Spring Days = Spring Cleaning = Mother's Day

With Spring Days comes the idea of spring cleaning. Maybe I'm a little late in talking about this because I'm pretty sure that spring cleaning is in like April, but April was too cold this year so let's say that spring cleaning is in May.

I hate spring cleaning.

I'm not a neat freak. If my clothes are strewn around my desk chair (which they always are) I don't really mind. My parent's thankfully don't go on this cleaning binge. Everyone else I know does. I don't know any other culture that involves themselves in spring cleaning. It seems like a totally American concept.  I have no idea where spring cleaning comes from or why it seems to be ingrained in the American culture.

Another thing that relates to spring is Mother's Day. The Westernized countries were the only countries with this concept of Mother's Day until very recently. When my mom was growing up in India, there was no such things as Mother's Day. Now there is. But that's probably because India is becoming more and more of a Western power every day. Mother's Day celebrates the individuals who raise us. It definitely is a very individualist thing that is found in pretty much every individualist culture. In other societies, it isn't just the mother who raises her young. It's the aunts and uncles and the grandparents and even the neighbors down the street. Here, mother's raise their kids and that its. That's why we have a Mother's Day. That's why other countries don't.

                                    

Birthday Parties

In the year of sweet sixteen's, it may be shocking that I'm going to be talking about little kids' parties. Yesterday, I went to two parties. One was for a little girl who was turning three years old. The other was for a little girl who was turning one. The girl who was turning three had her party in the morning and the other girl had her's at night. My mom said something that really struck me as true. She said "You know, I don't think little kids realize what a birthday is until they at least turn four years old. Then what is the point of a birthday party?" Of course, this mentality didn't keep her from throwing me a first birthday party, nor did it keep her from throwing my sister a first birthday party either. Still, the thought is the same.

What does a one year old know about turning a whole different age? Nothing. The little girl was cranky the whole night (probably because everyone was trying to rub and pinch her chubby cheeks), she wouldn't let go of her mom (because she was scared of said people who wanted to rub and pinch her chubby cheeks), and she threw up at the beginning of the night (surprisingly, this has nothing to do with people who wanted to rub and pinch her chubby cheeks). She wasn't a happy baby. The other three year old girl was more concerned with the pretty dress she was wearing and the moon bounce in her backyard to realize that she wasn't just two anymore, she was three! Because you know, that's such a milestone birthday (well maybe it is because she's  no longer in her "terrible twos" anymore).

I think that birthday parties are good for teenagers who are excited to grow older and become "adults." Adults don't like birthday's because it's a reminder that they're that much older than said teenagers and little kids don't understand at all what they're celebrating. Birthdays are sometimes fun, sometimes annoying, sometimes a great (or horrible) reminder of just how old you are. Sometimes though, it seems to be a waste of time, money and energy. I understand that mother's want to celebrate the birth of their children. Hell, I'll probably throw a first birthday party for my son or daughter too. I understand the need and I know I'll probably do it when I'm older too. But it's definitely an interesting part of culture. 

It takes a village to raise a child?

When I go to India, there are three things that I notice. The food, the people, and the companionship. India is one of those places where you can't complete a run because people will be constantly calling you in to talk. Every time I go to someone's house in India, I have to sit there and eat everything that they give me to eat even if I'm not hungry. It's considered rude and impolite if I don't. At the time of leaving, I have to touch the feet of my elders as a sign of respect. Then, if it is my first time being there (or my first time in like three years being there) then the person who just blessed me gives me money. Which I will profusely refuse until they shove it into my hand or I shove it back into theirs. It's a routine that I've got down pat. There is no such "custom" here. If I go to a new person's house, I will say hello, make small talk, and then leave a couple hours later.

I digress. That was not the point of today's blog post. America is a very lonely country. My mom grew up in a family of 6. She never had that much money, but in all her stories of her childhood, she never once told me that she was unhappy. She grew up with a mother who tried to make her children's favorite foods whenever she could, and a father who would surprise his kids with ice cream when there was a little extra money. If her parents were too busy, she would be at the neighbors house talking to the adults there or over the hill talking to the kids who lived down the road. Even now, when I return my little cousin (who is barely three) is always outside with others or in someone else's home. When my parent's and I are in India, people will drop by without notice. One time, my aunt had to make tea fifteen times in one day, because we had so many guests at so many different times. Not one had called up before and said, "Hey, can we come over?" They just kind of arrived.

