"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

To me, the movie was quite funny and also interesting. The family was very lively and cheerful, but strict about religion. They are actually so unique for other people, but they don't notice and I found that it's the most funny thing about the movie.
I think it's a true story because religion is sometimes so important for some people. The movie was funny but if a couple can't get married just because of the religion problem, that would be so sad for them. I think it happens in today's modern times. For example, I've hard that Jewish can get married only with Jewish.
I thought the speech of her father was nice. I agree with the idea that even if they are not same kind of fruits, they are still fruits anyway. However, I thought that it's a bit strange that the main char actor's husband needed to change his religion after all.
If I were her, I wouldn't be able to stand the situation and will think like she did. I might be able to follow the rules, but I won't be willing to give up my boyfriend because of the religion or rules.

Weddings

1.Since Japanese weddings are expensive, do you think having a massive wedding like Korea or UAE is a good idea?

Although I know that Japanese weddings are expensive, I prefer having a wedding here to having a massive wedding. I think it's worth for paying a lot of money since I want to make a special memory on the happy big day.


2. What do you think about eloping? Having a wedding in a foreign location like Hawaii?

I don't have strong opinion about eloping. It could be bad, but if they don't have any choice but eloping, they may need to do that. If I elope with someone, I don't think I will have a wedding in anywhere. Although having a wedding in a foreign location would be nice, I will just register our marriage with some paper works when I elope. If I get married officially, then I might be interested in having a wedding in a foreign location like Hawaii.



3.What is your ideal wedding?

I prefer kind of more casual wedding to traditional and rigidly formal one. Also it would be great if it has originality like having a little surprise. It should be nice sunny day so we can go outside and take pictures.



4.What would you definitely do, wear or go to on that big day? Why is that important?

Usually, brides change the dress three times in a Japanese style of wedding. They usually wear white dress, Japanese traditional dress(Kimono), and then another color dress(other than white). So, I would also do that. I don't know if it's important or not, but people would think that's natural so I just follow the usual way. I also will put up the candles on each table. I think it's good way to make a romantic mood. Well, I don't know much about weddings nowadays since it has been changing little by little from traditional weddings. So, I don't know what I can do in wedding. However, I think I will try to make our(me and my husband) wedding our style considering traditional style of weddings. I believe that's the most important thing for our wedding.


5. Have you ever been to a foreigner's wedding? What was your impression?

Unfortunately, I've never been to a foreigner's wedding.

Superstitions

・Do you think it is important to talk about superstitions in cross culture communication class? Why?
Yes, I do think so because they sometimes show the customs in each countries. So, learning superstitions helps to learn about different culture and how to communicate with people in each countries. Besides, some of them are made for restrain some unpleasant actions for the culture, so if we don't know such kind of superstitions, we may break the rules that people keep unconsciously in the society.



・Is communication affected by superstitions?
I think it depends. As I said, it's important to know some superstitions to communicate with people in different countries so we can know their culture and follow their rules, but communication is not always affected by superstitions. That's because not all people believe in superstitions. If you were in foreign country and knew some superstitions of there, people in the country would be impressed. However, on the other hand, even if you didn't know any of them and did something that against superstition, people in the country still won't get upset but would understand since you are from another country and were brought up in different culture.


・Do you believe in superstitions? If yes, what superstitions do you believe?Why do you do, use, or believe in them?
I don't believe in superstitions in general. I sleep right after eating, when I sneeze, sometimes the superstition that says someone is talking about you comes up with my head, but I don't care. However, I do care when it comes to the superstitions which are related to "death." For example, passing food chopstick-to-chopstick, or sleeping with my head in north position. Although it still doesn't mean I believe in the superstitions, I just feel bad doing them since I often hear people saying the same things which are related to death.

Proburbs and Sayings about Time

1. Time is money.

It means that time is important as much as money. Since time is invaluable, we must not waste it, but we should treat it like money.


2. A stitch in time saves nine.

It means that if we did something in right time, we won't get into trouble so much. However if we procrastinate to solve the small problem, it could be worse and worse.


3.There's no time like the present.

It means any time is important, but now is the most important for you. Therefore, if you thought about doing anything, you should do it right now because now is the right time to do it.


4.Let's meet at 4. If I'm not there by 5, leave without me at 6, and I'll be here at 7.

I'm not sure about this. It's just saying to wait an hour after each established time.





They are proverbs/sayings that tell us the importance of time. They suggest that now is only for now, and our life is not forever, so you must not waste any time and any moment.


