Quilt Essay
A cultural quilt represents part of someone´s heritage. It can help you to understand where the person comes from, which kind of practices are done in its culture, and the most important thing: its interests, values, and beliefs. To share your quilt, as we did on our culture class presentation, can be very useful to make you feel more proud of whom you are, and also can help you to feel more identified with your roots; which is something that you should never forget.
My quilt was done to represent my personal interests, which are art forms from Costa Rica. I chose art forms because I can easily identify with this kind of products. I put three main elements on my quilt, and each of them represented a different aspect of art. For example, I put an electric guitar with the words “National Rock Music” because what I wanted to represent was the most popular kind of music in our country. These days, among all generations this genre of music is the most appealing. Bands like “Evolución”, which performs alternative rock, and “Time´s Forgotten”, which performs progressive rock have a huge amount of followers these days. I also wanted to represent Costa Rican literature through story tellers, so I put a book with a picture on it of the most popular story teller in our country: Juan Madrigal, better known as “Juan Cuentacuentos”. He appeals any kind of audiences because its stories are about Costa Rican´s urban legends, or are very colloquial stories. On the other hand, we have a young group of story tellers named “Colectivo Cuentiando”. They are four guys from the University of Costa Rica who get together for a college project, and ended up performing all around the country. They focus mostly on urban audiences, so the vocabulary that they use to tell its stories is the same as the one that is use for teenagers and young adults from our country, and that makes them unique. Finally, the last element that I put on my quilt was a typical symbol of theater, which is a drawing of two masks, one is happy and the other one is sad. This drawing represents Costa Rican theater. In our country the most popular kind of theater is comedy, so most of the theater´s groups work on that particular style; however, there is group call “Giratablas”, which work on any kind of theater style. Everyone can become part of “Giratablas” because they offer workshops for people of any age, and from everywhere. Professors are professionals on that field, and they help you to become one professional as well.
So, basically my quilt represented the kind of art that I enjoy from my country, and sharing this assignment with my classmates and the foreigners was a very nice experience to show them a little bit of Costa Rican art. The quilt presentation was part of the Costa Rican celebration of the Guanacaste´s annexation, so there were some folklore dancers and musicians, and also delicious typical food. We all share the snacks, and then we presented our quilts. I enjoyed the experience because I not only had the opportunity to show my small piece of art, but I also had the change to meet people from other interesting cultures; people who have been traveling a lot, so they have a lot of experiences to share. We also exchange ideas, values, and particular beliefs. For example, one girl was surprised by the fact that I still live with my parents and siblings because in her country people leave their parents home when they are around 19 or 20 years old. So, I was amazed by the fact that I was able to notice a lot of cultural differences between us just in a conversation of around 30 minutes.
Basically, the quilt experience was very educational for me from the beginning of the assignment. First, I had to come up with the idea of an element of the culture which represented my background, then I had to figured it out how to represented it in a piece of quilt, then I had to shared it with the rest of my partners, and finally I had to do a reflection of the entire experience. So, it was not only a nice experience, but it also was a very formative assignment.
domingo, 1 de agosto de 2010
Response Paper 8
American Diversity
An easy way to understand better other culture is to compare it with your own culture. Also, you can study their everyday casual expressions because by doing that you will be able to understand better their values. Proverbs are a good option to study a culture because these also reflect values from a culture. In this particular case, these expressions reflect a lot of wisdom, directness, and optimism, as well as individualism and priceless time.
An easy way to understand better other culture is to compare it with your own culture. Also, you can study their everyday casual expressions because by doing that you will be able to understand better their values. Proverbs are a good option to study a culture because these also reflect values from a culture. In this particular case, these expressions reflect a lot of wisdom, directness, and optimism, as well as individualism and priceless time.
Response Paper 7
The Values American Live By
The reading about American values help us to understand why people behave the way they do. Every culture has its own value system, and behaves according to it. Among the 13 America values we can find:
• Personal control over the environment. It refers to the fact that American believe that man can or should be able to control nature, rather than the other way around. Laziness is not allowed.
• Change seen as natural and positive. Chance is seen as an opportunity to growth
• Time and its control. Americans are well known for being always on time. For then, time is priceless, so you can´t waste it.
• Equality/Fairness. Americans believe that everyone is in the same position, so all of them have the same opportunities.
• Individualism/Independence. This value is one of the most important because each person is seen as unique, so each of them has to shine by itself.
• Self-help/Initiative. Americans believe that they have to do everything by their own.
• Competition. Americans have the idea that competition brings the best in any person; therefore, they put themselves a lot of challenges.
• Future Orientation. Future is always more important than the past and even the present. They work to have a greater happiness in the future.
• Work Orientation. Working hard is seen as the only way to succeed.
• Informality. For Americans everything is easier and more realistic if it is informal; greetings and dressing are examples of it.
• Directness. Americans prefer to be honest and go straight to the point.
• Efficiency. Their practicality is what makes them more efficient.
• Materialism. For American people having all that they need is mandatory. They have to own many objects.
The reading about American values help us to understand why people behave the way they do. Every culture has its own value system, and behaves according to it. Among the 13 America values we can find:
• Personal control over the environment. It refers to the fact that American believe that man can or should be able to control nature, rather than the other way around. Laziness is not allowed.
• Change seen as natural and positive. Chance is seen as an opportunity to growth
• Time and its control. Americans are well known for being always on time. For then, time is priceless, so you can´t waste it.
• Equality/Fairness. Americans believe that everyone is in the same position, so all of them have the same opportunities.
