YooJin's blog

sexuality

2007-01-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

I think sexuality is an awkward topic to discuss especially in Asian countries. People tend to avoid discussing sexuality at home especially when their parents are around. Although there are sexual education classes in Korea, the classes aren't as informative as the classes taught in America. In U.S, they teach birth control methods, STDs and other information that aren't taught at schools in Korea. One class I remember is when a HIV patient came to tell us his story, how he got infected and what he has to do everyday to slow down the progress of his illness. I think it was more effective to hear from someone who actually has the diseases to realize how serious it can be. Also in America I didn't feel as awkward talking about sexuality with my friends. People think it's embarrassing to discuss sexuality in Korea. I think informative sex education classes are important for the teenagers. By learning and being aware of the right information, teenagers will know how to be responsible of their actions. If the grown ups only try to hide, thinking it's embarrassing and inappropariate, teenagers will never get a chance to learn and will make wrong decisions.

materialism

2007-01-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

Japan and America have different system of advertisement. In Japan the companies focus on a specific age group when they promote their products. In America, the advertisement is usually targeted to wider range of audience. Japanese teenagers and teenagers in America have different life styles and different ways of sharing information on the new trend. In Japan, teenagers learn about new trend on magazines, on the street or through their friends. This is why the companies tend to target a specific age group when they come up with an advertisement. Once the companies catch some teenagers’ attention by putting out an ad meant for the teenagers to see, the product soon will become popular among all the teenagers. This goes same for the entertainment industry. Many pop idol stars would show up on a magazine and if they succeed in catching the teenagers’ attention, they will show up in every TV programs soon. This focused promotion doesn’t usually happen in U.S. The difference in the teenagers’ life style is too big that companies can’t unify the entire teenage group as one audience. The companies must come up with different ways to attract teenagers’ attention through different advertisement. In both countries, the teenage group is one of the most important consumers. It is clear which age group the companies targeting when we see the new ads they put out and it’s easy to see the influence the teenagers have on every market. My project group is focusing on the materialism in Japan. We’ve worked to show many of the ways the companies used to promote their products. It would be interesting to see some of the advertisements that aren’t seen in U.S.

School

2006-11-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

Students spend most of their time at school. Teachers and friends at school take big parts in their lives. With different educational system in different countries, the relationship between the teachers and the students differ. I think in U.S, the teachers have friendlier relationship with the students compared to those in Japan. This is possible because the classes are much smaller in the states and the students don't have as much academic pressure. Probably in every country the schools have their way of creating a good relationship between the teachers and the students, yet in Japan most students thought of their teachers as teachers but never as "friends," who they could talk to. In U.S, depending on the cases, the students could even call their teachers by their first names. For example, my science teacher was also my dorm parent so everytime I saw her I called her by her first name. How classes and afternoon activities are structured at schools could also make difference in the teacher-student relationships. Not only in Japan but in most of the Asian countries students stay in their classrooms while the teachers spend their extra time at the teachers' lounge. In U.S, teachers would be in their own classrooms while the students move around to attend the classes. This gave students and the teachers more time to talk about things they couldn't discuss in classes. I think having a friendly relationship with the teachers actually helped me. I could ask for an advice on my personal life and I felt comfortable asking for the teachers' help. Though I became friendly with many of my teachers, I never lost repect. If the students get use to this friendly relationship since they're young, they will learn to be friends with their teachers, still remembering that the teachers are someone who deserve more respect than their other friends.

Family

2006-10-26T05:41:00.000-07:00

There are four members in my family: dad, mom, my brother and me. I don’t have many memories with my family because I went to study in the states since I was eleven. Before I went to study in the states, my dad lived in China and when I got back to Korea after I graduated from high school in Boston, my mom and brother moved to LA. Because I don’t have much to remember, even the smallest memory means a lot. Having dinner together, going on a short family trips or helping out my brother on his school project are some of the most memorable moments I’ve spent with my family. Everyone probably has different things to say about their families and their relationships with the parents and siblings. For my family I would say the relationships have changed a lot since I was much younger. When I was younger, my parents were always someone who provided all the necessities in my life. They paid for my tuition, gave me weekly allowance and told me what to do when I wasn’t sure what to do with my life. My brother was someone I thought was unnecessary. We always argued and sometimes those arguments got physical and we wouldn’t stop until one of us was bleeding. I never had close relationship with my dad and although my mom was always there for me, I always thought of her as a “parent.” Now as I got little older, how I think of my family has changed. I have much closer relationship with my dad and there is nothing I wouldn’t tell my mom. My brother is more like a friend, who I can talk to and get advice from. I think how families are formed depend on their situations and what kind of environment they’re living in. It would be hard to define a family without describing the other factors of the society in which that family is living in. These differences are well-described in the book we’re reading.

Self introduction

2006-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi, My name is Yoo-Jin Jung.
I'm a freshman at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.
I made this blog for my seminar class so please enjoy.
Thank you