southern comfort film (3)

For one of our ED 453 classes, we watched a documentary entitled Southern Comfort (SC). Ironically, I left the film and class feeling rather uncomfortable. SC was based on a true story about a transsexual person named Robert whose medical history, family & friends, and love life are all examined. Robert, who is suffering from cervix cancer, is irate with the manner in which his physicians treated he and his surgical requests. Throughout the film, Robert is being comforted by some of his transgender, transsexual and homosexual friends and a special attention is paid by the director (and Robert) to his transgender girlfriend, Lola. It is in this relationship that the audience is able to view Robert in both thought and emotion.

I would be remiss if I failed to comment on the role that my religious beliefs had on my film viewing. Considering myself to be a Catholic with strong beliefs, I keep asking myself why an individual's sexual orientation and sexual practice do not always coincide. The Catholic Church teaches that only a natural man and woman are meant to have sexual intercourse and procreate--which is apparently not the case between Robert & Lola (one of them was born a female and the other a male). That being the case, I would still argue that Robert and Lola (along with some of their other friends/partners) are abusing their human sexuality, because God did not intend for them to born of the opposite gender. If He did, I don't believe He would have forced them to undergo such pain and scrutiny from others--especially in the medical field.

I would like to close by saying that I was fascinated by a statement Robert made towards the end of the film--namely that "being a man or woman has nothing to do with your genitalia. It's all about your heart." I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with Robert, but then again, I am examining and interpreting this situation from a very different vantage point.

a letter from a friend serving in Japan (3)

When most people think of Japan, they think of Tokyo; if they could only go to one city in Japan, it would be Tokyo. Am I right?

The problem is, I hate Tokyo. I have been there 3 times, and each time I was underwhelmed. Sure, I have had fun, but mostly because I enjoy the company of the people I have traveled with. Tokyo is too big, too crowded, too expensive, and you basically spend most of your time on the train or walking around looking at over-priced clothing.

However, that did not stop me from trying out Tokyo for a fourth time this past weekend. (Fourth times a charm?) On Saturday after work, I headed up with a big group (about 11 of us), although on Sunday we broke up into smaller groups, so I spent the majority of my time in Tokyo with my friends Derrick, Susannah, and Gwen. Although the trip did not change my feelings about Tokyo, I did have a blast. Here are some highlights:

- Clubbing at Ageha, which is Tokyo's biggest club. It has like a million rooms...and a swimming pool!! The only problem is that a lot of the club (including the pool and the bar that served Long Islands) is outside...which must be great in the summer, but not so much in the winter.

- After staying out all night, going to an Internet cafe in Akihabara (the electronics/nerd district...also made infamous by the guy who went on a stabbing spree here last spring) to sleep for three hours. For $12, I slept in a comfy reclining chair in a tiny cubicle. Classy right? But after spending $200 on the shinkansen ride alone, we had to cut corners somewhere.

- All you can eat okonomiyaki and monjayaki (Tokyo's version of okonomiyaki) lunch at a restaurant in Harajuku. For only $11!! Amazing. And totally worth the 90 minute wait.

- Eating at both Wendy's AND Burger King in Shibuya (think famous intersection from Lost in Translation) after we paid $33 each for nabe at a nice restaurant. The meat in our nabe was waaay too fatty and chewy (we still are not sure what kind of meat it was...damn menus all in Japanese), so we were quite hungry after basically eating boiled cabbage soup for dinner.

- Spending 2 hours sampling chocolate in a department store back in Nagoya. In preparation for Valentine's Day (yes, the Japanese celebrate it!), about 50 or 60 high-class chocolatiers hawk their goods in Takashimaya, which is an upscale department store. Most of them offer free samples, so Susannah and I basically went to every booth, perusing and tasting. And now I have quite a stomachache. haha

Besides Tokyo, I have been keeping myself quite busy on the weekends since I returned to Japan from my all-too-brief vacation in the States. Last weekend, a group of us ventured out to the boonies to visit a plastic food factory, where I got to make my very own plastic shrimp tempura!!! Plastic food is a essential part of the Japanese dining experience. All the restaurants have windows out front with plastic versions of their menu items. It's a very helpful practice, especially for foreigners, because it shows us what the restaurant serves...therefore, little effort is needed to read the menu! So you can imagine my excitement when I got to make my own plastic food! (And yes, it looks real!)

