JLC-Thach-Chaneryna

 Unfortunately, I don’t know much about business card culture in Cambodia or Vietnam since I’ve never been to either ( very sad, but I hope to go one day). However, what I have observed from watching my parents ( they own a restaurant for reference) is that they mainly just talk to people rather than give business cards. From what I have noticed, Japanese business cards seem to be very simple, formal, and straightforward. Which I think is very fitting for them as they are known as a kind, yet reserved and polite group of people.  Whereas in America business cards have a lot of emphasis on being unique with a goal of showing off their personality to the viewer through their card. This reflects American society well in my opinion; as most Americans value individualism. Usually in America, no two business cards look the same (at least that is what I observed on Google. I think this is especially noticeable in small business accounts. ). While making my business card I noticed mos...

  The journey of starting a new language is incredibly scary and many times very lonely especially if you're just learning it by yourself. It is hard to find motivation to continue learning when it is just you. A big reason why I don’t speak Khmer fluently is because I was never able to find people who also spoke Khmer with me (other than my family, but they weren’t home as much). A big reason why I went back to learn Khmer formally over the summer was because I had my little sister join the class with me ( albeit we went on different days, but it was still nice). One, I finally was able to have someone to practice with and ask questions. And two, even though I wasn’t able to meet them in person, I was able to find a Khmer community online. And they were fantastic! That is why I believe It is extremely valuable to find or make a community when learning a new language. It's great to have a group of people that will support you and most importantly understand your struggles when ...

  I am glad I finally know why the Japanese language has three different alphabets. Hiragana is meant for native Japanese words while Katakana is for foreign words. If I remember correctly, Kanji is from Chinese characters that have been adapted into the Japanese language. Despite knowing all of this I still have difficulties telling Hiragana and Katakana apart ( I know I am so ashamed! I promise I will do better! ) Hopefully, as we continue on during the semester the difference between the two will become more apparent. A bit more practice and I am sure this will change! So far I am noticing that Hiragana is more rounded and much more natural to write down to me. (The curviness of the characters reminds me of Khmer in a way)I think I might prefer writing in Hiragana for now.  While katakana is more angular, sharp, and a bit rigid for me to write. But perhaps I’m just not used to writing these characters yet. ( I haven’t built muscle memory for the letters yet). I plan on doin...

  Well, I guess technically I grew up in three different cultures: American, Cambodian, and Vietnamese, and each of them had a different way of using names/ honorifics. I feel as though in America things are very casual. The closest we have to honorifics is using Mr. or Ms for teachers/ people older than you. I remember meeting my friend’s parents and they would ask me to call them by their first name ( which I didn’t do. I only refer to them by their last name because it felt more polite). Even in college, it took me a while to call my professors by their first names because it just felt rude to call them that! While in Cambodia we have lots of honorifics and it is taken very seriously. There is a word for every type of relationship you could have depending if that person is older or younger than you. And Vietnamese culture is the same way. For a long time, I thought my uncle’s honorifics was his true name until my dad told me the truth. But a common thing between Cambodian and Vi...

 I’ll be honest, Hiragana is pretty intimidating.I need to stop being interested in languages with multiple alphabets ( just kidding, of course haha).  I struggle the most with the stroke order, but that should change with a bit more practice every week.I’ll probably make some flashcards to help me memorize these a bit better. I remember as a kid I struggled a lot with reading.I remember many of my teachers ignoring me and assuming I already knew all the material when I didn’t. I was put in a lot of reading classes and I later found out from my sister that I was actually put into the English as a second language program or ESL.Once, I got a teacher who was patient with me and willing to help me and teach me how to read.I did fantastic (who would have thought).Textbooks never helped, but reading fun books like The Magic Tree House made me want to read more (plus they had way cooler pictures than any textbooks). So maybe I could do some research and find some Japanese children’s...

  Several people have many different reasons for learning new languages, whether it be for their resume or to have better memory. Everyone has their reasons. Personally, for me, I decided to learn different languages to better connect with my family and friends. Maybe it's just me, but when I see my parents speak their mother tongue, they look so happy. So comfortable with themselves. I have always felt ashamed that I could never make them feel that way. Until this summer when my sister and I decided to take a Khmer reading and writing class together and it was wonderful! It was nice to formally learn my native language. Not only did I learn to read and write ( at a very basic level) I was also able to understand and reconnect to my culture. I was able to find an amazing Cambodian community that I didn't even know existed. I am hoping that by learning Japanese I can relive that experience again. Since I also work at the Nelson we get folks who come from all over to see the art ...

  My Water Tigers piece was inspired by Hokusai print The Great Wave off Kanagawa!