[SaenzSotoElizabeth]

Esports is something that I have always wanted to know more about so thearticle provided highlighted how long and how much effort is put into it. I am obviously a novice bystander and at some point I would like to dedicate some time to actively participating in Esports. Webtoons are not necessairly new to me. My middle daughter was the one who introduced me to them. I defintely think I can research and find some webtoons I can bring into our classroom. This will definitely assist my reluctant readers.

[SaenzSotoElizabeth]

As class member Courtney Caldwell mentioned, I too was not initially intrigued to view Squid Games, but since my some of my students were mentioning it I decide to give it a try. I agree that it was slow-paced at first but once you start viewing the reasons behind each characters motiviation(s) to be the sole winner of the $4.56 million (?) jackpot - I was sucked in. Reading over the 10 reasons given in the article, I agree with each of the points made. The sets, basic costumes, childhood games gone bad, "ordinary" finanacially struggling characters (in a time in which many had lost her or his job due to COVID), etc. I see how and why many people sat and watched this very short series and are awaiting season two.

In Grace Jung's article, "Aspirational Paternity and the Female Gaze on Korean Reality-Variety TV," I was astounded to see how many of these networks are connected with a governmental agenda whether it be politically, economically, and/or the want to increase birth rates (Do I hear misogynistic propaganda?). To see that KBS and MBC along with others tended (and still do) to follow/work with the government to raise awareness is completely interesting. Fighting for ones freedom of speech in another country seems to be very daunting.

In Professor Jung Kim's video I was interested to see how dramas like "Winter Sonata" became hugely popular within many countries and are still being viewed to this day. My a-ha moment on this section is how the the couple in Iran who watch KDramas, people regardless of ones language barrier, ethnic, cultural identity, etc. tend to look and feel for commonalities that may connect them with what the characters are going through as if they were "real" people. 

[SaenzSotoElizabeth]

Watching the video clips of Crying Nut, Yoon Mirae, PSY, BTS, etc. reminded me of the reach of transnationalism. In Sunhee Koo's and Sang-Yeon Loise Sungs article, "Asia and Beyond: The Circulation and Reception of Korean Popular Music Outside of Korea" exclaims, "Music crosses borders for many different reasons . . . Post-hallyu K-pop demonstrates how Korean popular music has reshaped itself as a form of cultural bricolage . . . inviting the active participation of much broader audiences to engender its global consumption." Kpop definitely visually and musically captures our attention due to most of its all-rounders, stage sets, and allows us almost like I dare say an escapists pleasure. Especially throughout these COVID years and our ability to watch or listen more to artists many would not necessarily seek if we had not been at home. 

I so thoroughly enjoyed the video presentation by Dr. Kim. It brought back many memories of the years my children and I have been listening to a multitude of Korean groups or bands over the years (we listen to all genres mentioned in the video). Although, I first introduced my two older daughters to Korean dramas "Married Stayed Out All Night" at first, music was what really connected all of us (my son is a Super Junior fan). Hence are attendance in KCon since it first started in 2012. This is where we also attended several panels provided, specifically one moderated by YoungAhjumma (an African American KPop fan/blogger). It was for Korean drama and music fans who were 30 and over and why it appealed to us. In the end, most of us in the room (which was overflowing) agreed that the connection was not necessarily a personal choice, but more that it allowed us to connect with our children who may have introduced us to Korean dramas/music or vice versa. It connected us even though we did not necessarily understand or speak the language. It literally became "family time". At least for my family experience it may be as I say; but, something in Michael Fuhr's statement in his chapter from K-Pop Music and Transnationalism from: The Routledge Handbook of Korean Culture and Society Routledge, "Intrinsic to the individual and collective causes and motivations for enjoyment of K-Pop may be a psychological stance owed to postcolonial sensibilities and to the present awareness of global power disparities" made me think deeper. Even the quote by Choi and Maliangkay that ends the paragraph (p. 291) may subconciously be true fro many who listen to Kpop music. It appears to be very complex once you strip away at the layers of the Korean wave in any country.

