another major health related issue in Kenya is Malaria. 75% of the children born in the Rift Valley Province get infected with the disease.

China's Big Mac Attack
In 1999 there was one McDonald's Restaurant for ever 42,000 residents. I can honestly say now, there is probably more. There is a new restaurant in the world ever 17 hours. Snacks at the restaurants are different in every country. However, I talked to people who ate at the KFC and McDonald's in China--they said most of it was the same but there was different stuff on the menus, like chicken wings in McDonald's. I will say, the Pizza Hut in China is 100 times better than the Pizza Hut in the US.

Popular TV shows search for an ideal husband in China. The wife's mother is more reliable and the husband's mother expects the daughter-in-law to be subservient. The new Chinese family system is changing as the focus becomes more about the couple. In fact, our tour guide Sean said the men have to buy an apartment in order to get married. Before, filial piety was the major focus (which means respect for parents/elders).

Prior to McDonald's in China, festivities marking youngsters' birth dates were unknown in Eastern Asia. Hong Kong followed the lunar calendar (in fact mainland China still does) and the date of birth was used to help match prospective marriage partners. In Beijing, Ronald McDonald (Uncle McDonald) is usually with Aunt McDonald who entertains children and helps flustered parents. Children do not order their own food. Some fast food places turned into leisure centers for seniors and after-school clubs for kids. Parents see restaurants as safe-havens because no alcohol is served and it eliminates drugs and gangs.

A World of Food: Tastes and Taboos in Different Cultures
I planned on showing this in class last week. It talked about the food hierarchy with what people can and are willing to eat. Some people see things as being edible, delicious, and disgusting. It also showed what Kosher means in the Jewish culture. There was also a conversation of vegans and vegetarians. I loved this video because it portrayed so many details about why some people are willing to eat things that they are willing to eat.

I can't wait to see you all in class again! It has been a while!

Languages

Tonight was eventful. I think that is the best way to describe it.

Guest Speaker:
I loved what Joyce shared with us. I think the best way to learn a new language is through immersion. I think it is great how many words we learned in a short time. It would be interesting to see how many we remember now. I know Vinny was walking through the hall and asking me questions in Mandarin and I hard a hard time remembering (and that was only a couple hours later). I found out some interesting details from her presentation as well. When I taught at DSU I always wondered why my students sounded so excited (almost like they were yelling at each other) when they spoke in their native language. Now understanding the different tones in Mandarin, I finally understand. The tone of their voice wasn't necessarily their emotion like I had always thought. I also enjoyed Joyce saying that just because they are speaking another language does not mean they are talking about you. In my previous classes this was always a concern that was brought up. I think everyone always thought that the other students were talking about them because they were talking in their native tongue. However, I want you to consider this scenario: You are with 2 friends and you are studying abroad for one year in Japan. When you are with those other two people, would you speak Japanese or English?

Movie:
I like this movie because it shows a wide variety of what languages (spoken and unspoken) are available in the world. For instance, we learned about the head roll which means yes in India. In the US it means maybe. The Aborigines in Australia don't speak for months after a tribes man dues because it is their way of mourning. We use gestures instead of speech and to accompany speech. We use facial expressions like the evil eye. The movie even talked about tattoos. This is a conversation that is always interesting to me. Do you think tattoos say something about the people who have them? The clown in the hospital were using a natural remedy to help reduce pain. There are many gestures that we use. However, I think we need to remember that gestures are not universal. They have different meanings depending on where you go. Bit of information for you: The football huddle was created by deaf individuals so that the other team could not see what plays they were going to make. Now, every football team has a huddle!

Articles and Discussion:

Bishop article:
The statistics in the Bishop article were interesting. I didn't realize that many people were immigrants. However, there are language barriers that were cross. Do we make these immigrants learn a particular language? Is it safe for them to not know the language? Can not having a clear understanding of the language hinder the worker? Should we make language classes mandatory? Why or why not? Do you think this would compromise other cultures?

Languishing Languages article:
What makes languages disappear? How can we preserve languages? The article stated that by the end of the centuryy half of the 6700 languages will be gone and 90% will be in the terminal stages. No one under 50 speaks the Cheyenne language. 473 languages are classified as nearly extinct which means that only a few elderly speakers that are alive know the language and children are not learning the language. Aborigines languages are lost due to forced assimilation (back to the boarding schools for Native Americans that we talked about last week). Loss of language means loss of identity. Without language, culture and history who are we?

This is where the conversation got a little heated. We must know where we came from before we can truly understand who we are. This is why one of your first assignments was to interview a member of your family and dig into the past. We can not expect that everyone just follow the crowd. I am going to make a bold comparison here which might make some of you angry. Expecting everyone to follow the crowd and  conform takes us back to WWII. Hitler wanted the Aryan race. He did whatever was necessary to achieve the perfect race. Are we heading back there if we expect everyone else to conform? Are we going back to the time of the Boarding Schools for Native Americans and taking away their language again? Are we putting the Japanese in internment camps? Are you telling me this has no part in who our society has become?