Finally, we have a proverb about time. It's "Isogaba Maware," Make haste slowly in English. It means that we'd better take a roundabout course than go the shortest way to avoid danger. Though we know the importance of time, we could get into trouble if we hurry. Going fast is not always give us success. That might sound easygoing, but it's actually wise way to live.

Homework3 -clothes, colors, friends-

1. Do you judge people according to what they wear? Why?

I would say it depends. When I'm on campus, I don't think I judge people by their clothes so much since our generation is close and there are few differences among us. Of course there IS differences, but I think it's just personal preference of each person, so I believe that I can't judge people according to what they wear. However, when I'm on a train or at downtown, I think I do that. For example, if the person wear suit, I could guess the person is a member of society or is doing job hunting. Also, I sometimes judge if the person is rich or not. For example, if the person wear a quality leather coat or bland-name bag, I will think the person is rich. On the other hand, if the person wear shabby shirt and sit on the ground with some garbage bags, I will think the person is poor.

2 Do you think Japanese society puts an importance on clothing when judging other people from another country?

Yes, I think so because it gives us the imformation of the country. Since we usually don't know much about people from another country, we try to guess about them according to what they wear. For example, we may know what the weather like in their country, or what kind of religion they believe in by their clothes.

3. What colors are you wearing now? Do they reflect your mood?

I'm wearing blue and black now, and they are not energetic color. Indeed, I'm tired and not so energetic now, I don't think colors I wear reflect my mood really because I don't choose the colors depend on what colors I want to put on. For example, even if I think I want to wear bright colors like red or yellow, I think they are not proper to wear for my age but for more kids. Also, season sometimes has to do with color I wear. Since I don't choose colors I wear by the feeling at the moment, I don't think they reflect my mood.


1. What are some subjects that you will never discuss with a friend?

I don't talk about weight with a girl friend. I don't tell my exact weight nor ask her weight.

2. Do you have different friends for different parts of your life? If so, how are they different to you? Do you talk about different things? Go to different places?

Yes I have some different friends. For example, friends who have their baby. They seem adults for me because they are usually forced to be independent. They need to do house works, take care of their babies, and make dinner and so on. Although I usually talk about school, classes, or part time job with my similar friends, I talk about shopping malls, restaurants, or TV shows with friends who have babies. Also places I go with them is different. I usually go downtown and go shopping with my friends, but the other friends who have babies, I mostly just go to their house or a restaurant since it's hard for them to bring their babies around.

A letter for my international friend -expressing my condolences-

Hi, I'm sorry to hear that your grandmother passed away. She was a kind and nice person, and now, you must be feeling lonely without such a great person. I miss her, too. Everytime I visited your home, she made a great tea for me, and she smiled at me over handing me the tea. She made me and a lot of people happy, and she was loved by anyone. Your grandmother will be remain in our heart forever. Please accept my condolences.

Sincerely,

Homework2

1. a) Yes, I have international friends, and..I may write a letter for the friend and his/her family saying "I'm sorry,""you must be feeling onely," and so on. I know the way we usually do for expressing the condolence here don't match with some contries'culture, and I don't want to be rude, so I think just writing a letter is good and safe way to express my condolence to the friends.
b) No, I have never been to a foreign funeral.

2. a) Since I'm not so crazy about designer label, I don't really know why. I guess that because it represents the high quality of the goods, or because it can show how the goods the person wear are expensive and well made, and how she/he is fashionable. Also, we know bland- name goods will not go out of fashion, and we know that we can wear them through young generation to adult, so it's economical in terms of that. I think what the person wear is important for first impression, and since we tend to guess what kind of person he/she is from that, we especially care about what to wear when we meet someone for the first time. Also, I guess it's related to the background that we like to move and act together here Japan. Not many people here want to be unique nor outstanding, and wearing propery is sometimes usuful to be on good terms with people.
b) I agree with the view of the proverb "Don’t judge a book by it’s cover." I don't think the appearance tells everything of the contents, I mean, the person. Indeed, it's sometimes true, but I think if we always judge from the appearnce, we will miss a lot of great things. We will never know how the book is great without actually seeing the inside, and we will never know how the man in shabby shirt is actually smart and has warm personality by just looking at what he wears.