I also started taking Japanese lessons (better late than never, right?) with Derrick and Susannah. My new year's resolution was to study more, but I apparently am not as self-motivated as I thought. Not trying to look like an idiot in front of my friends and our super-sweet teacher is just the kick in the pants I needed. So far, the class is going well. I know a lot more than I thought, which is cool, but there is also a lot I don't know. Like how to read and write kanji (the Chinese symbols). But we learn like 15 every week, so that has been really fun and interesting.

In other non-Japan news, I was also accepted to my first graduate school a few weeks ago. I fooled Seton Hall into allowing me into their master's program for international relations. It's not my top choice, but I am glad to be in somewhere! The DC-area schools (where I actually WANT to go) won't get back to me until March/April...which is annoying and stressful. But I do have a future at least!

Once again, sorry this email is so long...as usual. haha. Just wanted to check in and let everyone know about my latest escapades. I miss everyone immensely...New Year's was such a tease!

Write back soon please! :)

xoxo

Beth

language barriers (2)

I am often amazed by the role that language plays in our everyday interactions. Words and phrases are how we share information and ideas. We use them to explain our wants and needs and fears and hopes. Even newborns implore sounds and gestures to communicate with their caregivers. Yet as important as language & communication seem to be, it is shocking that so few people are good communicators! If you are like me and you took four years of french (vs. spanish or german or italian) in high school, there is certainly a grace period when it comes to understanding a sentence like "te metiste en camisa de once baras," which, if translated literally from spanish to english, means "you've put on a shirt made of eleven sticks" (http://www.learn-spanish.com.mx/spanish-phrases/funny-spanish-phrases/). This, of course, makes no sense! However, what this idiomatic spanish phrase actually means that "you've bitten off more than you can chew" (http://www.learn-spanish.com.mx/spanish-phrases/funny-spanish-phrases/). While it is sometimes very difficult to understand a language that is not your own. No one is asking you to be dishonest with yourself or your correspondent. Nevertheless, it is important that all members of all languages/cultures do their very best to learn the language (even if limited) of the men, women and children that they live, work and converse with. Otherwise, we all will continue to be frustrated by situations like the one featured in the Yo Yao video clip posted in the right-hand margin.

a keener ear (2)

It's interesting that since beginning my course work in Dr. Weems' ED 453 class, i have noticed that a transformation has taken place within me. I am much more aware of the racially-charged words that i hear from those individuals whom i eat with, walk by or teach. My reaction--trying to ignore this offensive language and remove myself from the tension--to such encounters is also intriguing. I have been praying for the strength and grace to speak up and educate those individuals who do not yet understand the severity of their jokes and conversations.

color commentary plus q & q (life notes #2)

In discussing the turmoil of the Chinese, Japanese and Filipino people, Takaki and Spring want their audience to realize that the struggles and hardships that these groups had to endure are not all that different from what members of the black and Native American communities experienced. Members of each one of these groups of Asian descent could not acquire US citizenship nor could they escape from racial bigotry. They worked long hours on the fields, in the mountains, and on the railroad tracks for very little compensation and certainly without any recognition. Another key element of the Asian American strife was the limitations and political/legislative "red tape" that prevented all educational opportunities for higher learning. The fact that many of these individuals remained in America for so long and under such unjust treatment is surprising to me, but then again, I have very little knowledge as to what their lifestyles were like in China, Japan and the Philippines.

essential quotations:

"Were the Chinese to amalgamate at all with our people, it would be the lowest, most vile and degraded of our race, and the result of that amalgamation would be a hybrid of the most despicable, a mongrel of the most detestable that has ever afflicted the earth" (Spring, 73).

[It is incredible that a comment like this one was commonplace. This is how Europeans (and many Americans today) feel about the Chinese and other cultures of Asian descent. These biting words most vividly show the absolute hatred and loathing that existed between Chinese and European interactions.]

"Chinaman [is] a lithe, sinewy creature, with muscles like iron, and almost devoid of nerves and sensibilities. His ancestors have also bequested to him the most hideous immoralities. They are as natural to him as the yellow hue of his skin, and are so shocking and horrible that their character cannot even be hinted" (Spring 73).

[Here is another quotation that has taken on a life of its own, as these stereotypes have been accepted versus condemned by the common man during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The dehumanization of the Chinese people is uncalled for and a means of instilling fear into the minds and hearts of Chinese immigrants.]

