Luch at 1873

Today, Suneon, Hannah, and I went to 1873 for lunch. It was Suneon's idea, she had never been there before and neither had Hannah. We had a good time together, and it was different from just sitting there talking to each other. Having lunch helped vanish awkward silences that usually occurred throughout our conversations.

Suneon and Hannah decided to try the quesadillas. They had never had them before and I had not either. I heard they were good, so we all tried it. It was pretty good, but I do not think Suneon liked it. She did not say, but I could tell. She only took a few bites, but she ate all her curly fries.

Overall, we had fun. We talked about our Halloween holiday, and they told me about their International student Halloween party. They seemed to have fun there. They also went to a church function for Halloween. Suneon said that her daughters did more than she did during the holiday.

Hannah, had interesting news! She just started driving and will be going to take her drivers license test this weekend or the next. She said she was having a hard time with parallel parking and that she wanted to practice until she was confident enough to know she can do it no matter what. Suneon was excited for Hannah, and wanted Hannah to tell me more "good news." Apparently, Hannah is getting ready to take the test that determines whether or not she can apply for college and enter as a student. She is nervous about this endeavor, but I am confident in her.

It is obvious that Suneon looks up to Hannah even though Hannah is much younger. I can tell that she admires how well Hannah caught on to the language. I encourage Suneon not to give up, because she will get there with time. I tell her that she has improved so much, because now we rarely have awkward pauses and Hannah does not have to explain in Korean anymore. Suneon was just upset, because today in class she had to repeat the word saw and she said it was to hard to get correctly. She spent the entire class period repeating the word to the computer technology system they use in class. She said it never moved on because she did not get the pronunciation right. I told her I understood her and what she was trying to say, and to just give it time.

Suneon is doing great! I am excited and happy for her because she has come such a long way. I hope she continues to stay confident in her abilities and not get discouraged. I try to compliment her and tell her how much she has improved. I think it helps give her more confidence, and she can tell too that she has improved by our fluent conversations.

Recap on conversations

Today, I met with Suneon again, and we talked about Halloween. It was an interesting conversation. She said she was going to the International students Halloween party tomorrow night dressed in original Korean attire. She tried to explain what she was going to wear, and it was fun watching move around in different ways playing charades. I told her that we had just learned about Halloween in class, and she said she had too. She said she had always thought that Halloween was a bad holiday and did not celebrate it, but now that she has learned more about it she is excited to go to the party and celebrate with the others.

We also talked about her daughters. She told me that one of her daughters went to the Rangers game when they won the playoffs to go to the world series. I, naturally, thought that was awesome, but she did not seem to care. I asked her if she watched baseball and she replied, "I hate sports." That made me laugh. She really had no idea how big a deal the Rangers are today. She said her daughter had so much fun at the game, but she thought it was silly. She also told me that two of her daughters enjoy sports, and she does not know why. She said one of them is a lifeguard. When I informed her I was too she was surprised, because in Korea life guarding is known as a dangerous job and not many people do it. She said they only hire lifeguards for one season and no one ever wants that job. I think her daughters are Americanized in a way, because I can tell she wonders about what they do. She asked me why swimming is so popular in Texas, and why we have so many pools. I told her because it gets hot here and it is good for exercise. She said her other daughter runs for fun, but Suneon could not see the fun in running. It is interesting to see how our cultures differ and how her daughters have taken to it much quicker than she has.

She told me that her daughters told her she was crazy last week for cooking Korean food when an American was coming to dinner. They asked her what she was thinking. I told her that I had a great time and did not see anything wrong with the food. I wanted to taste Korean food. Her daughters thought it was odd, but Suneon said that when Robert and his conversation partner came all they ate was the Korean food so that is why she made it for me. I am happy that she did, because it was something different that I had never had before in my life. Her daughters were positive I would not like the food and she was happy to prove them wrong.

Our next meeting is going to be at 1873 in the BLUU. She asked if we could do lunch and I thought it was a great idea. It will be interesting to hear her stories of the weekend, and to know how her party went the next time I see her.

Dinner with Suneon

 Last night was my dinner with Suneon. I was kind of nervous, but they all greeted me warmly when I arrived. Her youngest daughter even answered the door in a chik-fil-a cow costume. When I entered, I took off my shoes at the door, because it is tradition and sat and talked with Suneon and some friends in her class until dinner was ready.

  They were all nice, and Hannah was even there again. She told me she likes going to Suneon, because she cooks so well. She had told me that her host family does not have good food so she is always hungry. Hannah assured me that this food was going to be good, but that did not stop Suneon from worrying. She was so worried I would not like her food. I assured her that it was going to be fine from what I could smell.

  She went back to the kitchen and grabbed plates and eating utensils. She brought out chopsticks, and it hit me! I had never used chopsticks before, but how hard could it be, right? Well it was hard. Hannah, and the other young man tried to teach me how to use the sticks, but I just never caught on. They told me I was so funny, and that it would take practice. They called it an art of eating food. I was glad I could bring some entertainment to them through my Americanized fork eating.

