Week 1 English Post

Hola! I'm exhausted and should be going to sleep... but I'm not. So while watching TV and catching up on the VMAs (especially Lady Gaga's cross-dressing performance) and the recent highly-anticipated Jersey Shore fight, I have decided to post it up. So, I guess I'll share what I'm looking forward to here at Purdue. I'm really pumped to go Greek, and I'm getting a group of my friends to go to the Latin Ballroom Dance Club. Dharna is going with me! :) I'm also doing a Bible study every Monday night and I'm going to go to "Talk Wednesdays" at the Latino Cultural Center. I also am involved in the Women in Engineering program and the Society of women Engineers. I CANT WAIT FOR FOOTBALL GAMES! Football is my favorite sport to watch, and I already bought season tickets. In high school, I was always leading the cheering section. I went to every football game, regardless of how cold, rainy, or snowy it was. I'm very spirited and I love school sporting events. Oh, and according to this show I'm watching, Lindsay Lohan is suing Pitbull for making fun of her jail time by writing a lyric in his song "locked up like Lindsay Lohan." She's so classy. Right now there's an ad on TV about Alzheimer's..and it's making me really sad. :( That's one thing that I really wish didn't exist. Here's something for you to think about (and maybe reply to to get points): Why is it that relationships are only official (or officially over) once it's posted on facebook? (Maybe you could talk about how much we rely on technology, idk). Anyways, in my opinion, that's the worst way to define the status of a relationship. Goodnite! :) Oh, btw, Sept 2 is "National Wear Your College Colors Day" so BOILER UP! p.s. All of you should add me on facebook. Nite!

A Culture of Success

Do you think Purdue has a distinct "culture"? If so, what are some of its defining features or characteristics? Given your experiences so far, how would you describe it to others?

Hess refers to culture as "the total knowledge and way of life of a group of people" and references certain "social relations" such as "people's actions, strategies, motivations, roles, and interests." In some ways, Purdue's culture is similar to the culture of other colleges; students are highly motivated by anything free: food, water bottles, t-shirts, etc., there is a high demand for any caffeinated, and the campus is always buzzing with activity. However, in my experience, Purdue has a culture itself that separates it from other universities. First of all, Purdue is a serious school with high expectations and a rigorous curriculum. It's not easy to be accepted into any program here. Therefore, I tend to see that the students enrolled here are a bit more serious and devoted to studying. Personally, I never imagined that I'd be accepted into or be able to afford Purdue. Since my family has made many sacrifices for me to come here, I know that I have to do well or there will be serious consequences. I'm not the only one with this story. The culture of Purdue seems to be greatly influenced by the success driven mindset of the majority of its students. In this, many students are more willing to get involved and follow their interests. While Purdue is comparable to many other colleges, especially in "the typical college lifestyle (i.e. living off Ramen noodles, etc)," I would also argue that the high standards that Purdue sets for it's students shapes this college culture into one which motivates students to be studious, driven, and involved. Not only does Purdue do this by setting high standards, but it also offers many programs directed at helping students in achieving great success. In this, Purdue distinguishes its "culture" from that of other universities by, as my math teacher always says, helping students to "realize their dreams".

Different cultures

First week of classes is behind, and I learned that Purdue has its distinctive culture. Crowd of students walking, running, biking and skating in a campus, flying planes, noise of boiler sirens can somehow be features of this culture.

I would agree with Hess that in some degree the world is becoming more homogeneous. The internet and television have made possible for people to spread the information at the speed of light, immigrants are moving from their home country to find a better job. By this way different cultures are mingling together, making the world more homogenous.

However, the countries do still have borders which separate their culture from others. Each country has a peculiar traditions, climate, laws which define its culture. When some acts are considered normal in one country, same behavior would be strange in another. For example, students in my country don’t bike or skateboard to get to the university, as Purdue students do.

Purdue Diversity

The first day I landed at Purdue, I saw a variety of people around me. I could find at least one person (or even more) from every country on the globe. According to me Purdue is a repository of diverse cultures. It has a distinct culture.

Just recently in my ENGL 106 class, I was grouped with 2 people: Natalee from the United States and Erke from Kazakhstan. We three people from three different parts of the world mixed up so well. Talking to them made me aware of our commonalities like our hobbies, major and much other stuff.  Soon we’ll familiarize ourselves with each other’s culture, traditions, etc too. As the Hess reading passage says “The cultures are dynamic”. So instead of inclining towards every culture, we should rather observe and learn something new from them every time. Erke and Natelee surely might have had different life experiences and therefore will also have different viewpoints on many things. Interacting with them will open my mind.

This diverseness is giving me and will give me ample opportunities to gain awareness of the multifarious people surrounding me. Mingling with such varied set of people is enriching me with the moral values and beliefs of different cultures within the confines of one nation, and is allowing me to develop an appreciation for cultural diversity.

Working with such a diversified and creative peer group will expose me to different ways of thinking and will open my outlet of imagination.

National Crisis

One topic on the news that has been worrying many Americans is hurricane Irene. After the past devastating hurricanes hit on the coast and southeast United States, Americans started to get involved by volunteering to help or joining relief efforts to save and help other Americans. In the past decade there have been many hurricanes that have destroyed an entire area. The most infamous was Katrina, which was the sixth deadliest hurricane in United States history. Who doesn't remember seeing it all over the news and people making signs on top of their houses for help?

Because of these past hurricanes, Americans are now ready for the upcoming ones. They've done their research, helped others, and joined organizations to help others who have experienced hurricanes. Not every single person might evacuate or board up their windows, but most of them will. The area where the hurricane hits might be destroyed, but with past experiences and new knowledge, rebuilding these areas will become easier.

Are Cultures more homogeneous today?

Some would argue that cultures around the world are becoming more homogeneous, especially given current globalization trends. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I would have to disagree. If we were to think that cultures around the world were becoming increasingly homogenous, we would have all have, according to what Hess says in “Science and Technology in a Multicultural World”(p10), similar if not the same “way of life”. We would all have the same way of thinking, of seeing the world and the opportunities it offers. In my opinion this is false. In fact, each culture has its own unique intricacies, quirks that make them sometimes strange and exotic to an inexperienced outsider.

Most of us who experience new cultures are subject to what is known as “culture shock”. A culture shock occurs when we have to adjust to a different culture other than our own. We often have to adjust to new routines, foods, and new environments. I have lived most of my life in Cambodia, a place where everything is cheap. You’d be able to buy an amazing noodle breakfast for a maximum of two dollars. But when I arrived in Chicago O’Hare International Airport, I spent seven dollars on an ordinary chicken sandwich. I’m a person who loves to eat, and I just felt my first painful culture shock: Food is expensive here.

If cultures in today’s globalized world were more homogenous, culture shocks would be unheard of. People from any given corner of the world, would have the innate ability to transition to a new culture without any adjustment period. Furthermore, if cultures were in fact becoming increasingly similar, we wouldn’t be in a ENGR 103, a class in which we will be given the chance to better understand “the history, culture, and people of various regions”(ENGR 103 syllabus, course objective 2), and to make ourselves more marketable in the globalized era of today.

Here's a sample Post!

Bla bla bla... I'm going to label this post with "Jayne" because I want it to be counted toward my English 106i course credit. I can add other labels if I want, but I have to have at least the course label in order to receive credit.