I know my mom misses that. Here there is not that kind of companionship. People don't just drop in because they feel like it. They call beforehand if they even come at all. People are so busy in their lives, that they don't take the time to make someone else's life a little brighter. You can have everything in this country . . . except the warmth of others. You can have social butterflies, but it's not the same. You can have people who will randomly stop you in the street, but that rarely ever happens. The way Americans are obsessed with their privacy hinders the interaction between perfect strangers, and that's not a bad thing. It's just different.

 In India, when talking to a person that you don't know, you address them as bhai (brother) if they are near your age and male, bhenji (sister) if they are near your age and female, kaka (fathers brother) or mama (mother's brother) if they are your parents age and male, and aitha (father's sister) or moushi (mother's sister) if they are your parents age and female. And if you come across and elderly person, you will address them as dada (grandfather) or dadi (grandmother). Here in the US, you have three options. Mr, Ms, or the person's name. It's not personal at all. The companionship, the kinship found in India is not found here. Maybe that's why Indian immigrants in this country find it hard to interact with American citizens. Americans seem a little blunter, a little ruder, a little more intimidating.

My cousin that I talked about before, the village pretty much raised her. It was not just her parents. It was her grandparents (who live in the same house as her), her aunts and uncles (blood related or not), her brothers and sisters (even when they're not really brother and sister) and the many other people of the "village." No one is offended if my aunt decides to drop my cousin Khushi (fun fact: her name means happiness) off at someone's house so that she can go grocery shopping. In fact, it's expected, just like eating every single thing off your plate is expected. It's how life works and I know that my mother found that life homey and comforting. The vast expanse of land here makes her miss the small streets of her hometown so much more. The loneliness here makes her miss her brothers and sisters. Life here is absolutely wonderful, but this one cultural difference sure makes life  a little bit harder.

My Weekend Without Time.

My weekend without time was absolutely stressful.

The preparation for it wasn't too bad. I had to cover up the times in the kitchen (only above the oven), the two cars, my laptop, and my upstairs bedroom. I left the clock in my parents room alone as I wasn't going to go in there anyway and I took down the clock we had in our living room. There. That wasn't too bad.

I began on Friday night at 8:30. It wasn't too bad that night. I think I ended up staying up late that night because I didn't know what time it was. I let my tiredness dictate what time I would go to bed, something that I actually liked. I hate having to go to sleep at a certain time (bed time anyone?) so that was one aspect of a weekend without time that I really enjoyed.

The next morning, I had to wake up early. I didn't set my alarm, and had my mom wake me up instead. She told me that I was late. I hated not knowing how late I was. Since I didn't know how much time I had to get ready, I rushed through everything, only to find out that we weren't going to be that late at all. I could have spent more time in the shower waking myself up! My parents then drove me to dance rehearsal where everyone threatened to tell me the time constantly. I got through that, but dance without time was very stressful experience. I'm usually the one telling everyone that they need to be ready in x minutes and that we were set to go in y hours. It was hard to depend on someone else for that time. That dependence made me very nervous and almost made my day less enjoyable. Of course, after we had performed and gotten off the stage, I relaxed and I ended up having a great time. I didn't pay attention to the numerous clocks that were around the auditorium, and I found that time flew by.

The next day was much more relaxed. I woke up later, but I didn't know what time, so I wasn't sure if I should wake up or stay in bed. I finally got out and began to do my homework. I will admit that my homework seemed to get done faster since I wasn't looking at the time 24/7. My problem is that I work for 45 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. As I'm working those 45 minutes, I'm constantly looking forward to that break, something that makes my work go by a lot slower. Without time, I just continued to work until I felt as if I could work no longer. And then I took a break until I thought I should get back to work. That worked very well for me and and I may begin to just shut off time every time I begin my homework from now on.

Overall, my weekend without time wasn't a very pleasant one. Of course, that may have been because of the fact that I had a dance performance on Saturday that was very time driven. Maybe, if I had a totally relaxed weekend, I would have liked not knowing the time a lot more. I did enjoy some of the day on Sunday despite not knowing what time of day it was. I think I might try this again someday, on a weekend where I have nothing planned. I think that the results may be very different. 

