Chinese culture course blog: by Kathleen Guesman https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3 Hello my name is Kathleen (凯瑟琳) ! i am a transfer from NOVA this is my second semester here! i am from Fairfax va and my major is Environmental science. i hope to go into environmental law and policy or management. i am not really looking forward to this class, i have other classes that are more important and have to do with my major. this class already seems to be taking up way more time then i intended and i pray it does not conflict with my science classes-.- i am going to try my best to keep up with this class so this is my blog to do so. i am taking this class to fulfill the international elective and chinese culture is not really somthing i care to much about, but i am sure it will be a good learning experience. i am excited to learn more about the Chinese culture!(: 我是從NOVA的轉移這是我的第二個學期在這裡！我來自Fairfax va，我的專業是環境科學。我希望進入環境法和政策或管理。我不是真的期待這個類，我有其他類更重要，與我的專業有關。這個類似乎已經佔用了更多的時間，然後我打算，我祈禱它不衝突與我的科學課程 - 我將盡我所能跟上這個類，所以這是我的博客這樣做。我正在選擇這個課程來完成國際選修，中國文化並不是真正關心的事情，但我相信這將是一個很好的學習經驗。我很高興了解更多關於中國文化 en-us 2017-01-24 23:14:58 UTC 2017-04-10 23:44:23 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Terminator.png DAY 1: guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149196170 got into this class last minute because it was the only course open. missed the first class and the second class was the most stressful 2hours of my life. teacher is nice but there is a lot of random websites and extra stuff she is making us do like this blog. do not really care for chinese culture "tbh". 
 After reading chapter one I gained a new insight on Chinese traditions and the culture. I read about the influences and religions that shape the culture. I really enjoyed learning about the different holidays and marriage rituals the culture par take in. A person’s name is an very important part of what makes you. It was interesting to read about how in the Chinese culture they use different genders to distinguish names. I really enjoyed this chapter and can not wait for the next!

]]> 2017-01-24 23:18:10 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149196170 DAY 2: guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149196245 finally figured out (but not really) what this class is and what i am doing here. i am currently sitting in class un entertained trying to fill this space with words. all i can think about is laying in my bed. today professor is discussing the traditions of the chinese culture like chinese new year is in preparation. she talked about the different roles of each member in a chinese household/family. i found this article about the chinese new years because i think that it is a very extraordinary tradition. "a sixth of the world will observe the tradition"

NOTES:   
- Fish= good luck
-        Chinese new year preparation begins. 
-        Roles of members in family
-        “Law in china about not giving your parents money every month”
-        Next chapter about traditions on elderly and respecting them how is it different from the western countries?
-        What does my name mean in Chinese?
-        Lunar calender”

]]> 2017-01-24 23:19:29 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149196245 DAY 3: guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149779600 today we talked about celebrations in different countries and how in chinese new year they watch the Galla performance. this saturday morning is this years galla. we watched a video about the 24 solar terms and how they identified each. the soar calendar is the calendar chinese use which is different then america, that's cool. august 15 there is a festival for the full moon when it is the fullest and brightest. the lantern festival seems like something truly amazing. *bruce lee* :D



NOTES:
-professor and her family cooks a "special" pancake during the first day of spring.
-        24 solar terms= there relation to the natural world. 5 greatest invention of china, evidence of cultural diversity of humanity,
- one year birthday ceremony
- white is not allowed in weddings
- they dont tell people if there gonna die because there spirits

I did some research on the moon festival here is a video i found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sxRRIxC1GE]]> 2017-01-26 22:45:54 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149779600 my name in chinese: guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149781035 Kathleen = 凯瑟琳

