Journal #20

shaking hand

After I came to The Unite Stated, I have a lot of culture shock experience between Thai culture and American culture. The one of my unacceptable behavior American cultures is shake hand. It is a polite way to begin communicating with another people in here, but Thai culture has never touched each other hands when we meet. We have a special way to show our culture by same purpose but different position of hands. We will put our hands together at our chest and bow our head a little bit to touch our hands. So when I have to meet new American person, I am really uncomfortable to communicate with them especially a guy. The first time, I have to shake my conversation partner hand who is a guy I feel so embarrassed.

Journal # 19

My favorite past time activity

Cooking is my favorite leisure activity. While I am cooking food, I really like to smell it. The smell of food is so sweet in pot where you put several sauces. This activity is the best relaxation for me because I just concentrate about the process of cooking only, so I can escape myself for thinking about my problem and my pressure and have a happy time to do it. Normally, I will begin to think what I am going to cook after I finfish to study my last class everyday. The process of my happy time begin during I am driving. It is a beginning of a perfect time for me to choose a menu to cooking everyday. The most important thing of my happy time, cooking, is when I cook for the persons, who I am love, and look at them enjoy with my food.

Journal # 18

My spring break pest very fast . The first time, I think I will collect my new vocabulary and finish my novel book. but I didn't have time to do because I always spend time outside or maybe chatting with my friend.

Journal #17

Thai Wedding Day

Thai wedding is special and magical tradition. The most special and interesting part in Thai wedding is the engagement ceremony called “Khan Mark” which take place prior to the wedding. Khan Mark is a ceremony that the groom’s family dances their way to the bride’s home. The groom’s parents has to bring “Sin Sod” to the bride’s parents as they demand such as ring, money, gold, jewelry along with two banana trees, two sugar-cane tree, meats and candy (for good luck). The groom has to pass through many gates that the bride’s family put together. Each gate is made from the gold or silver necklace ropes blocking between the doors. The groom has to make an attempt to pass each gate by bribing the keeper of the gate until gets to the bride. Then the groom will offer the bride’s ring and this considered the end of engagement ceremony. The wedding ceremony starts when the bride and groom receive a blessing from the monk. After the monks finish their blessing, the guests (start with elderly) will pour water on the hand of groom and bride and give them their blessing. In the evening, there will be a wedding reception celebration for the bride and groom. After the dinner reception, the bride and groom will be sent to the room by the elderly and finally the ceremony ends at this point.

Journal # 16

My good strategies

My lists of strategies to keep-up my language practice during the spring break are watching movies, shopping at the mall, and reading novel. There are relaxing activities for me, and I can learn how to practice my English language such as pronunciation, structure of sentence and new vocabulary. When I go to watch movies at theater, I actually interest this movie. So it is easy for me to concentrate on the story and learn how to pronunciation correctly during watching it. In addition, I can learn a new vocabulary and conversation while I am shopping at the mall. For example, when I want to buy a new product for my skin, I will go to cosmetic at the mall. The saleswomen will suggest their product very clearly and slowly, so I can listen, communicate and learn new vocabularies. Finally, I can keep up my language by reading novel. It is a good activity because I can remember a correct structure and new phrase because I want to understand the whole of story.

Journal #15

What are your plans for the Spring Break?

My spring break

After I finished a reading quiz, I began to plan what I am going to do on this spring break with my friend at restaurant. I have a lot of plan to do. The first plan, I will go to Poula’s house, and we are going to have BBQ party together on Monday. After than on Tuesday, I will go to visit Mira who is my old friend last semester with Vuong, Tyler and my friends. Then on Thursday, I am going to Sixflags, Magic Mountain, with Peach, Poula and Poula’s friend. We really want to go because I heard a lot about this place. It is very exciting have a lot of roller coasters to play . So I want to go this place before I can’t play it.

Journal #14

Lee Server wrote a very elaborate article about Jackie Chan (the article we read in class). In the article, Server discussed Chan as a unique artist in the display of his cultural identity. Also last Wednesday, we discovered 8 nationalities represented in our classroom. Although there are features that make us unique as an individual, more often than not, our culture plays a big part in our identity.What makes you unique? How do you display your cultural identity.List (in a paragraph form) the features which make you unique as an individual. Connect your individuality with our cultural identity.

My cultural identity

My cultural identity displays a part of my life. I was born in Thailand. I grow up with my family which has grandmother, father, mother, two older brothers, and one older sister. I am a youngest sister in this family, so I have to follow the rule and obey who is older than me. Sometime, I had fight with my older sister. My mother would complain us about why we had to fight together because both of you are real sister. If we don’t love each other, it means that nobody will be like both of you. In addition, my mother always told me to help another person especially children and elder. My mother didn’t ignore to help them. I still remember and continue to do it. Although, I may be get a problem after I help them, but I really feel uncomfortable to ignore them. For example, my friend forgot homework at her house which was very important to her for send to her teacher. While we were waiting to study next class, I decided that I had to drive my car to pick up her homework even if we would have oral presentation in 15 minute. The last thing display about my cultural identity is my respectability. I always greet ,which action by raising two hands to touch together and put two hands on the center of my chest and after that slowly bow my head touch my hands ,a person who older than me before I went to school. However, in current I don’t live with them but I still do this action when I see Thai persons who are older than me in Unite States.