The Worldliness Of Einstein

I forget where I saw this picture. Probably Facebook which is ironic in itself. I recently looked the picture up again because I remember being struck by it the first time I read it. It's a pretty logical fear and a fear that is slowly becoming a reality. When I go to dinner with my families, I see teenagers on dates. Both teenagers are usually on their phones instead of conversing with each other. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a date? People will choose to text instead of call. They'll email or Facebook message instead of sending a good old letter. It's weird to see what the world has come to.

I think Americans are the most social people in the world sometimes. They're open, always ready to help and completely honest. I'm not stereotyping, these are the experiences I've had. If technology surpasses human interaction, which is quickly beginning to happen, what will happen to the culture of America? Already, teenagers don't know how to talk to authority figures because most interactions with teachers or principals are done over email. When those teens grow up, how will they talk to their boss in a board meeting? 

Technology is a beautiful thing, but I feel as though it is beginning to take over the American mind. I got an iPhone for my birthday. I took it to my cousins house and he laughed and stated that the iPhone was simply a fashion statement among girls and that his Samsung Galaxy something was so much better. 

Um, who cares? 

I guess the iPhone is a fashion statement. Like a "look I have an iPhone, I'm totally cool now!" kind of thing. It's taken over human interaction because it's made it easier to chat, to text, to video-chat through "Facetime." One day, we may all just work from home and never see each other face to face. Einstein had a legit fear that is coming true. The question is, do we stop it? Or do we allow it to flourish and ultimately suppress human interaction in the American society? 

Magical Movies

I've spent my springbreak sitting on my couch reading and watching various movies. Yeah, it's a lazy vacation, but it's definitely a relaxing one. I saw that movies have three things in common (most of the time.) There's a love interest, there's some action, and more and more often there's a hint of the supernatural. Supernatural/magic/science fiction movies are very common and very successful in the United States. People will rush to the theaters to watch them. The Twilight Saga was a huge hit as was Harry Potter. Various superhero movies come out every single year and most of them are big successes. Avatar was another movie that brought in a lot of money. Don't even get me started on the numerous amount of apocolypse movies there are out there. So what is it about the "fictional" genre that the American people love so much???
These types of movie are not practical everywhere. In India, a movie like Avatar would never work. Superhero movies would never work. Harry Potter would never work. Sometimes, my relatives in India will go see the occasional English film. If they're feeling daring, they'll go see a sci-fi film. Whenever I ask them what they think of that movie, they all reply with the same thing - it was okay.
I think the American culture enjoys a touch of the magical because they believe in miracles. Why? I don't know. But maybe that's the reason the supernatural/magic/science fictions movies do so well in this country. Because we all like a little bit of magic.

A Divided Church and State?

It's Easter Sunday and a lot of things just stood out to me today. On the news, there was a lot of talk of Easter and the story behind it. The newscasters showcased the speech that the pope made about Easter and the speeches of various other bishops and priests. Today I saw that though American puts itself as a secular state, we are not as divided as we think. We believe in the division of church and state. The more of I think of this, the less I see of it. Today, Easter, which is a Christian holiday, was celebrated on TV. The pledge of allegiance that students are required to say almost every single morning references god. The American dollar bill and American coins have the phrase "In God we Trust." Religion is a huge part of the American culture. I didn't think that it was before. It seems as though Americans are becoming less religious and "modern" every single day. I'm not saying that that is a bad thing, but before these past couple of weeks, I didn't see America has a religious country. Now, I see that religion may not be the biggest part of this country, but it is a significant chunk of it.

Fast Society, Fast Time, Fast Food

I was on Google Images today because sometimes I get really bored and look up random things. The first thing that I looked up was American fast food. This is the picture that I got.

I then looked up Indian fast food. This is the picture that I got. 

And finally, I looked up Chinese fast food. This is what I got. 

I can't speak for the Chinese, but the picture that comes up for Indian fast food, really isn't fast food in the American context. They're not full meals, they're more like snacks. You usually get these dishes on the streets, like how you get hot dogs in New York City or cheese steaks in Philadelphia  But I don't think that cheese steaks and hot dogs are classified as fast food. So what exactly is that?!?!

