I really enjoyed reading through many of the assignments to find the shared assumptions, values and stories between all of us when describing our sense of home. My story is divided by past, present, and future as well as my memories associated with those times and my family. I will be describing the top three similarities in this blog post that I found amongst our classmates on this blog post.

Ethnicity vs. Place of Residence

• This has been a topic shared amongst lots of us. Most of us weren’t born and raised in the same country and stayed here until we grew into adults. Instead, many of us followed the jobs of our parents and stayed by their sides until we made our way here to Vancouver. Our ethnic backgrounds may have often clashed as the cultures and traditions we practice at home were different from those around us. By moving from place to place, it was often difficult to find where we truly belong to because every time we settled in, it did seem like it would be our true home. However, people would point out the differences between us and this set us apart again.

Traditions and Memories

• Another similarity between all of us is our traditional practices in religion and family heritage. Whether it comes down to gathering every week to go to church or sharing meals and joy with your family, all these allow us to create memories that will come back to us when we look back at our dinner table, or when we pass a Sunday evening. Some memories are stronger than others which will reinforce the idea of our homes and reminisce our past.

Nature vs. Architecture

• Nature often brings us together as well. The beautiful mountains of British Columbia and the peaceful ocean view encompasses our senses and feeling of belonging. When moving from one place to another, we look out the window and immediately feel a twist of emotion. It may be disappointment or peace. Some prefer places like the busy streets of New York while others prefer somewhere quiet with breathtaking landscapes. All these emotions associated with nature and architecture make us feel comfortable and at ease.

WORKS CITED

Chalhotra, Simran. “Blog #4: Home Is Where My Heart Is.” Simran’s ENGL 470 Blog! Accessed on February 12, 2019.

Ensor, Tamara. “2.2 Home…………..” Canadian Lit Eh. Accessed on February 13, 2019.

Gans, Sandra. “Home? – Assignment 2:2” UNEVEN STORY TELLING IN CANADA. Accessed on February 14, 2019.

Hatch, Kevin. “HOME IS WHERE YOUR RUMP RESTS” ENGL 470 99C BLOG. Accessed on February 16, 2019.

Truhar, Dana. “Assignment 2:2 – My Home Story.” Dana’s CanLit Blog. Accessed on February 3, 2019.

Zhang, Anna. “Assignment 2:2 – Home.” Understanding Canada – Canadian Literature 470. Accessed on February 3, 2019.

I thought describing my home has always been difficult to me since I was a little child. I was born in the Netherlands and spent 5 years there. I remember all the heartwarming events in kindergarten and the delicious food that I ate there. It was my home. However, as soon as my family moved to Germany because of my father’s job, my home became the city Bremen where I spent another 6 years.

Because I basically grew up there until I became a teenager, most of my greatest childhood memories remain with me there. My family which includes my two parents, my brother and my two sisters all enjoyed playing tennis. We were essentially one of the only Asians in town but everyone treated us with great respect and curiosity. Despite being different, it didn’t matter because my whole family had no language barrier or any other issue there. It became my new home. However, as soon as we got a call to move to Canada, my parents sat all of us down to discuss this matter. Three young teens and one university student. I was more than happy to move, not because I didn’t like Germany (in fact, I loved it) but because I loved exploring new places. My brother decided to remain to finish his studies while my sisters were interested in moving to Canada as well.

The moment we stepped into Canada, everything changed. It was so different from Europe but to multicultural that I fell in love with it. Our first home honestly wasn’t that great. We did have a huge backyard but there were mold and leaks everywhere. It wasn’t a sanitary place and bugs came out and greeted us unpleasantly every morning. However, as I stepped out onto the streets, I was able to learn about my roots – my ethnicity. I heard Koreans and other Asians speak, laugh and open up businesses. Interestingly enough, I didn’t speak any Korean until I came to Canada. I made Korean friends in middle school and started embracing the culture of my parents. They didn’t even have to be Korean to gain my interest. There were just so many Asian backgrounds that I had never seen before. It became a heartwarming place for me and I have never loved any country more than Canada.

