Eighth and Last Meeting with Paula :(

Today I had my last meeting with Paula for the semester! It was crazy how fast the semester flew by. She showed me her Christmas decorations that she had done for her house and her front yard and the beautiful white Christmas tree she was planning to decorate this afternoon. She told me her husband and her decided to fly to Hawaii after December 21st because she was afraid there would be a crazy person who wanted to take all the planes out of the sky or something that day (and I don't blame her!), so they are going just for New Year's. She was pretty excited to be done with classes and was anxious to get her final tests over with. She asked me what my plans were and I told her I was just ready to go home and sleep for a few days and not have to wake up early anymore.

Here Paula also told me yesterday she was feeling very down and sad because she began feeling a little homesick, but that by the end of the day she was ready to change her attitude and have a better day today. She was pretty cheery today so obviously it worked, and I really admire her for her positive attitude about everything! We talked a little more over dessert and promised we would stay in contact next semester because we both really enjoy our weekly talks. I told her about how we had to do presentations for class about what we've learned this semester and said that I was grateful to learn more about Columbia. Our meeting had to be cut a little shorter once again because of a group meeting, but we will be texting soon to meet up either during finals or after break! We also tried to find each other on Facebook but had difficulty because we had no mutual friends, so hopefully we can work that out soon.

Overall I've really enjoyed my talks with Paula. They have been eye opening and it's been a pleasure to talk to someone who is a little older and more mature than me but still someone I can see as a friend rather than the traditional adult figure.

Seventh Meeting with Paula

Today Paula and I met for lunch for the first time since Thanksgiving break. We talked a little bit about what she and I each did over the break. She went to her mother-in-law's house and watched the Cowboys game for Thanksgiving. She asked me how my break was and I told her about how my first night at home started with a truck being set on fire down our street. She was shocked by this but then told me about how a teenager had once driven a truck into their neighbor's house because she didn't know how to drive it.

After this crazy storing telling, we talked about how much we love Christmas time. Paula loves decorating for Christmas, and she is on one of those rare streets that still goes all out when decorating their homes. She told me about her plans to go to Hawaii with her husband for New Year's. This would be her second time going, and she is excited for the warmer climate. She asked me if I was going to visit any of my friends over the break and I told her I wasn't exactly sure but I would like to. 

After we were done with our lunches we grabbed ourselves a cookie from the dessert table and both agreed that sweets are the best way to help stress. I had a group meeting so we unfortunately had to cut our meeting a little shorter than usual but while walking down the stairs Paula started frat-snapping. I don't even know what the real name of this is called but it's basically putting your thumb and middle finger together and then flicking your wrist so that your pointer finger hits the other two fingers. I thought this was so funny and she didn't get why I was so surprised that she could do it but I told her I'd been trying to figure out how to do that for a year now, so maybe next time she'll teach me. 

Response #5: The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

To be honest, I've never read much Mark Twain in the past. I've read little things here and there in some of my classes but I've never read the classics like Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer. From these previous stories I think I've gotten a good grasp of what Twain's humor is like.

Being a graphic design major who is hoping to do work in the advertising field, I found the bit on Advertising on page 3 and 4 funny. I never knew that this strategy was invented by Twain, and it's funny because we've learned in our visual communications that although this might be an effective strategy, it is a cheap shot. It's good to know that it was originally done as a joke to fool people.

Also I really liked the piece of Facts, on page 73. I was expecting the whole "get your facts straight before you spread them" or something that we hear nowadays. But I thought it was funny how he suggests the reader to distort them  after, as if the truth never even mattered in the first place.

Overall, I'm excited to go through this book because I like the way it is arranged by topic, and it's interesting to see how Twain's mind and his humor work.

Response #4: Tales of Juha

I've decided I like the stories of Juha where he is perceived as witty and smart. I'm not a fan of the stories of him being stupid, selfish, or cowardly. I think it could be because finding stupid people funny is very common so I find it a little boring, especially when the culture is a little different. However, laughing at someone's ability to outwit someone is pretty funny to me because I don't see it a lot. The circumstances found in the stories also are humorous to me because a lot of times they involve things that are uncommon in our current time and place. For example, there seems to be a mule or a king of some sort mentioned in the majority of the stories, and obviously this is not something we can relate to, so I guess it is a nice change to read about situations that I am not as familiar with.

