Dinner Experience

In my every day life, dinner for me involves a healthy Korean style meal. These types of food are very different than American foods and is therefore eaten in different ways. Styles of culture between eating and conversations greatly differ between Koreans and Americans. I have the great pleasure of being able to experience both quite often and I am able to immerse myself in two different cultures. However, with this information, I act differently depending on who I am with and the style of the meal. For example, in Korean culture it is considered polite and is suggested to slurp your foods because it suggests it is extremely tasty. However, in American culture, that is considered rude and you will be frowned down upon because of your lack of manners. I am proud to be able to experience multiple types of lifestyles and cultures.

Name

My name is Matthew, a common name that comes from the Bible. My family are Christian and I believe that is what ultimately influenced their decision. My original Korean name is Jin-Ho. It was originally difficult to have two name but I got used to it. I did feel insecure about my Korean name, and I remember in elementary school when attendance was called, Jin-ho was my legal name so I always had to remind people that I'm Matthew. However, I got used to it and did not find it as a big deal. My legal name is now Matthew and I don't care anymore if people know my Korean name either.

Gogul finds his name as a hinderance and is embarrassed because of the unconventional meaning it has. Not many families name choose different names for the children, however when people do it provides for a platform for bullying because of differences. Therefore, Gogul is insecure about his name and does not want people to know or call him by his difference. I can connect to this because of my first experiences. 

Family History

My grandparents are all Korean; therefore, my parents and I are full Korean. My mom is familiar with America but is not fluent in speech. She has lived in Korea most her life but went to America for college where she began her skills in English. On the other hand, my dad is fully americanized. He went to grade school in Virginia, because my grandparents moved from Korea in search of a better life and more opportunities. With hard work and dedication my dad  went to MIT, then went back to work in Korea where he met my mother, and then moved to California which is where I am now. I have learned Korean values throughout my life even though my first language is English. Because of this, my dad and I share more similar interests because of our cultural background. My mother's way of life is very different from ours because of how she was raised. However, everyone in my household share the same values because of the fantastic job my parents have done with raising their kids. I am proud of my Korean values and background but am also happy my my dad was americanized because I enjoy this culture more.

That Defines Meh

A personal true characters and interests are fully put into place when faced with irrational situations. It is easy to go with the "normal" way of life, and hard to take risk because of the fear of the consequences that may follow. However, irrational elements can contribute to lifelong experiences that one needs to have in order to better their own interests. Doing dangerous activities makes people feel the most adrenaline which can be used to spur new ideas or thoughts. Currently, I have not done many irrational things so I cannot fully support my position on the importance of having irrational elements. However, I feel that my life isn't even close to over, and can experience much more. Right now, the purpose for why I want to live is unknown and I feel that through irrational events, things will ironically be clearer to me.

Contradictions

Contradictions are not necessarily bad and is very human to do. Our minds change in reaction to what is happening in the moment. For example, I am not extremely religious, but constantly finding myself praying at my own convenience. I do this for self satisfaction that allows me to feel better about myself. Also, people have different approaches and thoughts today depending on who they are around. Being politically correct in public atmospheres may not be how that person actually thinks about certain topics. Therefore, our minds really do adjust to the given situations and circumstances.

Marriage Therapy

My therapy session with Kate and Petruchio was extremely interesting. It was the oddest couple ever with many instances of Petruchio wanting dominance over went. When I was talking alone to Kate, she told me how difficult it was complying to all of his requests and the lack of freedom she faces. I felt bad for her because the one, strong-willed and minded character totally changed personalities due to Petruchio. When talking to Petruchio one on one, I noticed his condescending behavior and his need to be in control. It was definitely difficult and tough for me to try to give him advice he would want to learn and take from it.

When both of them sat down with me, we talked about each other differences and what they wanted to accomplish out of their marriage. The goal was simple for Petruchio: let him do his thing, while Kate sits and home and serves him. It was something that Kate spoke at against in her one on one, so I tried to give him advice on how to incorporate and bond with his family better. Therefore, I gave the couple a long term goal to go on dates occasionally and makes unanimous decisions throughout their life. Kate definitely love the sound of this and couldn't wait to get started. I feel that this couple has a lot of work to do in the future to be a truly happy couple because the wife is not happy right now with her lifestyle. If this continues, problems will grow and it will be harder and harder to overcome. 

Names of Women: Does it really matter

The posing question of the importance of a woman holding onto her name is completely irrelevant considering the other issues of gender inequalities especially in jobs. Our society is way to sensitive to minor problems such as this one. Names are used as identifiers and one gender had to keep their last name in order to represent that they are married and for the convenience to reference them as a family. Men retaining their last name has been a tradition for as long as civilization has been created and there is no reason to change it now. It is extremely silly for arguments to be made advocating men to change their last names to women. Women have the right to keep their last name if they choose and it is not a big deal if something so simple as one's name is changed.

Feminism

While reading one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays, The Taming of the Shrew, a major topic of feminism has been discussed throughout our class. Back in the time period of Shakespeare, where women were seen as more of a sexual symbol that produce offspring, their rights were limited. As our society has grown, women have become increasingly more powerful and influential in the world. I am a firm believer that all people should have equal opportunity and it just so happens that there are typical male and women roles in our society that fit the requirements of that field. I therefore do not consider myself to be a feminist because I could care less to advocate for women's rights because they have just as much as men already. However, men are usually more physically dominant and therefore are seen as more influential than females which are back up by statistics of male presidents to female presidents, or male sports coaches to female sport coaches. We all have the same opportunity no matter the gender, but specific and generic roles have been outlined throughout the past which are not unfair to judge women by. I believe that feminism is not really a problem in the U.S currently because males and females are all born with equal rights but there are certain limitations to both parties.