Wrapping Culture

1. I close the curtains at night. I think the reason why is just because I do, I mean, it's a custom to me and I've been doing it since I was a little child. I guess Japanese people do that because inside of a house like a living room is private space, and we don't usually want to show our private space. Also, we tend to clean Genkan more than living room, so we can show the Genkan but not the other messy rooms. (reffering to sensei's story) I think it's a kind of Japanese custom to show a nice part in pubric and hide some private things behind that. I know some American students even keep their room doors open in dorm. However, Japanese people never do that because the inside of the room is private and it could be messy as well. I thought the last class was quite interesting like the way to say "wrapping culture." Oh and also I wrap my face by making up(if it works) so I can show my better face and even courtesy to people.

2. a) In my opinion, I don't go anywhere when I die. I would think nothing is wating after death, and it's sad to think that way though. If it must to say, I would say I go to "the other world" when I die.
b) Japanese people have death memorial services after a person's death in order to recall him/her and think about the way to live of us. Also, they can be good opportunity to meet a bunch of relatives who we don't get to see in daily life. We suppose to have meal together after the services, and I think it's nice thing because we can have fun over eating, chatting and recalling the person at the same time. Also, I feel better to know people will do that after I die as well to be honest because I would like my relatives to recall me sometimes even I die and not actually being around with them in "this world."

Politics

If you were working for the UN, which job would like to do using your English abilities? Why?

If I were working for UN, I would like to work at ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization since I'm interested in airline businesses. I think that will be great if I could work for improving the safety of aviation and developing the technique of it. Also, I think I will have a lot of opportunity to use English if I were engaged in the work. Therefore, I would choose ICAO.

I'd like to say thank you to Ms. Meiki. Thank you for giving us so much great opportunity and experience.

Personal Space

1. You're talking to a co-worker . How close do you stand?

I think I will stand about from my arm length to one meter.

2. You're talking to a friend. Do you touch each other?

Although some of my close friends touch me, I almost never touch them. I think people don't touch each other really in Japan. I know some people tend to touch each other when they are drunk or when they want to hit on someone though.

3. Look at the diagram of a waiting room. Where do you sit when you enter?

I probably sit on the seat which is at the left coner because I feel good to be at the coners of rooms. Also, if I sit on the corner, I will be able to see the other people in the room, but it'll be hard for them to see me, which makes me feeling better for some reason.

4. You're in a crowded elevator. Where do you look?

I'd say I will look either up or down because I want to avoid to look at people in there. I think it's going to be awkward to look at people who I don't know in the nallow space.

5. You're standing in line. How close do you stand to the person in front?

I think I will stand close to the person in front like there will be 30 centimeter between me and him/her. I don't think of the personal space much in this case because the person in front of me is not looking toward me, but he/she is looking at the front, so I don't care about the distance between us. Also, I think about the other people waiting behind me. If everyone stand like one meter from the person in front, the line is going to be longer.

6. You get on the bus. There is an empty row of seats at the back, and an empty seat close by. Where do you sit?

I will choose the empty seat close by because it's more convenient to get off the bus.

7. You're in library and there's an empty seat beside you. Do you want to stop someone sitting there ? If so, how?

Yes, I do because if there were someone next to me, I won't be able to concentrate on my work, so I think I will put my back on the seat beside me.

8. You're going to the beach. Do you like to see lots of people or very few?

I'd rather see very few people because I don't want to be in the crowd. It annoys me if I could hear the conversation of other people. On the other hand, though, quiet beach with more space would be wonderful for me.

9. When you're talking to someone, do you look them in the eye?

No, I don't do that much since I'm shy. I'm not quit sure the reason why, but I don't feel good to do that. I think that it might be custom stuff since usually Japanese people are shy. I look the person in the eye when it comes to an interview for job or something though.

10.You're on a train. Do you talk to the other passenger?

No, I never talk to the other passenger because I think it's going to be strange if I did. I think people have each own world, and I feel I can't step foot into there. Also, I don't have enough courage to do that.

CW Certainty Questionnaire

Your score is 40 on a scale of 0 to 100 = Preference for Tolerance for Ambiguity
Your score indicates that you have a moderate Tolerance for Ambiguity and might be willing to give up job security for more opportunity. In countries/cultures with a Tolerance for Ambiguity, conflict in organizations is perceived as natural, and rules may be broken for pragmatic reasons. If you work in countries/cultures with a Need for Certainty, such as Japan, France, and Greece, you might react by creating a micro-environment that would shield you from the burden of what you might perceive as excessive structures, rules, and regulations. In countries with a high Need for Certainty, loyalty to an employer is seen as an advantage; a specialist career is preferred over a career in management.

