#joojean

[gwanth1002]

New Immigrant

This is a picture of my two passports and it portrays the key concept of a new immigrant. A new immigrant is “an international migrant who has moved since the 1960s.” (Miller 2017, p.333) I was born in South Korea and was a citizen of the country. In 2001, my parents decided to move to the U.S. and start a new life here. In the international immigrant population, some people are refugees seeking asylum while others are those seeking better economic opportunities. My parents fell in the latter category as they were seeking to expand their worldview and to find better educational opportunities for me. After eight years of living on an immigrant visa, in 2009 my parents took the naturalization test and became U.S citizens. Because my parents were citizens, I automatically became one as well and now I have an American passport. The naturalization process is very onerous and continues to get more difficult year after year. As an immigrant, I am very fortunate to obtain a U.S. passport and wish the best for other immigrants who are still on the path to citizenship.

Chain Migration

This is a picture of the Lotte supermarket in Centreville, Virginia and it is an example of chain migration. Chain migration is “a form of population migration in which a first wave of migrants come and attract relatives and friends to join them in the destination” (Miller 2017, p.336) In the Centreville and Annandale area, there is a large population of Korean immigrants who mostly came to the U.S. for educational opportunities. Due to the large existing population of Koreans, many Korean companies such as Lotte have built supermarkets that sell Asian food products and many Korean food stores have opened as well. The presence of the new Korean amenities attracts more immigrants to join their family members and friends in the area. 

[gwanth1002]

World Religion & Religious Pluralism

This is a picture of the Muslim prayer room in the Marvin Center fourth floor. Islam is a world religion which is according to the textbook is  a religion that is based on written sources, has many followers, is regionally widespread, and is concerned with salvation. It is based on the written text of the Quran and has definitely spread worldwide especially in regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. In the prayer room, people come to do their five daily prayers, worship, and read the Quran. Other than these activities, there are some rituals that people follow. A ritual is patterned behavior that has to do with the supernatural realm and some examples would be taking their shoes off, and before praying, they must go through specific steps and put water on their hands, face, arms, hair, and feet. Hence, there is a small washing area near the entrance.  I think that the existence of this room shows the acceptance of diversity and religious pluralism here at GW. Religious pluralism is the condition in which two or more religions coexist either as complementary to each other or as competing systems. In addition to the large Catholic and Jewish communities, there are also many interfaith worship groups in which people of all different religions can come together to experience fellowship together.  The plurality of all the religious organizations on campus portrays the open and welcoming attitude that people have here in terms of religions.

[gwanth1002]

Global Language

This picture was taken in the Notre Dame Basilica in Ottawa, Canada during my spring break. In terms of language, Canada is a very interesting country to study due to its bilingual use of both English and French, especially in the province of Quebec. In fact, both languages are considered the country’s official languages. In addition to this, the French that the Canadians use is considered to be different from standard French and is a distinctive and separate Quebec French. In this cathedral, located in the capital of the country, the plaque is appropriately written in both languages. However, it also happens to be that both languages are global languages. A global language is a language that is widely spoken and often replaces indigenous languages. Today, English is one of the most widely spoken languages and is taught in schools all over the world. French is also a widely spoken language due to its spread by colonialism and since then, its remaining effects can still be seen today in African countries such as Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire. Although speaking the same language is convenient and efficient in terms of communication for business and social connections, it often results in people forgetting their indigenous language that connects them to their culture.

Communication

This is a picture of my brother’s birthday card that my family and I had written for him. Writing a card is a simple way of communicating our appreciation and love for him on such a special day. Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages and our card would constitute the sending portion while his response of “Thank you” would make up the receiving portion. Within the card, two languages are used to express the family’s best birthday wishes for him. Language is a way to communicate using a shared set of symbols and although two different sets of symbols were used, the messages portrayed were still the same.

[gwanth1002]

Social Group

The church is a common example of a social group, which is a collection of people who share a common trait or are related in ways other than kinship. Specifically, the church is a primary social group since most members interact with each other on a weekly basis or whenever they attend church services. On the basis of their shared religious beliefs, churches are able to organize programs to help local communities and provide religious services. Often times, many people attend church for the sense of community and social aspects instead of its religious ones. This church pictured above is the United Church which is located on the Foggy Bottom Campus. Due to their shared belief in Christianity, the members of the church provide services such as food pantries, weekly spiritual lectures, and Sunday School. Additionally, due to its German roots, the church is also a part of a more specialized social group of German Christians in the D.C. area since it offers traditional services in German and hosts German language meetups.

Social Stratification

This picture was taken at the Starbucks near campus and I was reminded of the social stratification that exists in the global community. Social stratification is the hierarchical relationships that exists among different groups of people. In our global community, the upper strata would consist of consumers who are able to afford to spend about $3 on a cup of coffee. These consumers are usually in more developed nations such as the United States. The lower strata would consist of poor farmers and coffee growers who usually live in developing nations and are unable to waste so much money on just a single cup of coffee. While many people in the United States have the leisure to spend more than three dollars on a single cup of coffee, some people in the world live on less than one dollar a day.

[gwanth1002]

Ethno-etiology

This is a picture of my younger brother Noah who is in 6th grade and my family and I all agree that he suffers from a mild case of Middle Schooler Syndrome. In anthropological terms, Middle Schooler Syndrome is an example of ethno-etiology which is the way some cultures explain specific health problems and suffering. The term is originally from Japan and diffused into Korean culture due to similarities in youth culture. The symptoms of Middle Schooler Syndrome include an inflation of arrogance, audacity, and rebellion in teens as they enter puberty. In my brother’s case, he has recently shown more efforts to seem “cool” by buying only specific brands of clothing and distancing himself from family events to play video games instead. Luckily, it is only a mild case. In Korea, the symptoms are much more magnified with teens viciously yelling at their teachers, hanging out in the city late at night, and smoking. I think that these examples of rebellion are a response to puberty in general, but most importantly due to the immense stress that teens, even as young as middle school, feel from their Asian parents to excel.

Phytotherapy

In most non-Western cultures, plants are used for their medicinal properties which is called phytotherapy. When I visited Korea, it was not uncommon to see stands selling medicinal herbs and roots at outdoor markets or even in commercial supermarkets. One plant that I grew up with is the Korean red ginseng which is known to strengthen immunity, help destress, and boost metabolism. Because it can only be grown organically and harvested every six years, red ginseng is quite pricey, but my parents continuously get it shipped from Korea. The main form in which I consumed it was through the red ginseng tea that my mom would brew and force my brother and I to drink even though it was always bitter.