Session 1 - March 7 morning (dube: orientation, geography)

[Esther Dupree]

I didn't know that the founders of AIG also founded a charitible foundation to emphasize the importance of East Asia and foster educational instruction about it in schools.  One of the reasons I signed up for this course is because I feel my understanding of East Asia is limited, even though it is such an important part of our world economy and culture.  

I appreciate the Coronovirus being explained in the context of how we interact with East Asia.  It was nice to have a conversation about it that included actual information involving history and impact instead of supposition and hand sanitizer.  

The population map showing how different parts of China compare to other nations puts a lot of perspective into the massive infrastructure challenges in China.  We see the incredible diversity in the different regions of the US.  I wonder how that compares in China.  Patrick Chovanec's map of the different regions in his interpretation helps us to have some reference to the different functions of different regions in China.  I watched the recent documentary about the Chinese run factory in Ohio and how there were a lot of clashes between the work culture of China and the work culture of the US.  China must face many of the same challenges that Americans face, but their culture manages those challenges in very different ways.  I look forward to finding out how that culture developed into the China as we know it today.

[Samantha Auerbach]

Hi Sandra, 

I agree with you. Although, some think of the population decline as harmful to our economy and countries, there are also positive impacts of it as well. Just like you mentioned, humans have contributed, and continue to contribute, harm to our planet. Will adding more people ever allow us to at least make a small indent in solving some of our environmental issues? I keep thinking of it as "more people, more problems". I hope we can still save the planet!

[Samantha Auerbach]

I'm really glad the session began with an explanation of the impact of coronavirus, not only on East Asian countries, but also its impact on the rest of the world and the global economy. Sometimes it gets difficult to decipher what is really happening with all of the intense media coverage the coronavirus is receiving. I appreciated the "real" news, the descriptive explanations, and the coverage of how countries governments are handling it. 

I also really enjoyed Clayon's presentations. I'll admit, my knowledge about East Asia's history and geography is (was) very limited. I enjoyed learning more about China's size and seeing comparisons to the US. Additionally, how East Asian countries and their geography have contributed to their successes and some of their short comings. I look forward to learning more at the next sessions!

[Billie Johnson]

I really want my principal in the room when we have this discussion. There's a mild hysteria going on here in Pasadena. It is starting to feel like my district does not have a firm grasp on communicating best practices and information to families.  It would be great if we were more proactive than reactive. I'm wondering why there isn't already a plan in place in the event of a widespread illness whether this virus or some sort of mass food poisoning. I know this is serious, but crisis are better handled by level-headed and informed people.  The BIG thing for me, which shocked me, was the blatant disrespect towards my Filipino student. On another note, my husband went to the store last night because we needed gloves or cleaning...forget about it.

[Billie Johnson]

Hi Samantha,

I too want to go into these discussions with more than surface level knowledge and am hoping to step behind a head nod to actually applying this information.  It is compelling how indepth this information is explained and just how much there is to learn about East Asia and the influence this region has had all over the world.

[Meghann Seril]

I agree that care for seniors would be a growing industry in these communities. This could increase or shift job opportunities for those previously working with younger populations. I would hope that this would become a public cause and not just left to private industry so that equitable access and care could be provided. And yes, the dolls were pretty creepy.

[Meghann Seril]

Great point. It makes me think of all of the times I've heard a student say, "But So and So also did the action for which I'm in trouble..." And as we know, two wrongs don't make a right. If companies are motivated by their bottom line and responsibilities to share holders, the only way to expect change is if it is legislated or consumers demand it. We can definitely be part of the solution. I think this point of interconnectedness was best exemplified for me with the image of the 3/11 tsunami devastation. A plate shifting hundreds of miles away can have effects on a far away shore.

[Brigid Schmidt]

It is intersting to learn about the decreasing birth rates in Asia, especially after knowing a few people who came from China and are only children because that is all their parents were allowed to have. I am from a large family with 8 siblings, so not having any siblings seems strange to me. I do think that less people are having children because of the cost though too. My parents live in Michigan and both worked good jobs to be able to support a large family, however, the cost of living here is so much greater. My siblings and I have all talked about not being able to afford more than 2-4 children. Additionally, many people push back the age to start having children due to money. This means their liklihood of having multiple children is fewer. Who is taking care of those adults when they are older if they don't have children? That is my fear. 