I think the "westernized" countries are the only ones that have this "fast food." The fact that Americans even have fast food may be a linked to how we are obsessed with time. Need to eat fast? Why don't you have some fast food? When I walk into chains like Burger King of McDonald's, I don't see people taking their time and savoring their food like they would in a classy restaurant  They're eating very quickly so they can get out and do what they need to. Most of the time, these people just pick up their food from the drive through and eat in the car. Maximum efficiency right?

That's not the case in India. People will stop by the street vendors and sit there (sometimes these guys have chairs) and eat forever. These foods are usually snack items so it's not like they're having dinner there, but you can tell that these people are really enjoying their food. The dishes may be called "fast food" but there's certainly no one in a hurry to eat. I would bet that this may be the same deal in China. 

In the United States, people are so rushed that they even have a food that they call fast food. In India, the foods that are in the pictures above are not called fast food at all. Indians don't call them fast food. They're simply snack items. I can really see how the thought of time has really become embedded into American society and culture. It's a little sad that Americans have a food that's literally named fast. That may be India's future. Maybe in the next twenty years, when I google Indian fast food again I'll get the same picture that I got for American fast food. And that thought is pretty depressing. 

Arranged Marriages: Why They (Used To) Work

My mom talks about getting an arranged marriage all the time. It's different. I've asked her why arranged marriages seem to work so well. Her answer was actually really simple. There's stablility in an arranged marriage that love marriages do not have. Think about it. If your marriage has been arranged, you can't break the engagement without bringing disgrace on your family. Once you're married, unless the guy is really bad, then you can't divorce him and he can't divorce you because it brings disgrace on your family. When you have that stability that "he will always be there," then you can fall in love. Love after marriage. That love can blossom because of the trust that grows between man and wife. You learn to work out problems because if you can't you'll be misrible You learn to love someone who you previously never did, and you learn to live your life with someone fully. There is no need for divorce. Learning to love isn't a fairytale notion. It sounds kind of realistic and boring but I don't think falling in love can ever be boring. Arranged marriages work because people are at first forced to work out their problems and work together. They are almost forced to be together in the beginning, and then later, they fall in love and it's not forced anymore. Also, arranged marriages are arranged by elders. The people in India are brought up learning that the elders are always right. My mom trusted her parents in their decision to marry her to my dad. That trust also played a very big part in their marriage. Maybe not the most romantic notion in the world, but it's one that has kept marriages working for a very long time.

Of course, arranged marriages don't always work out. It used to be in India that you had to whether through the storm and stay married if you didn't want disgrace to fall on your family, no matter how horrible your marriage was. Now a days, its not like that. Divorce is more common than ever in India, and though the divorce rate is not nearly as high as in America, it still shows that Indian culture is slowly changing. Arranged marriages are not as common anymore either. More and more people are having love marriages, and sometimes these marriages work out. Sometimes these don't.

I think the Bollywood movies have a lot to do with the changes in culture. They show a lot of a girl having an arranged marriage and then running away with her sweetheart right before she is to be married. They show a lot of falling in love and then fighting to be together. And a recent occurance in movies is the kiss. I had never seen any couple kiss in an Indian movie until maybe last year or the year before. It just didn't happen. Now, there has to be at least one kiss in any famous movie. Another thing that has brought about the change in Indian culture.

The younger generation in India just don't accept the arranged marriage custom anymore. They believe in falling in love before you get married instead of falling in love with your husband. Arranged marriages aren't too common anymore. In my mom's time, everyone got an arranged marriage. It was unheard of to get a love marriage. Now, more and more youngsters are dating and "falling in love." It's certainly a difference. I sometimes wonder if this is what happened to American culture. Arranged marriages were, at one point, existent in American culture. What happened? What made them die out? And what part of American culture today makes the divorce rate so high???

The word divorce in hindi does not even exist, not really. Indians commonly use the word "talaq" to refer to divorce, but this is an arabic word. This tells so much about what Indians believe about divorce, but now that is all changing. Their culture is changing slowly day by day, just as American culture changed slowly all those years ago.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

I've noticed that whenever I am in the vicinity of people who are my parents age, they will all ask me what I want to be when I grow up. I usually just go "ahhh", and "umm", and then I finally end up saying "I have no idea what to do with my life." At this point, I kind of feel a little ashamed that I don't know where I want to go. It feels like so many kids have their lives planned out from right now. It makes me feel like I am behind in the race that is life.