[SaenzSotoElizabeth]

As I read through the articles and watched the video presentation I realized that a lot of the reasons I have always seemed "connected" more to plot lines found in Korean dramas and movies is because they depict the every day lives and sometimes fantastical lives of the characters. The storylines tend to be solid (although I have been disappointed at times) and I can connect them to a lot that is common within my own culture/heritage. As a Mexican American many may think that telenovelas would be my go-to, but they never were because they are in my opinion highly sexist, patriarchial, hyper-sexualized amongst other things.

As mentioned in my introduction I have been watching and listening to Asian music and cinema since I was young and have continued to love it. In "The Appeal of Korea: Transnational Screen Culture", Steve Choe stated, "the notion that Korean cinema can speak on behalf of universal humanity and the reminder that this American award could be granted to a film [Parasite] that does not conform to traditional genre expectations, that features Asian actors, is not in English, and so on. I look forward to seeing if Korean cinema and media can push the concept of universality further to reveal its ideological limits and so enable other cinemas to be recognized as universal, through whatever form it may take in the future." UNIVERSAL HUMANITY. That's it. It is as simple as that. Human connection regardless of language or appearance. I, too look forward to seeing further rise of films like Train to Busan, The Thieves, etc. because I have always looked to the humanity, stuggle, and reality of the people of color. I cheered and wholeheartedly agreed when Bong Joon-ho made spoke that famous line about about the one-inch subtitles because storytelling and the emotions you feel from watching or listening to something even though it is not your native language can move you as long as you have a great story (or song) to tell. It does not matter the language, the actors, set locations, etc. We miss out on so much when we only conform to what we know.

[SaenzSotoElizabeth]

Hello, everyone!

I am Elizabeth Saenz (pronounced like "signs") Soto and work in the city of Cudahy at Elizabeth Learning Center which is a span school (we have ETK-12th grade students). You will not forget me because as I always say at PDs - "My name is Elizabeth and I work at Elizabeth Learning Center on Elizabeth St" :). I have worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 10+ years. This coming school year I will again be teaching 6th-12th grade ELD 3 and 4 students, 9th and 10th grade ELA (Core and Honors), and 11th and 12th grade Latinx Literature. I love technology although it does not always love me so I have sponsered both our middle school and high school Robotics teams for the past four years.

On the personal side, I am a Los Angeles born and raised (Boyle Heights) Mexican American and I am a product of the LAUSD school system. I have been married nearly 27 years and we have three amazing children (two daughters and a son). We are also "Cali mom and dad" to eight boys and girls from China as we have been host parents in the past. We truly love connecting with the young students and hope to start hosting again once we complete some home renovations. I have been interested in all cultures since I was a little child. I have clear memories of watching Korean, Japanese, and Chinese variety, cooking, and dramas with my dad as I was growing up. He loved to see cooking shows and I would watch them with him and then keep watching whatever came on afterwards. I was "sucked" into that rabbit hole even before internet made it even more so. I felt I could relate and enjoy those shows more than the typical Caucasian shows on every other mainstream channels growing up. As the years have gone by I have also tried to ingrain in our own children the need to enjoy and appreciate other cultures and ethnicities and continuing to watch shows or listen to music from other countries has connected my children and I. We have attended concerts, conventions, night markets, fairs, etc. in order to appreiate them even more. In doing so I have mentioned this to my students and now that so many have become aware about K-Pop thanks to acts like Psy and BTS (my husband had coined the term "K-Poppers" YEARS ago) in the Western part of the world, my students were excited and felt more accepted knowing they could talk to an adult about music and shows that they loved but that their parents/family did not or did not want to understand (EXO was a bridge even before BTS). I loved it then and will continue to love it. Next on my list? Learn to better understand, speak, and write in Korean and Chinese. Would love to be a polyglot even at my age!  

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