"...guard well the doors of our public schools that they [the Chinese] do not enter. For however stern it might sound, it is but the enforcement of the law of self-preservation, the inclination of the doctrine of true humanity and an integral part of the iron rule of right by which we hope presently to prove that we can justly and practically defend ourselves from this invasion of Mongolian barbarism" (Spring, 78).

[It is amazing how much weight the words "barbaric" and "savages" take on, especially when used to describe an entire race of humans. This quotation reminds me that the Chinese were not welcome one bit in America and that since day 1, American life was HELL.]


"Because of our family's poverty, you went out of the country to make a living. You still haven't made any money during all of these twenty years? I am afraid that you are Americanized and totally forgot about us" (Takaki, 220).

[There is definitely a fear of assimilation that is evident in a Chinese man's letter to his brother overseas in America. I now understand the severity of losing one's customs and culture after being told how you will dress, where you will live, and what little tolerance there will be for your own personal culture. It's always interesting to watch which family's rise up or fall under such dismal conditions.]

"We worked like machines. For 200 of us workers, there were sever or eight lunas and above them was a field boss on a horse. We were watched constantly. We had to work in the canefields, cutting cane, being afraid, not knowing the language. When any haole or Portugese luna came, we got frightened and thought we had to work harder or get fired. The luna carried a whip and rode a horse. If we talked too much the man swung the whip. He did not actually whip us but just swung his whip so that we would work harder. [The lunas] never called a man by his name. Every worker was called by a number. Always by the bango, 7209 or 6508 in that manner. And that was the thing I objected to. I wanted my name, not the number" (Takaki, 255).

[The reason I chose this quote is that I felt that it provided me with a much more subjective interpretation of field work for Asian Americans alike. Much of my attention was drawn not to the physical brutality of the lunas, but the psychological damage that referring to someone as a number or letter can have on the individual's psyche and overall well-being.]

critical questions:

question #1: I never realized how much of an impact the bombing of Pearl Harbor actually had on the United States' personal relationship with Japan. I would be interesting to know whether "bad blood" still exists between nations and whether or not President Obama is committed to restoring/or maintaining a favorable relationship with an increasingly powerful country?

question #2: (this is a paraphrasing of the question I asked in class, but I believe there is more to the answer of this question than what my professor and classmates shared) Why are Asian Americans perceived by the general public (including the media) as incredibly intelligent and destined to hold careers as scientists, mathematicians, martial artists, and businessmen/women? Likewise, why do we assume that the Chinese and Japanese and Korean people eat and enjoy the food that is served in Asian American restaurants? Just some food for thought...

pot calling the kettle black (2)

Is it not upsetting to you too that some of our most esteemed American presidents in US history have been involved with some of the worst atrocities in human history? And then, they try to pretend like they were innocent all along. Based on Ronald Takaki's research, Thomas Jefferson owned 267 slaves. Not one or two. Two hundred and sixty seven SLAVES. That statistic is mind-boggling! Andrew Jackson (mentioned in an earlier post) believed it was perfectly alright to wipe out the entire Native American populations. Well, not entirely, I guess. Only if it was not in the US government's best financial & political interests! I won't even try to figure out what Benjamin Franklin meant when he said that he hoped for a country comprised of the "lovely white(s)." These are three men whose reputation is heralded by history textbooks and whose heads have been pressed into our currency. Does it make anyone else sick to their stomach that we have a special day designated to honor some of our past US presidents? I need to go. I'm staring to get dizzy....

amish for a reason (2)

Straw hats. White bonnets. Pointy beards. Weathered faces. Simple food. One suitcase for everything. These were some of my immediate observations that i made while traveling alongside a half-dozen Amish (i think) men and women aboard the greyhound bus line. I am not going to go into a long dissertation about the members of the Amish community, but I will say this. They are some of the most fascinating people I have ever observed or learned about. It is interesting that some of their beliefs & practices are similar to my very own (i.e. using public transportation and placing their religion at the heart of their daily lives). They may dress, speak and think differently than I do, but that is expected given their own culture and philosophies. I have often thought what questions I would ask them if I was presented with the opportunity, and I inevitably find myself thinking, "what are some of your honest opinions about American society and the typical American?" I think we all would be (shocked?) with their answer(s).