As I flight attendant, I often get to travel around whether for work or for leisure. The place I most commonly fly on vacation of Korea. Because I never grew up there, I thought I might have a difficult time actually connecting to Koreans. It was true. Their way of thinking was way different than mine. Perhaps it was because I grew up in Europe and have a mix of a European and Canadian way of thinking. Sometimes, I feel like a stranger and a foreigner. I worry that I will make mistakes and cause issues regarding cultural appropriation. Most people will not know by looking at my face that I have a very multicultural background so I often wonder if I do any actions that cause people to feel uncomfortable and offended. It is the 21st century after all where a lot of people get subconsciously defensive over people’s interest in other cultures. This is the reason there are words like Koreaboos and Yellow Fever. Anyhow, I absolutely love Korea but I know that I will not live there. Why? Because while writing my life story on this blog, I realized what exactly it is that describes my sense of home.

My sense of home is where my heart is and my heart is with my parents. I usually spend more than a third of a month away from my home in Vancouver. Because I am a German speaker (also majoring in German), I often get sent to Germany for work. I am so grateful that I get to visit Frankfurt where my aunt, uncle, and cousins live. My brother, who now lives in Luxembourg with his own family, also occasionally comes to visit me. However, as much as I love traveling and meeting my relatives, nothing ever beats the feeling of coming home to your parents and dogs, greeting you at the doorstep and jumping into your own bed which smells like your home.

If my parents ever decide to move away, I am sure that the place they’ll move to will become my new home. Because I spent the majority of my life in Vancouver, I thought it would be the only place I can ever call home but the fact that I feel homesick when my parents are gone must mean otherwise. Anyhow, it obviously might change when I meet my significant other, get married and start a new family. One thing is for sure though. My sense of home is where I feel welcomed and where my heart feels at rest.

Koreaboo – someone who is “obsessed” with Korea

Yellow Fever – a man or woman who is only romantically interested in Asians

I know there are some people who may qualify as the two definitions above, but sometimes, we are just more interested in one than the other.

*Sorry for this late blog post. I have been so tired because of work. Anyways, I still hope that you enjoy it!

Works Cited

Anyangwe, Eliza. “Opinion: There Is No Such Thing as ‘Harmless’ Cultural Appropriation, and We Must Call It out If We Hope to Fight Systemic Oppression.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 1 May 2018, www.independent.co.uk/voices/cultural-appropriation-prom-dress-chinese-keziah-daum-a8331326.html.

Todd, Douglas. “Douglas Todd: Vancouver Is the Most ‘Asian’ City Outside Asia.” Vancouver Sun, 27 Mar. 2017, vancouversun.com/life/vancouver-is-most-asian-city-outside-asia-what-are-the-ramifications.

Olympics of the Marvel Universe

It was the time of the century where the whole universe sang in harmony, where spaceships danced in the moonlit skies of all the different planets. It was the time of the year where humans, aliens and gods gathered together to decide which planet was the strongest in the whole universe. It was the time for the Olympics of the Marvel Universe.

Scott Lang and T’Challa from planet Earth were the first ones to perform. Using vibranium, quantum energy and more spectacular sources of energy that required endless knowledge, they created beautiful roads connecting all planets together. Their power was nothing other than pure knowledge and they confidently declared themselves to be the strongest amongst the nations.

A few turns later came Thor from planet Asgard, who called himself God of Thunder. He boasted that as a god, he was born with power. It isn’t about knowledge but about whom fate had chosen as a leader. He showered the spectators with beautiful sparks shaped in all kinds of imaginable forms which blossomed out of nowhere. He was a natural. His status and state of being was his power.

Next up was Groot, who came from Planet X. Groot decided to tackle universal speech and left everyone in standing ovation with the powerful quote: “I am Groot.”