Of course, I have time to figure things out. I don't really have to know what I want to do for a very long time. So why are people here so obsessed with what the future is supposed to be? If they are not asking me about my future potential job, they're asking me where I want to go to college (to which I reply "I have no idea"), or what I plan on doing in order to study for the SATs. The kids here at school are starting classes this summer to study for the SATs. We don't really have to take the stupid test until April of next year! That's a lot of future planning. If the adults aren't asking me about the SATs, they're asking about what classes I am going to take next year. It's a constant interrogation about my future. I'm not even sure about my present.

Usually I have no problem with people asking about what I am going to do with my life. Recently though, all I can think about is how many different people have asked me this same exact question. Now that I'm in the tenth grade, there are even more people asking me so many questions about the future. Why can I not focus on the present and enjoy what I have today before it is gone tomorrow? I think that future planning is a good thing. But people are asking what I plan to do with my entire life when I am on the brink of turning sixteen. What do I know about life?

I've really come to see how people are so preoccupied with what is going to happen later. We're all so fixated on accomplishing things now so that tomorrow is "better." I don't want to be asked what college I am going to go to. I don't want to be asked what I want to do with my life. I just want to live my life and enjoy every day as it comes.

Facebook, Twitter, and other useless things.

Let me just start out by saying that I do have a facebook. I love it. But it's entirely useless.
I do not have a Twitter, nor will I ever have one. This too is entirely useless.

America may be a "private" kind of country, but we sure to do like to broadcast our problems. Every single time I get on facebook, at least one teenage girl is on there complaining about how people don't like her, how people are so stupid, how people need to get over themselves and that they are just perfect the way they are.

Great.

Why do I care really? Why are you telling everyone what your problems are and what you feel?

As I've mentioned before that I love my facebook. It's a good way to keep in touch with old friends, and to talk with family that live in India (who are on facebook more than I am). But there is one thing that makes facebook really special. I like to tell my mom that the only thing Facebook is good for, is to creep on other people and their lives. Kind of stalkerish to say, but hey, if its on your page, you want people to see it right?

So the two things people do on facebook are complain and stalk. Considering how popular facebook is, that's a whole lot of people complaining and stalking.
Oh, what a culture we live in!

Now Twitter. Twitter is just stupid. Americans like to spend their time "tweeting" about what their doing. I don't understand. My friends have twitters and they're all crazy over how many followers you have. I thought it was just a little weird that you have people you don't even know following you and pretty much knowing every single thing you are doing.

Great.

Twitter is pretty much broadcasting your life to a bunch of unknown people. So people will complain, they'll "intercry" and express how happy they are through empty smiley faces over the web.

The only thing that twitter is good for? The same reason that facebook is good. To creep.

So many adults, teenagers, and even children spend the majority of their time on some kind of social networking site. People will post pictures, upload video, and write status' all in the name of keeping in touch with their friends and family. Keeping in touch is great, but putting your whole private life on the internet? That's a bit too much. And it's not just Americans who will waste time on these social sites. The Arab Spring began because of facebook. My cousins in India will be on facebook at 3 o'clock in the morning. My friend has tweeted more than 1000 times since she got her twitter 5 months ago.

If there's such a thing as a universal culture, social networking sites have to be a part of it. They're so big everywhere and for all of the same reasons.

So people can complain and stalk, and I feel like Americans do it more than anyone.

For a private country, we sure do like our networking sites.

Khanna Kazana (Treasure of Food)

I'm Indian.

We use turmeric in our food. It might stain your fingers yellow for an hour. It will definitely stain your clothes if you drop food on them. I don't think it smells. Why do you? 

Being a foreigner might be one the hardest things to do in life. I wouldn't really know. I practically grew up in this country, but I still understand some of the things that foreigners go through. When my parents got to this country, it was like they were on a whole new planet. The clothes were shorter, the hair was longer, and men didn't have mustaches! They adjusted. They live in this country now, as if they have lived in this country forever. My parent's accents aren't as strong anymore, and I don't even have one. If there is anything that makes me different from others, it's probably my food.