Also, although I have been enjoying these stories because each one is different and they are easy to follow, I kind of don't like the range of personalities Juha has. It bothers me that he can be a very smart and witty man but at the same time can be seen as a stupid and oblivious man. I feel like in more Western literature, there is a partnership between two people, one who is smart and one who is stupid. So reading that this single character has this huge range of personalities is a very unfamiliar and maybe even bothersome thing for me.

Lastly, the very first story of chapter 8 (page 121) was this:

"Juha married a woman who was very fat, and he was afraid she'd be too strong for him and do him harm. One day, when she was chasing after him with a cane in her hand, he hid under the bed, where she was too fat to follow him.
'Come here after me,' he yelled, feeling safe at last. 'If you're man enough!'"

This story bothered me a lot. Coming from family with Middle Eastern mindsets, I understand that a marriage can be a very unbalanced bond in terms of who is more dominant. However, I think this story is ridiculous in the way he scrutinizes her at the end of the story. Even though this is supposed to be a funny story, it just came off as sad to me and nothing else. I usually don't mind jokes making fun of women mildly but for some reason this one just seemed very cruel to me, even though the wife was supposedly trying to cane him.

Sixth Meeting with Paula

Because it's so close to Thanksgiving, Paula and I obviously had a conversation about what our plans were for the break! She is planning to stay here in Fort Worth for the week, while I am going back home to Houston. She asked if my parents were excited and I told her about how my mom can't help but overfeed me every time I come home.

We talked a little bit about how she is hoping to go home to Columbia for Christmas, but she is not sure if she can right now. I'm really hoping she can because I can tell it is something she really wants. She's been working super hard all semester and she definitely deserves to get to see her family again after such a long time.

She was also telling me about how she wants to improve her English so that she can get to go to college and become a dental hygienist. Once she does, she is planning on working with her husband, who is a dentist here in Fort Worth. This is the first time she had ever told me about why she is wanting to learn English (besides the fact that she lives in an English-speaking country), so it was great that I learned that about her.

Fifth Meeting with Paula

My last meeting with Paula included a few of her classmates as well. She had forgotten that we were meeting so she included me in her lunch she was having with three of her other classmates. They were from Rwanda, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. This was probably one of my favorite conversations I have had because there were so many perspectives on everything we talked about. They were interested to hear my take on things and asked if some of the things they have observed here in the U.S. were actually considered normal.

One of these things was clubbing and partying. Apparently in other parts of the world, people just don't stop partying until six in the morning. The classmates from Germany and Rwanda said they were both surprised when they got to clubs here at one in the morning only for it to be closed an hour later. According to them, 2 in the morning in the best time to party so they were surprised when people here want to go to bed by then.

Another thing they noticed was that people eat on the streets while walking here. Paula and all her classmates agreed that this isn't really something you see, except maybe in Germany. They said it was a bad habit and shows a lack of manner, which I can definitely see. I kind of had to explain that sometimes Americans forget what manners really are. On the same note about eating, they were also amazed about how low-class McDonald's is here. I thought this was funny because McDonald's is considered to be a high-class eatery in their countries while it has such a horrible reputation here.

I really enjoyed having lunch with Paula and some of her classmates because it was really interesting and also funny to here some of the things they were saying and to get that different perspective of everyday things.

Fourth Meeting with Paula

I actually had this meeting with Paula on Halloween day, but have forgotten to blog about it until now (oops). It was the first time Paula and I had met in a really long time because our schedules were so busy the few weeks before. So we definitely had some catching up to do at this point. Paula told me about how she had gone to Vegas for her birthday two or three weeks ago, and then later spent a weekend in Dallas with some of her Columbian friends.

Since it was Halloween I asked about Columbian Halloween traditions. I wasn't sure if Halloween was a big thing in that part of the world, or if the traditions were similar. Apparently it actually is pretty similar; everyone likes to dress up in crazy costumes and the kids go trick-or-treating while adults go to parties. So  that was an interesting piece of information to learn.