The countries you requested are listed below. The numbers in parentheses refer to the country scores as listed by Professor Geert Hofstede in his book Culture's Consequences:
Japan (92) Need for Certainty, a strong preference for an environment that is more structure-oriented, and where rules, roles and management practices are clear and unambiguous
USA (46) Tolerance for Ambiguity, a moderate preference for an entrepreneurial environment which is less bound by rules and regulation.

It says that my tolerance for ambiguous is moderate, but it might be better to work in countries with need a certainty. Therefore, Japan, France, and Greece seem to be good places for me to work. Indeed, the score in parentheses of Japan is high.

I agree with the results. I think I'm used to act under rules, and I think I'm good at keeping rules better than break it for programatic reasons. It means that working in the USA would not be so suitable for me much since it's one of the countries which is less bound by rules and regulation. I would say I'm not so flexible. Therefore, I think the results are right.

My Ideal Man

My ideal man has to be humorous, kind, cool, and intelligent.
Especially, having a sence of humor is the most important thing for me because it will allow us to have even more fun to be together.
Also, kindness is important because I think that it helps to keep a good relationship. My ideal man should be kind to not only me, but to everyone.
It is perfect if the man who is humorous and kind has good-looking face and intelligence, but they are not so important.

family

a. When do children usually leave home?
I think children leave home if they decided to go to a college which is far away from their home. For this case, children have to live by their own. However, I think usually childern leave home after graduating a college.

b. How many people live in your home?
There are four people living in my home, and the stracture is that my fater, mother, younger sister, and me.

c. Do you have head of the family?
I think it's my father. He doesn't speak much, but usually the person who make a important decision is my father.

d. Who does the house work?
That's my mother. She cleans our house, cooks each meal, and does dishes. I think she does most of chores in our house. I do that just occasionally, which is not good. Family members shold help her more.

e. Who runs the family?
I think both my father and mother run this family. They make money for all of us, take care of children including me. I and my sister depend on our parents, and I think that we will do that even after leaving the home.

f.How many rooms do you have to sleep in?
We have three bed rooms on second floor and one room for a guest to sleep on first floor.

Greetings

a.How do you greet members of your family?
I say "ohayo" in the morning and "oyasumi" at night.

b.Are the customs the same all over your country?
We all greet to someone, but the way could be different and the words are sometimes different because of the dialect.

c.How do you greet people who are important insociety?
I use "teinei-go" which is added "masu" for them.

d.Do people greet people of the opposite sex in a different way?
I think we greet in same ways.

e.How do people greet someone they've just met?
We say "hajime-mashite," bow, shake hands, and exchange business cards.

f.Do you hug members of your family?
No, I don't.

Welcome Colgate University Students!

I talked with a nice buy, Jason Kammerdiener. It was very fun to talk to him because we had a lot of mutual subject like school life. While we talk, we learned a lot from each other. It's mostly about culture. I was surprised to hear that a baby just got to home from hospital don't sleep with his/her mother in same room. Jason was also surprised when I told the fact that we don't say "I love you" so much in Japan. However, since we had a lot in common, we enjoyed talking. I hope this kind of thing will happen again.

Buddhism

. How is your daily life affected by Buddhism? What do you do and why do you do it?

I pray in front of Household Buddhist alter every day because I always thank my ancestors.
I say sutra when I go to someone's funeral or memorial service. We do that because we admire Amitabha Buddha.
I say "itadaki masu" before eating and "gochisousamadeshita" after eating to show the appreciation for food.

＞1.Are feelings emotions and facial expressions universal across borders, happy, sad, etc..?

Most of them, but not all. Sometimes they are slightly different.


＞2. Try to name as many feelings as possible in Japanese. ( 10 minimum)
Now write the English translation.3.

嬉しい　悲しい　怒り　失望　辛い　興奮　憂鬱　満足　疲れる　退屈
happy, glad, pleasure/sad, unhappy, srrowful/angery, mad/disappointed, despair/hard, painful/excited/depressed/satisfied/tired/bored　


＞Are there any feelings in Japanese that cannot be translated into English?

面倒くさい　切ない

homework

I greet people differently depending on who I greet to. For example, I greet my friends by just saying like "hi, good morning." However, when I greet to superior or elder people, I bow over saying "good morning." Also, I greet with honorrific words to them. For example, when I say good morning(ohayo), I add "gozaimasu" after that because it's more polite.
When I talk to people, I rarely touch them because if someone touch me when he/she talks to me, I feel awkword, and I don't want to make people awkword.