I remember when I was younger, my mom would give me Indian food rolled up in some chapati which is pretty much like a Mexican tortilla. Indian food has a different smell and some people don't like it at all. Kids at that age can be pretty vicious. They hated the smell of my food and they wouldn't be shy about telling me about it. For the first time, I felt like I was different from my peers. I became self-conscious about what I ate at school. I went to my mother about what they said and she told me that she had no problem in giving me peanut butter and jelly everyday, but was that what I really wanted? She knew how much I liked eating our native food and she knew that I wouldn't enjoy eating a sandwich every single day. She asked me if the food in the cafeteria sometimes made my nose wrinkle. I told her that the smell of bacon and beef sometimes made me feel nauseous. She just gave me a pointed look and said "If their food can smell, why can't ours?" From that day on, I didn't care that kids made fun of me for the way that my food smelled. As I got older, the less people there were to call me out on it. Now, my friends will eat my own food and leave theirs alone. My sister is different. Like me, she got made fun of for her Indian food and though my mother told her the same thing she told me, my sister decided to bring sandwiches to school instead. 

The smell of some meats still makes me feel like puking my guts up. I don't like it. I probably won't ever eat it, but I wouldn't tell someone that their food stunk any day. It's their food. If they enjoy it, let them. Indian food does have a strong scent but I didn't understand then, and even now, why people would comment on something that didn't really concern them. Food is universal. But food is different in every culture and that can cause some serious divides. 

The Super Massive Black Hole that is Costco

Today, my family and I went to Costco after I came home from Kumon. For the first time, I realized just how much Americans bulk buy. Costco is a wholesale store. Obviously they sell everything in bigger amounts. But how many bags of chips does one person need! I saw a woman with three boxes of the little bags of chips. It was sort of ridiculous.

Don't even get me started on my family. We'll go into Costco for some milk and bananas, and we'll come with milk, bananas, fruits, taquitos, pizzas that no one will eat for about 6 months, cookies, chairs, a couple of books, and sometimes, when we're being really rebellious, movie tickets. When you go into Costco, you never spend any less than 50 bucks. It's unheard of. I don't think that in other countries, stores like Costco exist. Usually the quantity in foreign countries is pretty small. So why in the world do Americans buy SO. MUCH. STUFF?

I think one part of it is the samples that Costco gives out. Who can resist free food?!?! So then, you'll go and  try out this free food and realize you like whatever it is their selling and you'll ending up buying the heart attack in box. Then you'll go home, eat it for a day, and then realize that you never really liked the food in the first place. So, it'll sit in your fridge for six months until your mom forces you to eat it, or she just gives up and throws all of it out, promising to never buy you anything again.
Moral of the story? Food samples are nicely wrapped packages that taste divine sent from the devil himself. Never have them.

Anyways, food sampling is probably one of the reasons that people spend so much money at Costco. Another reason? The fact that Americans eat a lot of food. My family is Indian. We have small stomachs and this is a fact. We'll go to an Italian restaurant  order two dishes for the four of us, and we'll still have leftovers. If you look at what others eat, they'll order three appetizers, then one dish per family member, and then they'll clean everything off with dessert. And no leftovers. Now I'm not saying that every American eats a lot, or that every Indian eats so little, I'm just stating what I've seen. So maybe that's a reason why Americans bulk buy. But that doesn't explain why my family (who we've already established doesn't each much of anything)  still buys over 100 dollars worth of food when we only really need maybe 45.

The answer may be laziness. Don't want to go to the grocery story every single week? Just buy a whole bunch at once and you're set for the rest of the month! My family definitely does this and I have a feeling that many Americans probably do too. Costco (and Walmart, but that's a different story) is a godsend for those lazy people who just hate going to the grocery store. Bulk buying to the rescue!

So we have food samples, big eating and laziness all as factors to why Americans buy so much in bulk. Who knows why we really do. It's the way of life here, but it's certainly a strange sort of thing to do. 