You MUST know your history before you can make advancements. We have to understand that we need a foundation. Yes, the foundation is constantly changing, but that doesn't mean that we don't need a foundation!! We all have a culture. Even if we came from the slums and didn't have a blood-family, we still have a culture. Have you heard of Colin Powell? Have you heard of Bill Clinton? Have you heard of Barack Obama? They all had tough childhoods. They still had a culture. I would also argue that their culture helped form who they are today. They decided to make something of themselves. Yes, it does matter who lived and died for our country. It does matter--please revisit the conversation that Loren Yellowbird had with you last week. The burial ground for Native Americans is just as sacred as Arlington National Cemetery or even our North Dakota Veteran Cemetery. This comes back to our values. We value what we value because of our culture! All of our values, beliefs, morals, ideals, etc. come from our culture. I am not saying we follow the same things our parents taught us but we shape who we are from what we are taught (culture included).

King article:
Should we have an official language for the United States of America? Why or why not? What do you think of Former Presidents Franklin and Roosevelt's ideas? Language is always a problem. India has 19 official languages in its constitution, Switzerland has 4. Most of the immigrants in the US won't see their native language survive into the second generation. I know that is why I learned German. I knew I would never use it for my career (only if I decide to travel to Germany one day) but it meant something to me culturally. It helped me understand who I am on a deeper level. It helped me understand my ancestors and learn about them. Yes, a different language may have been used more (like Spanish). However, German helped me figure out who I am! I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Okay, please discuss! You need to cover the bold questions in your blog!

Indigenous

Our guest speaker, Loren Yellowbird, did an amazing job discussing his culture with us. I really liked how he started by talking about his language and how important it is for the language to stay alive (I think you will find out more about this next week). The movie "Our Spirits Don't Speak English: Indian Boarding School" is a fascinating movie and honestly somewhat difficult to watch. I would have loved to show it because most of us are not aware of the boarding schools that we sent Native Americans to. We wanted them to act a certain way and leave their culture behind (this is where I strongly disagree with the melting pot theory because I think it almost allows the culture of Native Americans to 'melt off' and then take on the culture of others.) and take on the culture of the European-Americans.

When Loren discussed how some Native Americans from other tribes still call him a trader, I think it tells us some important aspects. First, it tells us how different the cultures of the Native Americans are (sadly, I think most people think we can 'clump' all of these individuals together and expect that they are the same). It also tells us how some things will be held on to forever. When Loren told the story about the burial grounds and the comparison to 9-11, it was like the light bulb came on for me. Why do we expect them to forget their culture and their history if we don't let go of our own?

I really appreciate that Loren was open about disliking whites for a part of his life. I also found it interesting how he was able to overcome those thoughts and ideals. I think this proves that we don't always understand diversity until we are in a different environment. We don't understand how diversity works and how other people (cultures) are until we are immersed in it.

In case you missed some of the authors that write about the Arikara tribe, here they are:
O G Libby
Melvin Gilmore
Douglas Parks
George Will

Books about the boarding schools include:
Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience 1875-1928
Kill the Indian, Save the Man: The Genocidal Impact of American Indian Residential Schools

Like I said last night, I think part of the reason we know so little about the Arikara tribe is because there is so little literature. The literature I had you read was about Navajo and Sioux. (If you are interested in the Lakota, Joseph Marshall III is an excellent author. Louise Erdrich is an excellent author too. She re-tells stories that are/were told to her by people from the Fort Berthold Reservation.)

Remember, what we are told and taught is very westernized. We don't know about the boarding schools because it is not a part of history our country wants us to know about. We are taught the 'white version' of the "Battle at Little Big Horn" we don't necessarily know all of the correct details. (Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong)

Anyway, one last book for you to look at  (if you are interested) is 1491. It contains lots of  details about what this land was like prior to Columbus coming. I asked what people thought about Columbus Day last night. Honestly, I think it is a joke. I feel that the Native Americans deserve to have a day and we need to do more than just acknowledge that they exist. It was brought to my attention that November is Native American Heritage Month. http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

The article on Australia's Indigenous People was a mirror image of what we have done here. We have stereotypes for them, we confiscate their land, we put children in boarding schools, there were massacres of their people, etc. A good source on this is the Rabbit Proof Fence. It is very good!!

I hope viewing the pictures from the Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation opened your eyes to some of the severity of places. I hope reading about the indigenous people of Brazil also opened your eyes to how logging can wipe out populations (I am not advocating for or against logging in any way).

The movie that I couldn't think of last night is called Waterbuster. The description I found on Amazon is as follows: "Waterbuster Price: $29.95 Add To Cart J. Carlos Peinado (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) returns to the Fort Berthold Reservation to discover how a federal multimillion dollar damming project displaced the Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara Nation and surrounding North Dakota communities. . More » Program Length: 57 minutes Production Staff: Producer: J. Carlos Peinado (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) Production Company: Brave Boat Productions Program Website: Waterbuster Format: DVD Additional Resources: Viewer Guide Public Broadcast Release Date: November 2008 A personal story of how a multimillion dollar project displaced the Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Producer J. Carlos Peinado returns to the Fort Berthold Reservation and discovers stories of the past as he assesses tribal identity. Through interviews and archival footage, a uniquely Native American perspective emerges, giving light to a portrait of resilience and survival in the face of catastrophic change."

I hope you all learned something last night. Please start embracing knowledge and other cultures!

Until next week...