Hundreds and hundreds of planets gathered together to perform, enjoy and admire. It was a beautiful and peaceful event. Humans forgot about earth’s poverty, aliens forgot about the protection of the Infinity Stones. Years and years passed and it was finally time to choose a planet to rule over the universe, the true winner of the Marvel Olympics.

Voting was about to begin when the last contestant stepped in, out of the darkness. Thanos was his name, born on Saturn’s moon, Titan. He was a monstrous, vicious looking beast but his appearance didn’t spark anyone’s interest. In fact, he looked considerably normal compared to the previous contestants. Thanos threw his left fist into the air as if to declare victory. Everyone looked in confusion when suddenly, protectors of the Infinity Stones gasped. How and when… and WHY? They wondered. Why did he take them? How is it possible that the stones are with him? Not one, but all of them? Thanos remained silent and the show went on. Staring into every soul, he clasped his left hand. For a moment, it felt as if they were caught in a sand storm. No one could see a thing but slowly, everyone, no, half of them realized what had happened. No words were needed. Half the spectators disappeared and became nothing but sandy mist. The stories and fates of them unfolded right in front of everyone’s eyes.

With a snap of his fingers, mist gathered and formed into the shapes of the spectators. Thanos returned everything to normal. Silence took over. Everyone knew who was the most powerful but nobody dared to speak. The happiness drained out of every single spectator and all that was left was a strange sensation. Something that they had never known before. It was fear. After what Thanos showed them, the story that could unfold under his ruling, nothing could return to normal. Evil was his power.

Commentary

I am a huge fan of the Marvel Universe. So naturally, I watched every single movie. When someone asked me why I loved them, I always simply told them to watch the movies because I knew they would definitely understand. I am not a big storyteller (or a big reader) but I love watching the stories unfold in front of my eyes so I created my little spin-off out of some of my favourite movie characters.

Thomas King said that “Once you have told a story, you can never take it back. So you have to be careful with the stories you tell. And you have to watch out for the stories you are told” (King, 10). Many stories are based on experiences. As soon as Thanos went through countless planets in search of all six Infinity Stones (space, time, power, mind, reality and soul), he got rid of half the population of the universe. By returning everything to normal using the time stone, Thanos created history. He showed what would happen and made them experience it. Because of the story that they were told (or experienced), the spectators lived the rest of their lives in fear or with alliances to avoid death.

I honestly found it extremely difficult to write this story as I had to keep the ending the same. Writing it down without telling everything which was supposed to be the “trick to storytelling” (King, 7) full of suspense wasn’t so easy. I began to realize how much easier it is to speak because of all the emotions I can pour into my voice. Through this assignment, I began to admire great writers who manage to capture the attention of their audience with a single sentence. Enjoy!

Works Cited

King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2003. Print.

Assignment 1:3

1. Explain why the notion that cultures can be distinguished as either “oral culture” or “written culture” (19) is a mistaken understanding as to how culture works, according to Chamberlin and your reading of Courtney MacNeil’s article “Orality.

Without even thinking about it, through our daily lives, we constantly create, rephrase and change stories that we hear or read about. According to our emotions, mood, and wellbeing, the words that come out of our mouths will change the tone of the orally transmitted story to the recipient. At times, it becomes more exaggerated, or even less, depending on our personal bias and opinion. Prior to reading Chamberlain’s work IF THIS IS YOUR LAND, WHERE ARE YOUR STORIES as well as MacNeil’s article Orality, I have to admit that I also supported the false dichotomy between the separation of oral and written cultures because I merely thought on small communities opposed to larger populations that eventually blossom into beautiful cultures.