]]> 2017-01-26 23:03:21 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/149781035 DAY 4: guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/150709667 i missed class because i am sick:(  But i did read the chapter on traditional chinese virtues. i did some more intense  research about the influences and historical background and found out some pretty cool stuff. i think this chapter is the most interesting chapter so far.
 I love my grandparents and respect them so much. my grandma is one of my best friends and i would die for her. i cannot imagine being disrespectful to the elderly. i know today in america this is a big issue and i have seen the reality of it. as a kid growing up in america i have had my faze of disrespectful situations with the elderly. looking back i am very ashamed of the period in my adolescent but i know i was wild and did not think about it as it happened. i was raised in a christian household, though my parents were young and reckless when they had me it turned out to be more of my grandparents trying to teach me the religious way and raise me. which mite be why i disrespected them as a child. now as an adult i can not even imagine a world without my grandparents. I lost my first grandparent this last summer and it was one of the most heart breaking things i have ever experince i respect the chinese culture for ]]> 2017-01-31 22:50:01 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/150709667 guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/152283680 i am a believer of confucius and his teachings confucianism is china's "moral standard". like in the chapter, Confucius' philosophies on society and government showed us that the foundation of moral society was family. i like how each member in a family have certain eloquent relationships with one another, the young owed elders respect while the elders would provide protection (filial piety).  i feel like being punished by the law if you fail to respect your elders would not be such a bad way of living. there are a lot of crazy people in this world,  i was wondering if there were any circumstances in which one could get away with disrespecting there elders?]]> 2017-02-07 19:54:38 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/152283680 CHAPTER: traditional chinese virtues guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/152283805 i am a believer of confucius and his teachings confucianism is china's "moral standard". like in the chapter, Confucius' philosophies on society and government showed us that the foundation of moral society was family. i like how each member in a family have certain eloquent relationships with one another, the young owed elders respect while the elders would provide protection (filial piety).  i feel like being punished by the law if you fail to respect your elders would not be such a bad way of living. there are a lot of crazy people in this world,  i was wondering if there were any circumstances in which one could get away with disrespecting there elders?]]> 2017-02-07 19:54:56 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/152283805 My first message with Geoffrey: guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155325108 here is the first contact by email from my penpal, Geoffrey:
"Hi, 
I am Yenjye you can call me Geoffrey as well, nice to having you for this project.

Firstly, briefly introduce myself, i am senior student in Wenzao Ursline University of Languages , studying in Translation and Interpreting department.
Secondly, I can't find your Skype, so maybe you can add me. This is my Skype: jeffrey941207.
Lastly, we have to arrange a time for our first Skype talk. When are you available? Let me know.  Thank you.

Have a nice day,
Geoffrey"
]]> 2017-02-21 23:17:54 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155325108 the struggle of different time zones... guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155325269 with geofrey being 8,000 miles away it is very hard to communicate properly, playing tag over skype we have finally set up our first skype (this thursday). i have done some background research on his school and area. here is a picture of Geoffreys university, the school of english and international studies. this is where i assume geoffrey studies but not 100% sure i will ask him during our first skype. i am both excited and nervous for thursday only because i am not sure how good his english is and i do not know anything about him other than what he sent in the email.
]]> 2017-02-21 23:19:31 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155325269 Tuesday, February 21, 2017 guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155326168 today in class we learned about children of chinese culture learning to speak and how they comprehend poems. i did not write a post for the last weeks two classes. tuesday was very stressful and i was so tired. the classes voted to have class later on thursdays-.- i have class from 9am and the last thing i want to do is sit in this class longer than necessary. thursday i was unclear on what time we were meeting at....our professor is unclear and does not send out information talked about in lecture and i was so annoyed by tuesday's class i said fuck it and skipped (do not regret it at all) and slept. this class is alot of unnecessary work....sometimes this class is so time consuming start to wish china never existed-.- but this is just my tired mind talking.....i was in the library til 2am studying for an exam i had at 11am today. this will be my negative horrible thoughts on this class post because i need to relive some stress so if you really like this class dont read the next part......
i hate this class so much i want to cry every time i am here. it is so boring and long and i am hungry and tired i want to scream. i got to class early and had to listen to students scratch chairs across the floor for about 5minutes straight. this class is so unorganized and irrelevant to my major it is so frustrating. apparently there is a presentation due... and i refuse to get up in front of these people and pretend to be passionate about a subject i could not give two shits about right now. i honestly can only make out about 66% of words our teacher says, which sucks because i dont know what we are doing in here half the time....were watching some weird music videos in chinese....am i supposed to know what they are saying? this is such of waste of time oh-my-gawd. "which songs do you like best" i like the third one because its very folky and "poppy". i am done for this rant for now...stay tuned for another in the near future...i have a lot of built up anger at 7pm at night-.- 
ps. i understand the class is a good learning experience and my negativity is really bad but in the end i am happy to be in the class because i am learning alot about the amazing culture. ]]> 2017-02-21 23:28:13 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155326168 why is this class so serious? *cries* guesmankb https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155927108 this class is making me so depressed and sad and its too late to drop it fml. there is literally more assignments than all of my other four classes combined. sinces there is so many assignments there is a shit ton of instructions too. they make no fucking sense! i am so sad. i am about to start crying in class-.- this is literally the hardest class i am taking and i am a science major....this is more complicated than physics. 
Geoffrey is massaging me rn so class is a little better:D excited to have our first skype tonight! stay tuned for the blog and possible video....


]]> 2017-02-23 23:30:58 UTC https://padlet.com/guesmankb/udzzq0tmmss3/wish/155927108