Other than that, we just caught up since the past few weeks. We talked a little bit about classes and all the stuff we've had to do recently. It was nice to finally see Paula again and have a conversation that could distract us from all our other school work.

Response #3: Adventures

I'm starting to realize that I mostly enjoy the short stories from Hokum that make you think in a different way. Obviously because the book is about African American humor and takes place in a completely different time, a lot of the logic and thinking behind each story is completely different from any school of thought I would have.

While reading Langston Hughes's Adventures, I came to this realization that these short stories are humorous because of the way they are completely opposite of what I am used to. I was a little confused at first when the narrator said that white people should go to the South to get adventure, because to me and my post-civil rights era mind, the South at that time would seem like a safe and boring environment to white people because they have so many liberties that the black community did not. However, that thought changed once the narrator stated that white people could not go to "Colored Only" zones, which in a way is humorous. Pointing this out makes white people look pretty dumb because they are so adamant about not associating with the black population that they are even willing to restrict themselves. It seems like they are shooting themselves in the foot because instead of having all the freedom in they want, they have actually made it harder on themselves.

I really like the social commentary found in the story, especially with such a different take on it. I honestly never thought of separated parts of cities in the South as a restriction to white people, but now that it has been pointed out, I can't help to think it's funny.

Response #2: Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie?

This story had me feeling all sorts of things. The biggest thing was probably a feeling of disgust from the Stadium Pal. The entire concept sounds like an awful idea, and there are much better "manly" accessories out there! I feel bad for the guy for ever thinking that attaching a bag of urine to your calf is a good idea in the first place. That brings me to the second biggest emotion felt during this reading: a comical pity. I have heard of girls feeling the need to wear fake butts or fake boobs but I cannot say I have ever heard of a guy who was actually willing to do so to make himself feel better (or of a girl who was willing to take the fake butt off the guy's hands; I feel like there should be some sort of sanitary issue there but I guess not). The fact that he was so worried about his butt was comical to me, because it does not seem like an issue most guys care about. The more I read, the more I started to wonder if Sedaris was straight or gay. After some googling I found that he actually is gay, and I think this made the story funnier in a different way. I still felt pity for him as he described his sister's forceful and ridiculous shopping trips with him, but I started imagining those guys who are victim to girls who are excited to finally have a "gay best friend".

I also found the comment about why bow ties are not okay pretty funny. I shared it with my fratty guy friends and they did not enjoy it as much as I did. Oops

Third Meeting with Paula

Although Paula and I have only met a few times now, she and I are having great conversations each week. This week we were complaining about speech classes and how hard they are. She told me about how she had to improvise a speech she was not prepared for, and how she basically had to make up something on the spot about an inspirational person she knew. I thought this was funny because she always looks so put together, and because she is a bit older than me and married, she seems much more responsible than me. So it was pretty funny to see a completely different side of her, especially one that was so unexpected

I really enjoy Paula's company because she has a different perspective of things than I do many times, mostly because of cultural differences. However, when it comes to values, it seems that we both share many beliefs. Apparently some aspects of American and Columbian life are very similar, especially when it comes to young adults who are our age. We spent a while comparing and contrasting these lifestyles and sharing our own thoughts on them, and found that we agreed in pretty much all areas. Paula even gave me some good life advice this week, which I appreciated very much since she has seen and experienced so much.

I saw this commercial the other day

laughter is so strange

Response to Thompson's The Kentucky Derby is Decadent

I honestly didn’t find Hunter Thompson’s The Kentucky Derby is Decadent. I thought it was way too crude, and although I can find crude humor funny a lot of times, I didn’t think there was really anything funny about the story. I’m not sure if it was just because I just didn’t understand the story the way I was supposed to, because I do admit to being a bit confused about what it was even about and what was going on. I guess I really didn’t even see a point in the story either, and it kind of made me bored. I wouldn’t say the story made me uncomfortable in the fact that it was so raw, but more annoyed than anything else. It was kind of one of those things where I found all the cussing and impolite terminology to be unnecessary.

I also must admit that my Texan pride was a little hurt at the way he described Jimbo, especially because he was from Houston, which is where I was from. I think that is just a Texas thing though, where we don’t like to hear that we are a little dumb and oblivious to the rest of the world at times. 