The Evil Clutches of Kumon

I work at Kumon on Sundays from  11 to 1. It's a tedious job (all I do is grade worksheets. It's taught me to never become a teacher), but at least I get something out of it right? I remember as a kid, never, ever wanting to do Kumon. It sounded like torture to a 5th grader (actually it still sounds like torture.) Kumon is pretty much doing math and reading worksheets under a time limit. There is also a whole lot of repetition involved, and being taught what you're learning? Forget it. My mom's friend owns the Kumon place where I work and when I explained to her why most kids hate Kumon and refuse to do it, she said that people in other countries have very different views on the Kumon work.

Kumon originated in Japan. It was made for Japanese kids, and somehow, the business worked its way to America. The point of Kumon is to have the math or reading skills programmed into your mind, so most of the time, kids will be doing the same worksheet five or six times over just to make sure the material sticks. The worksheets have to be done under a certain time, otherwise the child is not allowed to pass to the next level. Kumon is also a sort of self study. When a new concept is introduced, a small part of the worksheet is designated to teach the child what to do. But the method absolutely sucks. I did Kumon for a while right before I started high school. It helped at first. I knew what I was doing in the beginning and it really made me faster at the math. However, when the new concepts were introduced, I was totally and utterly lost. I spent more of my time looking in the answer book than actually trying to work out the answer. And this made me feel dumb and incompetent  So, I quit. There was no need for Kumon anyway. I was doing great in school, what was the point of the extra "tutoring"?

A lot of American kids feel this way. As soon as it gets tough, we start quitting. The kids in Japan, they will sit there and do the worksheets diligently for six hours if they have to. We don't have that patience to learn. We are a mostly hands on country. Looking at a worksheet and trying to figure out how to solve the problem just doesn't work for most of us. We need to be taught. Kids in Japan don't need that. So Kumon works for them. Most of the kids who come into Kumon are Asian  Every now and then, there will be an American child, but they don't last long. Usually they'll transfer to another agency like Sylvan. Kumon is torture to American kids. But to those kids in Japan? It's like homework. You have to be the best of the best, otherwise in the race of life, you'll fall behind.

This doesn't mean that the average American  doesn't work. It just means we don't work the same way as others in different countries. I want to know how that even happened. How did we as a country, become so addicted to being taught? 

Laughter is the best medicine?

I was at the World Quest competition this morning at the University of Delaware Wilmington Campus. A question in our current events section came up asking about the name of the idiot who jumped out of a capsule in space. Everyone chuckled at the idiot comment and I was struck by the fact that we find pain in others kind of funny. Take America's Funniest Home Videos as an example. Almost every single video on there has to do with someone hurting themsleves in some kind of way. I'm not going to lie. It's funny as heck to see people hurt themselves but why do we do it? Do we simply ignore the fact that someone may have gotten seriously hurt, or do we just not care? The guy that jumped out of the capsule, was he wearing a parchute? Did he survive? Was he injured? Was he in the hospital? We don't ask these questions when we see a video of someone who has hurt themselves. We laugh. Of course if  the accident had happened right in front of us, we probably wouldn't have laughed. We probably would have rushed to see if the person was okay. So what makes watching people hurt themselves on tv so funny? Why doesn't it scare us like it would have if it was happening right in front of us?

I've also noticed that America as a whole finds crude humor to be very, very funny. My odyssey team decided to take a break during our meeting today and watch Kingsly and Jenna Marbles videos. I don't know if you have ever seen these videos, but they're on Youtube and the videos get more than a million views a week. Why do people watch them? Because they're funny. This afternoon was only the second time that I had ever seen a Jenna Marbles video and I didn't get the appeal. Yeah, sometimes she said something that was sort of funny, but I was turned off by the crude language that she used. Kingsly is the same. Comedy movies do the same thing. American comedy movies today usually have dirty humor in it. Not always, but most of the time they do. I don't usually find that funny. I don't laugh. Does that make me weird? I don't think so. I guess I just don't like that kind of humor.

Laughing is always good. It really is the best kind of medicine, but why do we laugh at things that we probably shouldn't laugh at? Why do we laugh when people get hurt, why do we laugh when a dirty joke is said, why do we laugh when we people curse? I laugh when America's Funniest Home Videos is on. I even laughed in the Hangover and goodness knows that that movie was full of crude humor. But I didn't laugh while watching the Dictator. Humor is different here. We laugh at the weirdest things sometimes. But, I guess that's just a part of our culture.