The moment I dwelled into this lesson, I couldn’t help but think about the book Fahrenheit 451. For those have never read this book or watched the movie, it is about a world where all books are abolished, where firefighters work to burn and destroy books. It is a world where written communication is something from the past and information is transmitted mostly verbally. While reading this book, I often wondered how living in this kind of world would be like. Just like how we judge the world the narrator is living in, Chamberlain disapproves of this kind of culture as they tend to look down on others and consider themselves superior. In his book, Chamberlain immediately points out the fact that while oral cultures are more praised for their “naturalness and naiveté”, it is actually far easier to recall memories through written words (Chamberlain, 18). As difficult as it is to imagine the world of Fahrenheit 451, it is also impossible to think about the opposite. It is difficult to think about living in a world where there is no form of speech, whether it is verbal or through sign language. Chamberlain suggests through his work that both are used simultaneously where cultures cannot easily be distinguished as one or the other.

Likewise, MacNeil outlines that the division between both written and oral culture exist to simplify the break down of culture. By arguing the flaws of the definition of the word “orality”, as given by Oxford English Dictionary, MacNeil points out that both ways of communication are presented as competitors where one will be considered superior to the other. To accurately learn about culture, we must distinguish between them, not as competitors, but as two likewise significant components. Chamberlin highlights the “us” versus “them” mentality and compares it to us separating “orality” from “written”. While many countries in the world begin with speech, they develop into cultures through the written works that become laws and regulations. Without one another, culture would not be able to be preserved, just like how Canada “was built upon a story.”

Works Cited

Chamberlin, J. Edward. If This is Your Land, Where are your stories? Finding Common Ground. Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2003. Print.

Courtney MacNeil, “Orality.” The Chicago School of Media Theory. Uchicagoedublogs. 2007. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. http://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/orality/

Nytimes.com. (2019). Why ‘Fahrenheit 451’ Is the Book for Our Social Media Age. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/books/review/fahrenheit-451-ray-bradbury.html [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Hello everyone!

My name is Min Hye and I am super excited to join you guys in this course. I am currently in third year ARTS, majoring in German. I was born in the Netherlands, raised in Germany and moved to Canada about eleven years ago with my ethnically South Korean family. Right now, I work as a flight attendant, which allows me to visit and learn more about all the different traditions and lifestyles of the many countries in this world. Because I was exposed to so many diverse cultures, I became instantly interested in this course, as I wanted to learn more about Canada, the only country I call home.

However, as much as I am aware that the first people to officially call this place home were the Indigenous People, I am embarrassed to say how little I know about them and their history. To be honest, Canadian Literature is also a genre that I have been avoiding because it seems so simple, yet it is so complex. Upon reading the syllabus and course outline, countless questions swarmed through my brain. Who am I to call this place a home? Have I been unintentionally or perhaps willingly turning a blind eye to those who build this country? Who exactly made this country what it is right now?

Before coming across this course, I never really thought about the correlation between storytelling and literature. However, the more I think about it, the more it reminds me of the Japanese government, controlling what their history textbooks are allowed to say. Perhaps our country failed to educate everyone, apart from those who sought the truth, leaving most of us just like the Japanese, who were unsuccessful in comprehending the resentment coming from their neighboring countries. As Canadians, we continue to marginalize the culture and lives of Indigenous people by forcing our ways of living onto theirs through media, education, and colonization of land. To what extent our discrimination reaches will we something I wish to explore more thoroughly throughout this course.

As someone, who flies the flag, I hope to become more self-aware of all the sacrifices and stories of those who helped make Canada, the Canada I am proud of. I hope that English 470 will become a course that will leave a lifelong impact on myself, allowing me to broaden my perspective on both my home country and the countries that I saw and will continue to see until the day I am left with no judgment and discrimination to voice.

Works Cited

Oi, Mariko. “What Japanese History Lessons Leave Out.” BBC News, BBC, 14 Mar. 2013, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21226068.

Pollmann, Mina. “Why Japan’s Textbook Controversy Is Getting Worse.” The Diplomat, The Diplomat, 8 Apr. 2015, thediplomat.com/2015/04/why-japans-textbook-controversy-is-getting-worse/.