Summer in Chicago

project

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See you~ after 10 years.

Actually, the best part of my experiences in Columbia College was learning different cultures. It was really meaningful to me because if I weren't here I could even never know about it. But I'm so happy to know about it. It's really helpful to see other cultures, understand others, and make plans for future. I feel like I got more than I expected. Not just about English ability, but I also could experience, and learn lifestyles of others.

And the other thing that I loved in this program was classmates. At the first time, I was really disappointed about composition of classmates. There were so many Koreans. I don’t want to hear or speak Korean. But I could overcome this problem thanks to SeungA. She helped me to speak English.
And especially, Youmi helped me to enjoy this program by offering a room in her house. She is really kind and funny person. I’ll meet her in Korea, too.  And Woojin really cared about me. As an older sister, she worried about me and gave me delicious foods. Thank you so much~!
And Ike was really reliable when youmi lost her wallet, He helped us to find it.
Hiro and Buntaro were always fell in love with music. That’s a little bit sorry for me. Because I couldn’t play with them. But I went to Lollapalooza with them and really enjoyed it. Especially Buntaro gave me a CD that was really cool~! I loved it. Ryota was always cheerful and make me feel good. Even when we weren’t friends each other, he bring a yoyo and a basketball which made our class fun. Comparison to his age, he is amazingly considerate. And Takashi was also cool! He always smiled to everyone in class. I like his thoughts about movies and life. He is really open person who can accept other's opinion. Especially when I heard "KIM JI HA" from him, I was so excited that I felt like I got a huge present. Kim Ji HA is one of my favorite writers in Korea.  And Kanako!! Kanako is really adorable. She is cute and warm. It means perfect as an woman. And I’ll remember her through her strong will to enjoying foods. And Rabah!! I respect her. I really liked her passion on studying. I was inspired too many things from her. And when I felt really bad and hard, she helped me with her warm hug and kiss. Thank you.
And Gracia! I won’t forget her. She is the cutest woman I’ve ever seen.  Especially in Tone’s exhibition opening party, she was amazing. There is something left that I have to learn from her.
And I also liked our teachers. They were really amazing. I love them. Terrie, Molly, Dana and Tone. I won’t forget you. Terrie taught us how to make useful blogs and made chances to meet native speakers through movie meeting and wine party. I like her smile. It makes us feel comfortable. And Molly. I loved reading articles she brought to class. It was really helpful to enjoy English literature. Before this class, I had just read formal scholar articles. But I could enjoy reading English novels. I could laugh at it. It was such a fantastic experience too. Through Dana, I could make sure how to pronounce plurals and past presents. It seems a little bit stupid when we learn pronunciation because we should read aloud and repeat it. But she didn’t hesitate to pronounce it. Thank you. Tone is the one I was moved by everything. She is my ideal woman. Her work, her personality, her mind, her participation, her consideration to others, and her passion inspire me. Thank you. Thank you. She was really kind to me. I love you.

I’ll be here in Chicago until 19th August.  I’ll go to NewYork from 19th of August to 26th of August. And then I’ll go back to Korea 28th August.
I’m not sure about my future except being a doctor. I’ll be a doctor who can consider both side of the world, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick. If I’ll be a doctor, you’re always welcomed to check your health. Please at least for this reason, keep contact with me.  See you guys~~

On my final project.

First, I’ll show my photos with African-American friend Rabah, Mario, and Randy. And then I’ll start my final presentation.
I’m sorry, but there is nothing to say.
Maybe, it is just my thoughts about African-American culture.

Artist Statement
-Kim Soyeon

  I just want to tell my feelings about American culture, especially African-American culture. It was my first time to see the land of America, different peoples, and different cultures through this SIELI program. In a short duration, about two months, I was always nervous. At anytime in anywhere I was a little bit unstable. The biggest reason was a condition separated from my family. Another reason was I was surrounded by totally different people in terms of languages, appearances, and life styles. I’ve experienced a little bit of culture of Native Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans by reading articles about them, appreciating photos that reflect them, talking with them, and looking around several museums to see their history and culture. Among them, African American culture was most strange and newest to me. I’ve never seen African before, and never thought about their history or present life. To me, they were just stranger who will never face me. But I’ve faced them already, and been shocked that I knew nothing about them. I realized that there is nothing to ignore or neglect if it’s about something that can influence current situation in the world. It’s the reason why I chose this subject. Maybe it is such an individual thought.  But through my presentation, I wish you to be considerate when you deal with other cultures.