[Hilda Dixon]

One of the points that was emphasized in our morning session, is the idea that nowadays more than ever, we are intricately connected with each other’s society in more ways that we want to admit it. We need other societies’ trade goods or wellness in order to have stable communities from many perspectives such as cultural, economic or political speaking. For instance, regarding intentional decline in fertility, is a relative recent problem that developing countries are currently facing. China, South Korea and Japan are examples of it, but childbirth decline is a more extensive problem as I said after all we are all intertwined and new worldwide generations face the same dilemma. Child decline is not an isolated challenge. We see this trend in some countries of Europe, even in the United States, too.  The rational might be competitiveness, self-interest, advance in a career before settling down, or perhaps global warming. One of the ideas that strike the most, it was the video about the young male who chose to get married with a cyber hologram. This might be the result, that new generations are more comfortable dealing interacting on the way or through technological products than human face-to-face interactions. Are we forgetting our biology that reminds us that we are social creatures? Are new generations afraid to be vulnerable with others because they might be afraid to be rejected?

A challenge that I observed is the lack of leisure time, young students in South Korea are expected to study for long hours. Where is the balance between work, study and leisure?

Another challenge that I observed in our reading is that raising a child nowadays requires making economical decisions since children are toddlers such as finding the right childcare, after school programs, outstanding public schools and leisure activities among other things.  I remember that before people didn’t use to think that much before having children.

It is clear that many rural Asian communities are painfully vanishing because young generations don’t want to live there anymore. New generations rather migrate to the big urban cities leaving rural areas almost empty. Leaving villages like the village of Nogoro in Japan  where the only thing that are left to do is to create awareness by raising their voices creatively to show the frustration and the powerless feelings from the villager from Nogoro, Japan.

[Chad Espinoza]

During the lecture, I was really struck by the ritual of interpreting the bones for guidance. The acknoweldgement that the interpreters are flawed only led to more greater faith in the system since it cemented the idea that people are flawed, but the gods are untarnished. I took this process as a means to seek assurance and clarity in a world that rarely offers either of these. This caused me to think of an equivalent. What initially came to mind is voting. As teachers, we do our best to instill democratic values into our students. However, it is demonstatively true that voting does not always lead to the best decisions. Yet, whenever a major decision is made through another process, we become very suspicious, even if the decision was a good one. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

The video of the town filled with dolls and no children (just a few people left in the village) was very despressing. It is sad to think about towns that are dying out. With a town so small, how do the remaining people even make money to live? Who will take care of those people as they continue to get older? You are right, Cynthia, people could benefit from opening more senior care facilities. I wonder if there are enough health care professionals to handle the growing need?

[Sandra Flores]

This picture reminds me of your PowerPoint.  It seems that all other countries are following a similar protocol as China.  Although we are not under quarantine as a nation, different states and counties are taking great measures to decrease the rapid spread of the virus.  Not only are different restaurants and fastfood restaurants are working on "to go" only, but some stores are closing for the rest of the month.  Apple recently announced that they will be closing their doors for the remaining of the month.  Schools all over the country are now moving to  "virtual learning" but not all teachers are trained for this change.  Schools mention that they will be closing for two weeks, but many specualte that it will be 4-8 weeks depending on the progression of the virus.  

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[Sandra Flores]

I agree with you Brigid. I believe that large families construct a support system in all ways: emotional and economical at times and I would love to have a large family.  I only have two sisters and the three of us help out with our parents, but sometimes we do think who will help us since two of us do not have children and are not planning on having any soon.  We love Los Angeles, but also know that it is becoming more expensive to live here and raise a family. So we have talked about moving out of the state or moving to the Central Valley.  It is a heartbreaking deciesion for those of us who are Angelenos, but it seems that only Hollywood stars are able to have a decent life in Southern California.  

[Hilda Dixon]

Dear Mr. Dube,

I have been reading some articles where China is blaming USA for the Corona virus disease.  Zhao Lijian, the Chinese foreign minister, said that USA soldiers transmitted the disease to the Chinese people on a military parade back in October. This Chinese foreign minister is proving as evidence a speech made by Robert Redfield who is the director of the USA CDC. Mr. Redfiel testified that maybe some USA soldiers that might appeared die from influenza, in reality they could have died from coronavirus. I heard things are heated between China and USA. I don’t know I am a little concerned about all of this.

 

[Alma Ochoa]

Hilda, I totally agree with you; not only did I find it striking but also somewhat disturbing that Akihito Kondo, 35, chose to marry a hologram.  This really makes me question how technology is shaping and changing generations and their social interactions.  Socialization is one of the basic human needs.  Having a need to socialize is the reason why Tsukimi Ayano started making the life size dolls.  The dolls were not able to interact on a living human level but it gave the village there the appearance of a bigger population and on some level some comfort of not being alone.  This reading reminds me of Tom Hank’s movie Cast Away of 2000.  He created the character, Wilson, out of a volleyball who basically kept him from going crazy and dying of loneliness.  So again, I question; is our human need to socialize changing?  Is online virtual interaction enough?          

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