• Individualism/Independence. This value is one of the most important because each person is seen as unique, so each of them has to shine by itself.
• Self-help/Initiative. Americans believe that they have to do everything by their own.
• Competition. Americans have the idea that competition brings the best in any person; therefore, they put themselves a lot of challenges.
• Future Orientation. Future is always more important than the past and even the present. They work to have a greater happiness in the future.
• Work Orientation. Working hard is seen as the only way to succeed.
• Informality. For Americans everything is easier and more realistic if it is informal; greetings and dressing are examples of it.
• Directness. Americans prefer to be honest and go straight to the point.
• Efficiency. Their practicality is what makes them more efficient.
• Materialism. For American people having all that they need is mandatory. They have to own many objects.
Response Paper 5
Cultural Products
5.2 Artifacts
Artifacts are like the objects or “things” that belong to the culture. Many artifacts are unit in a culture, and can be used for many different purposes, and for any kind of people.
Questions
1) Product: What is it? Where do you find it?
My artifact is a flying mean of transportation, and it can be found in the stations.
2) Practices: How do you use it? When?
You just have to go to the station and get in to it; a professional pilot will drive it. You can use it at any time
3) Persons: Which people use this?
If you need to get faster to your destiny, you can use it when there is a very heavy traffic on the road.
4) Communities: Which groups of people will use this object?
People who need to get faster to their jobs.
5) Perspectives: Why people use this?
People use this because they believe that time is priceless, so they don´t want to waste time stuck on traffic.
5.3 Maps
My house has on the first floor 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 living room, 1 dinner room, 1 kitchen, 1 backyard, and it has on the second floor 1 office. In the bedrooms the most important object is the bed because we all love to sleep, and also the T.V because it is the way we entertain ourselves. The kitchen is a very important room because there we not only have all the food, but we also have all the appliances to prepare it. The office is also very important in our house because there we have the computers which we use to do all the work.
5.4 Flowchart
Getting a driver´s license
-Buying the training book
-Reading the book
-Doing the written test
-Taking driven lessons
-Doing the practical driving test
Getting medical treatment
-Having an insurance from the CCSS
-Going to the medical center of your neighborhood at 6am
-Asking for an appointment
-Waiting a couple hours to meet with the doctor
-Taking your medicines off
Reporting a crime
-Calling 911
Establishing a law
-I will never end if I answer this question
Getting married
-Getting engage
-Establish the wedding date
-Looking for the place
-Doing the guest list
-Buying all that you need for the wedding
-Having a ceremony
-Going to the “Registro Civil” to register as a marriage
Getting a bank loan
-Giving the bank all your personal and financial information
-Choosing the loan plan to establish the terms of it.
Religious rituals
-Catholic people only have to go to church on Sundays. Listening to the priest and eating the blessed bread are the most important rituals of his religion.
Paying taxes
-Finding an accountant who can help you with this.
5.5 Personal relationship with the cultural content. I believe that to be able to teach art forms of a culture you need to study first what is behind or what is the real meaning of certain piece of art; could be literature, painting, music, etc. Therefore, you have to get involve with the culture to teach it a lot much better.
5.2 Artifacts
Artifacts are like the objects or “things” that belong to the culture. Many artifacts are unit in a culture, and can be used for many different purposes, and for any kind of people.
Questions
1) Product: What is it? Where do you find it?
My artifact is a flying mean of transportation, and it can be found in the stations.
2) Practices: How do you use it? When?
You just have to go to the station and get in to it; a professional pilot will drive it. You can use it at any time
3) Persons: Which people use this?
If you need to get faster to your destiny, you can use it when there is a very heavy traffic on the road.
4) Communities: Which groups of people will use this object?
People who need to get faster to their jobs.
5) Perspectives: Why people use this?
People use this because they believe that time is priceless, so they don´t want to waste time stuck on traffic.
5.3 Maps
My house has on the first floor 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 living room, 1 dinner room, 1 kitchen, 1 backyard, and it has on the second floor 1 office. In the bedrooms the most important object is the bed because we all love to sleep, and also the T.V because it is the way we entertain ourselves. The kitchen is a very important room because there we not only have all the food, but we also have all the appliances to prepare it. The office is also very important in our house because there we have the computers which we use to do all the work.
5.4 Flowchart
Getting a driver´s license
-Buying the training book
-Reading the book
-Doing the written test
-Taking driven lessons
-Doing the practical driving test
Getting medical treatment
-Having an insurance from the CCSS
-Going to the medical center of your neighborhood at 6am
-Asking for an appointment
-Waiting a couple hours to meet with the doctor
-Taking your medicines off
Reporting a crime
-Calling 911
Establishing a law
-I will never end if I answer this question
Getting married
-Getting engage
-Establish the wedding date
-Looking for the place
-Doing the guest list
-Buying all that you need for the wedding
-Having a ceremony
-Going to the “Registro Civil” to register as a marriage
Getting a bank loan
-Giving the bank all your personal and financial information
-Choosing the loan plan to establish the terms of it.
Religious rituals
-Catholic people only have to go to church on Sundays. Listening to the priest and eating the blessed bread are the most important rituals of his religion.
Paying taxes
-Finding an accountant who can help you with this.
5.5 Personal relationship with the cultural content. I believe that to be able to teach art forms of a culture you need to study first what is behind or what is the real meaning of certain piece of art; could be literature, painting, music, etc. Therefore, you have to get involve with the culture to teach it a lot much better.
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