  When the food was ready, Suneon brought it out. I could tell she really took pride in hosting this dinner. She made us all sit and watch as she laid out each of our plates. We had some sort of chilled noodles and tuna soup. I know it sounds weird, but it really was not to bad. It was different than anything I had ever eaten. She also had dessert ready with cake and ice cream. It was alot of food, and I could not finish it all.

 After we finished eating, the young man started teasing Hannah. He had told me she had just ate before, and Hannah finished everything including dessert. It was funny, because she is such a tiny girl. He said, "you eat more than me," and both Suneon and Hannah corrected him with, "you eat more than I am." I was confused at this point and the young man persisted that he was right and asked for my opinion. I told them that it was correct, and that they could also say "you eat more than I do, but not I am." I could tell that it flustered Suneon so she went to get her book. She said they learned the informal and formal parts of a verb. Yesterday, they learned, "you are taller than I am." I told her it was a verb difference, and that the book was correct and I explained the difference in more detail.

  It was fun to have a traditional dinner with them. It was interesting too, because they were all so eager to talk to me and learn. The dinner was good, but I had a hard time eating such different food. I guess I am just not use to it. I thanked her for her hospitality and they walked me out to my car. They were so nice, and I am so glad I got to experience a little bit of their culture in comparison to my own.

Conversation Partner Blog 2

   Suneon (Sunny) and I met at the Bluu this Thursday. This time she brought her friend Hannah Yoo. She was adorable, and she understood English well. Sunny was so sweet and even brought me a gift. I felt bad because I did not have anything to offer her, so I offered to buy her coffee at the Bluu.
   This time we talked more about Sunny's and Hannah's Korean culture. It was interesting. They told me that the University in Korea begins its semester in March and ends in July. Then, the second semester begins in August and goes through December. Hannah, who is an education major, told me it hard getting use to the different schedule. Hannah has been here for three months, and I think Sunny is helping her transition. Sunny tells me how much she loves Texas. She has been here for a whole year with her three daughters. Her husband is still in Korea, but they are working on getting him to Texas.
   Hannah also told me that her age was different here in America. Sunny and her explained that in Korea you are born at the age of one. Therefore, I would be twenty-one in Korea and not twenty. I did not understand this concept, and it was funny how they tried to explain it until I understood completely. They said the only thing they would change about living here would be public transportation. In Korea, that is what everyone uses. They do not need cars. Sunny and Hannah both said that it is hard to get around here, because they need a car.
  We also talked about movies. The most recent one we talked about was How to Train A Dragon. Sunny had not seen it, so Hannah and I explained it to her. She seems pretty interested in it. It was funny listening to Hannah talk about how her boyfriend teases her with characters in the movie. Apparently, she reminds him of Toothless and she cannot stand it. Sunny told us that she took her daughter to see Inception, and she enjoyed it. She just did not understand the title and wondered what it meant. I tried to explain it to her, but I found that difficult. However, Hannah had this nifty pocket computer that gave us an exact definition and translated into different languages. It was pretty neat.
   Before I knew it, it was 4:30 and time for us to leave, but before we left Sunny asked if I had every had Korean food. I responed no, and Hannah was extatic. She kept going on and on about how great a cook Sunny is and that I had to try it. Sunny asked if I liked spicy food and when I said I did she invited me to her house for dinner with her family next Thursday at 5:30. I am so excited about going and trying new food and getting to meet her daughters. When we parted, she made me promise to come and try the food, and I promised I would be there.
  I fun with Sunny and Hannah this week, and I am excited to see what next Thursday will bring!

Benjamin Button

This story was weird. Could you imagine an old man being born? I could not. How strange. It was interesting though. In the beginning, I felt bad for the old Benjamin. When he was born, the doctor saw him as a tragedy. Today, wouldn't this be a medical miracle? The doctor was so furious that he never wanted to see Benjamin or his family again at the hospital. He thought they were making a mockery of him.

When his dad first saw him, he thought it was a joke. Well, wouldn't you? The imagery of the old man hanging out of the crib with a long beard was creepy. Benjamin's father was angry, but he was more worried about his reputation than he was about his son. I wonder how his mother felt? They never mention her in the story, and I just couldn't imagine how she was when she saw what she gave birth too. I think she might have fainted or maybe she would love him unconditionally. We will never know.

I find it funny how everyone in the story is in denial. Benjamin's father refuses to treat Benjamin as a man, even though he is one. Benjamin's father even goes to the store and buys him a child's suit. Benjamin looks ridiculous, but that is how it is since he is only a baby. Benjamin passed as his fathers brother, and they never corrected anyone about it. They were too worried about their reputation. I feel like this is a tragedy, because their son should be their pride and joy.

When he marries, people feel sorry for Benjamin's wife. Why would she marry such an old ugly man? Everyone talked about them, and it even said her father was unhappy about the situation. They thought Benjamin would not be able to even support her. He loved her for a long time, but he started to change and that changed his view and hers.

It is ironic, that Benjamin is so critical about his wife's aging since he was ridiculed his whole life. You would think he would be more sympathetic since he went through it. He feels like she is not pretty and that she has lost what he loved about her. People even say that they feel sorry for such a young man for marrying such an older women. This is exactly what they said about him. How do they not remember this?