Our Trip to Pilsen

Today, we went to pilsen to see the Mexican-American Fine Art Museum. It was really great to see so many diverse arts of Mexicans. I love seeing primordial art. The artworks in the Mexican museum had kept their own cultures. They didn’t follow the common spreading European style. Rather, they expressed in an eloquent and sophisticated way, using bright colors. Actually before I went to the museum, I had seen the movie ”Fridah Kahlo”. Seeing that movie, I was attracted by the impressive Mexican works. I felt like they were more honest in expressing their emotion because they used natural bright colors not neutral or fake colors. I loved it. In the museum, there were lots of things that were more traditional and had lots of meaning and symbolic art.
  As we arrived at the museum, a staff worker welcomed us.  He was our guide. He explained several important arts there. Most of the art contained a mixture of cultures. The most fundamental factor in the mixture was the ancient indigenous culture. Mexican American artists followed “Mexicanidad” which is “our past is present”, meaning on the basis of ancient cultures we can accept Spanish culture. I thought they were pretty wise to keep that attitude. I think the way that Mexican Americans chose to accept Spanish culture was the best way to keep their culture. It works not to harm or not to remove their culture. If they were extremely strong to maintaining their own culture, they couldn’t develop such beautiful works.
   The weather was really good. It wasn’t hot or cold. It was appropriate sunny and windy. We could just enjoy our field trip. After we finished to looking around the museum, we went to have lunch. On the way to a restaurant, we saw several murals on the buildings. Those had each messages, for example, education, challenge, and charity. Tone ordered really delicious and famous Mexican foods. It was a pretty good trip.

Eric's facorite toys in his childhood

His favorite toys were hot wheels.

It's a kind of miniature car. He could invent his original tracks on which the car went around. He was very creative so he really liked to make these different tracks through that he could show off his talent. Sometimes he used additional auxiliary, for example, super charger to push a car forward.

But his mother didn't like his toys. Because those tracks were so long that it often covered all the floor in his home including kitchen, living room, and door room. When he played this, people who came home couldn't move at all because of the complicated tracks. Another reason that his mother didn't like this was its high price. He wanted diverse kinds of cars and more tracks which was made of many tongues. Just like car, track were various such as rolling track and jumping track.

Now, he isn't sure where those cars are. He think some of them are lost over time and others are in the garage.

I am a Man

Actually, I've experienced some sort of discriminations as a woman and an asian. I think such an oppression is a pretty absurd and terrible thing we should remove in the world. But I can't change it by myself.

In Korea there is just one people, so we don't have racism. But when I traveled abroad, I saw so many peoples and diverse cultures. At the first time, when I talked to black people, I was frightend. Because their voice was so loud and I couldn't understand what they said to me. But right now I have a friend Rabah, of course she is diffent from African-American. But from Rabah, I learned they are all the same person. Except about culture, there was no diffences between Rabah and me just like between SeungA and me.

But at the same time, I saw many black people in Chicago especially beggers. And I heard from my uncle that Naperville is very good place to live because there is a few African American and even a few of them are rich enough to have expensive, fancy house. I was surprised that racism was still seriously existed and it was in the revealed reality. I had just abstract and simple knowledge. For instance, I just knew the name of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. And I didn't know who they are and why they are so famous. But in the last Culture class, it was really shocking. Seeing a documentary, I was shaking my body because of astonishment. "I am a Man"  I felt real sadness and anger from the bottom of their heart. Why are they treated like a dull existence?!!! But it wasn't just an impulsive problem. That problem made a social invisible structure, and as I said it's not such a problem solved by a few realized people. It's very serious and important problem to ponder. When I saw some criminals in the jail, I was surprised, because the jail looked like a black people habitat. I don't have sufficient knowledge about this, so I don't know how we can reduce and remove this absurd oppression. But I attracted to this subject by the short documentary and some photos. I'am expecting next wednesday. I really want to know about this so I can understand the American Culture truly.

The discriminations is emcompassing our lives.

Disaster.

It's a disaster to be seperated from my family.

But to my uncle or aunt who live with me now, my feeling is imperceptible.

I think family members were doomed to be together eons ago.

Now I want to try some raw jellyfish because I need something with a stark taste like alcohol. I can't buy any alcohol in this strange country but actually, I had bought them without any controls in Korea. I'm mature enough to control myself, maybe.

If you're tough!!

My image is about car.

There is a man who ride a bicycle. His name is Lance Armstrong. He is a famous bicycle athlete for a cancer from which he had suffered. But he also famous for recovering the cancer.