Second Meeting with Paula

Today was the first time Paula and I actually had lunch together. We both found that we share similar tastes in food, and we shared where and what we liked to eat, which was interesting.

A lot of times throughout our conversations Paula will ask me if she is saying or pronouncing things correctly. Today she said what many people who are learning English as a second language would say: that the language makes no sense. This got us laughing, because even to me, the technicality of English doesn't make sense a lot of times. This took up most of our conversation, and it reminded me of Anguished English, and how the English language can be so easily misinterpreted.

3 Most Important Things to Remember from Comic Relief

1. There are many theories as to why we find certain things funny and why we laugh
I thought this idea was pretty apparent throughout the book. Although it seemed redundant at times, Morreal proved time and time again that no theory was really wrong, and that each theory held some truth. It is interesting to find out that there are so many psychological, emotional, and physical reasons why we laugh and find things funny, and I think Morreal pointing this out is important. I have noticed myself laughing and have lately been more curious enough to ask "Why am I laughing at this?" or "What part of that event made me laugh?" Many times I am able to answer my question with one of the theories Morreal described in his book. Some of the biggest theories I have noticed in action are those dealing with cognitive shifts, which brings me to my next point.

2. Cognitive Shifts
Ever since reading this book, however much I did not enjoy it, I cannot help but notice the patterns of humor, especially when it comes to cognitive shifts (it actually drives me kind of crazy sometimes). I can't help but look for them, and they truly are everywhere. I believe I notice them more often because out of all of Morreal's theories, they are the most logical to me. I especially see them in TV shows that I watch, and notice that events where cognitive shifts occur are those that make me laugh the most. I also realized that sometimes, cognitive shifts do not make us laugh, they make us angry. It made me think, "What made this situation funny, and that one not?" Again, I find myself thinking about the process of humor more often because of Comic Relief.

3. Humor provides social connection, and serves as a means of relieving a community
One of the most powerful things I read in Morreal's book was the idea of positive effects of humor. I enjoyed the part about humor in the Holocaust, because I really admire the way a community can take such a negative event and make it more enjoyable. I believe humor and comedy can connect a society, whether it be against against an opposing force, or just to each other. I believe this is true for most cases, although sometimes the humor can be malicious towards the other group. Either way, I think it is important that Morreal pointed out the social impact humor has on a community because it is a very strong one.

First Meeting with Paula

Today I had my first meeting with Paula, who moved from Columbia three years ago to be with her husband. I was pretty nervous for our first meeting and wasn't sure how it was going to go, but she didn't seem nervous at all. She had a big smile on her face and seemed excited about our conversation.

Within a few minutes of talking, Paula and I connected on many things. We talked about the school system in Columbia and how different it was here. We also talked about a lot of other differences between Texas and Columbia, like the way people behave and what seems to be the norm in each culture. She was extremely interested in the way things work in the United States, such as the school system, and was interested in what I like to do, both in school and during my free time.

Although we didn't really talk about humor specifically, we both found various things in our conversation funny. A lot of the things we laughed at had to do with how different her culture was from mine. She told me little embarrassing moments she has had while living here, and said it was because of the extreme differences in social norms. One thing we laughed about was how she has a hard time not being so physically close to people, like when she is speaking. She said it is hard to not stand so close because in Columbia and other cultures like it, standing very near one another is common and acceptable, something that is much different from here, which she learned through experience.

Overall I enjoyed my conversation. Just in a little over an hour, I had a new perspective of both my culture and hers. It's easy to say that I am excited for our future conversation and what we will both learn from it.

Definitions of Literature & Civilization

My Definition:

Literature- written works that are created within a society by humans

Civilization- an organized structure of people who live in similar places and times and also desire to share the same ideas and lifestyle

Whitney Ground:

Literature- written text that is influenced by culture

Civilization- a group of people living in the same area

Alex Abele:

Literature- written works (i.e. novels, poems, ect.) meant to be read by the public

Civilization- a functioning society with a basis of government, some form of monetary exchange, culture, and social norms that allows for humans to thrive

Trey Swinney:

Literature- written documents pertaining to either the fictional or nonfictional

Civilization- an advanced social commune, defined by technological advancements that have moved society into a surviving establishment