Even as Benjamin grows younger, he is ridiculed. His wife insists that he stops, and his son warns him to turn right back around and start back the other way. His own son?!? My goodness, after all those years, you would think at least his son would understand.

Benjamin goes through life with a lost identity. He never finds a happy medium. He will never be normal, and abnormality was never excepted. He could never truly embrace who he was. It was even interesting that when he aged so did his maturity. When he was born old, he was wise. As he grew younger he was more immature.

What happened at the end of the story? He is just a baby, and that is how it is left. A pure innocent baby. Did he disappear? Did he become a fetus. I guess it is left up to our imagination. We will never truly know.

meeting number 1!

Today was my first meeting with Suneun. She was nice and seemed a bit nervous. She could not speak English well, so we began slow. We exchanged names and numbers. I asked where she was from and learned she was from South Vietnam. She also informed me that she lived in Fort Worth with her three daughters- 20-22-15, if I understood correctly.

I had know idea how much English she could speak. It did not help that we are both shy natured. About twenty minutes into our conversation things began to look up for the both of us. She had a friend stop by with her, and he was a great help. It made her much more comfortable, and that made me feel more relaxed. He was a nice gentleman, and he spoke a little more English than she did. His presence opened her up more. We talked and joked, some of the jokes I did not catch though. I am a little hard of hearing, because I busted my ear drum a couple years ago. I did not realize how bad my hearing was until I was trying to catch every syllable she said to me.

I learned that we both have to be patient, and she knows that too. It can be hard, because we are both from two different worlds. She told me, that when she is at home, they speak nothing but Korean and that she even watches Korean soap operas. When I  asked her what else she liked to watch she said that was all she watched. I knew right then that this was hard for her, since she is so use to her native language.

As we continued talking, she asked if she could meet some of my friends. I told her yes, that I would take her to where I work and she could meet them today. Out of curiousity, I asked why she was so interested in my friends, and she responed by telling me that she was having a hard time making friends here at TCU. She said everyone was friendly, but she could not make friends.

Everyone where I worked was wonderful. They all introduced themselves, and even asked Suneon where she was from and about her family. I could tell she really enjoyed it, even if she could partially understand them. I also plan to have her meet some of my other friends in the future. I also encouraged her not to be shy, and to tell people hi, or if  she wanted she could do some of the activities we have around campus. Suneon and her friend seemed very interested in the concert that is coming to TCU. I told them all about it, and hopefully they will go. They seemed pretty interested, and I told them to let me know if they decided to go, and I would meet up with them there.

I think our first meeting went well. I think we both have alot of learning to do, but I think we will get through it just fine. I cannot wait to learn more about her home country and her lifestyle.

The Yellow Wallpaper

The descriptive words in the Yellow Wallpaper brought the story to life. It was almost as if the house itself was a character. The narrator felt that it was haunted and queer, but then she also thought it to be beautiful.

The narrator's husband brought her to this house to help her with her condition. He believed she had some kind of anxiety. As the story progresses, it only seems to get worse with her feeling of the wallpaper in her room. She ccontinually asks if they can go to another room, but her husband refuses and tells her it will only make her condition worse.

The narrator's husband has every last word. I can tell that this story was written by a feminist just by how she depicts the patriarchal society. It is almost as if the husband in the story is what is truly making his wife mad. She is under strict control. She cannot visit family or even writ in a journal. Her insanity increases as she is couped up in the room with yellow wallpaper.

She goes completely insane when she notices a woman in the wallpaper trying to get out. She thinks that her husband and sister-in-law have noticed the peculiar behavior, and she sees them as a potential threat in getting in the way of her freeing the woman in the paper.

One day, when her husband is not home she tears down the wallpaper, and tells Jennie she did it because she disliked the paper. Jennie understands and does not take the incident as a peculiar one. She does not even tell John.

However, when the narrator is alone she locks herself in the room and begins to tear the wallpaper to pieces. The more she tears, the more involved in the paper she becomes. She even contemplates jumping out of the window, but she is scared of all the crouching woman that are scurrying around outside. She has gone completely insane now. She thinks tons of woman have come out of the paper, and by the time her husband opens the door she has lost her identity. She does not even recognize him. She believes she was the woman stuck behind the paper, and she tells him how she will never be stuck again. The end of the story is left with John fainting and the narrator creeping over him.

What a strange story. The author portrays the woman character as one that is wanting liberation from her marriage, or just from John. She is continually put down and degraded by her so called condition that is only made worse by her husbands demands of bed rest, no family, and no writing. She is trapped by him and it escalates to her feeling as if she is the woman behind the wallpaper. This story depicts a time period of patriarchal society, and a rise of women liberation. It has an eerie and scary tone to it. I still have not decided if the narrator has actually killed herself in the end or if it was truly just the wallpaper she tore to pieces.

I will be interested to hear all the interpretations in class. This was my first time reading this story, and I do not know exactly how to take it quite yet. I did like it though. I found it to be an interesting perspective and story all together. It was creative and imaginative, and I always love stories with great detail.