In this image, he looks so powerful because his muscles are contracted and his face is full of energy. And he wears a professional uniform when athletes wear in a competition. It's like a taken photo in the peak point of the competition. So it says such an unbelievable power by which you can win the race even with the cancer. And also, the color of this image is very cool and fancy.  Because of this color, this car isn't just a stupidly powerful car but also a chic and stylish car. And top of the image, there is a sentence which is "IF YOU'RE TOUGH".

If I want some energy from driving or need strong car enough to feel free, I'll buy this car. Because of not just a visual image also the man's patience and strong will, I feel like I could get lots of energies from this car.

Maybe someone who support his cancer on the campaign or have an experience of cancers will think they would feel free from an unbearable affliction If they ride this car. And the normal people also will be attracted by the dramatic success which is come from the athlete's effort to recover the cancer.

Making fiction.

    There were a high school students couple who looked different from each other.

    A girl whose name was Bomi was really fat. She was the biggest girl in her family, in her class, and even in her village. Her favorite hobby was finding delicious foods, eating them, and appreciating them. She was always a model student because she really studied hard. She had incredibly beautiful eyes even though there was no one who knew it because she always wore unusually thick glasses during the bed time. She couldn't wear contact lenses instead of eyeglasses because her eyes were so weak. Due to her self consciousness, she often felt uncertain when she was treated nicely.

    She had a boy friend whose name was Jack. He really loved her. She couldn't understand why he liked her so much because no man had loved her before. She thought that he looked really cute and was popular to other girls becuase he had a great manner to everyone. But she, in a moment, gave up to understand the reasons why he loved her.

    There was a boy who really loved Bomi. When he was young, he was really fat in his kindergarten class. He was put on one side because he couldn't get along with other boys. But when he was hit by naughty boys, a powerful girl helped him. She beat enemies and protected him from them. He fell in love with her the first time she came to his rescue. The power, braveness, and fantastic fighting skills.... She was perfect to him. But he couldn't express his love to her because of his shy personality. He moved to another town a few months later. Whenever he missed her more, he tried to be stronger. Because he thought that if he was stronger than her and able to protect her, he could have enough courages to speak his mind. He really worked hard, exercised everyday,and had diet for a long long time. After being so fat, he finally had a normal appearance.

    After ten years, when he lost the weight, he moved back to his village and went to be close to her. There she was. She was  still beautiful with a more powerful appearance. And even she studied very well. She was a top student in her class. She fortunately couldn't remember him. He was really relived because he didn't want her to remember his weak childhood. But he couldn't tell that " I have loved you since I was a little boy." Though he thought that "She is so perfect and I'm not strong enough to protect her even I've tried so hard." He couldn't do anything but just try to get close to her. He just told her about a famous restaurant and bought some foods for her. She really loved it. He enfoyed watching her face when she ate lots of foods so fast. He thought that her eating was really speedy, correct, and professional.  Anyway, he really loved her!!

    One day, Hiro appeard. Hiro was the meanest bolly who hit Jack a lot. Hiro really hated Jack becuase he thought that Jack pretended to be a weak boy, and then he was protected by so many people. Hiro thought it's very silly that older people helped him without teaching him or judging his attitudes. Hiro saw Jack again in high school. At this time he couldn't stand Jack's personality anymore. He just wanted Jack to know himself as a jerk. At that time, he found out Jack loved Bomi. He couldn't accept that Jack had a girl friend even if he felt she was just like a pig. He wanted Jack & Bomi to seperate. So he approached to Bomi, preparing sandwiches and cookies for her. It was a perfect plan! Bomi was very interested in delicious foods, and was happy to find a cook who could make something delicious. Actually, Hiro was really good at flirting. He could talk with women naturally and was good at sports and also plays guitar in the school band, and so on... Jack was just frightened about Hiro's possible plans, especially since he knew what Hiro was like. Jack thought himself was really nothing comparison with Hiro. Jack was so nervous about it. In his dream, Bomi always loved Hiro than himself, and kissed each other. It was a terrible disaster. Jack wanted to make a fight with Hiro. He couldn't see Bomi talked with Hiro anymore. So, He made a card which said "Let's fight! If you lose, you should get out of me and Bomi. After lunch at the gym." Bomi heard about it. She worried about this. Because she thaught that Jack would definitely lose. So she ran to the gym to protect Jack. They already started to fight. Jack was just hit by Hiro never hit Hiro. Bomi ran into Hiro. And then Hiro was rolled out like a empty can. And then Bomi raised poor Jack, kissing to his forehead.

They finally confirmed real love. HaHAHa..