Communities and Culture Seminar, Part Two

July brought the opportunity for more seminar classes on Friday! I enjoyed them all. Our final two seminars were Devon Street and then learning about Korean and Cambodian Culture.

On Devon Street we have the opportunity to take a tour of the neighborhood with one of the first immigrants of the city, who came here many decades ago. Devon Street is an Indian Neighborhood filled with Indian culture. Our activities included eating at an Indian Cafe, visiting jewelry shops, visiting a wedding dress shop and trying on the dresses! We also went to an Indian grocery store, Indian restaurant, and a gift shop, all within a few hours! We learned a lot about the Indian culture and three things I learned that surprised me were: how they eat their food, arranged marriages, and family loyalty.

Indians eat their food with their hands primarily. While eating lunch we had chicken and rice with bread and it was expected of us to eat with the bread or mush up our food and eat the rice with our fingertips as well. What an experience! It is frowned upon to eat with silverware, it is considered insulting.

Arranged marriages still exist in Indian culture and often bring a whole town together for the event. Although they are still common, it is also becoming increasingly more common for parents to allow their children to marry whoever they would like... especially in America. Children are also expected to work in family ran businesses and take them over, which I found surprising. I think American's do not value this tradition as much as Indians do, I admire them for this.

Our last seminar! Our last seminar was visiting the KRCC, which is a resource center for immigrants from Korea in the Chicago area. The main tasks they complete here are spreading knowledge to Koreans in Chicago about how to gain citizenship. Many Koreans and other Asians live in fear of coming out and telling others that they do not have citizenship yet. This opened up my eyes to how much of an "epidemic" immigration is in the United States and how many people are living in fear constantly. It changed my views immensely in just the hour or two we were at the center. We also got the chance to cook our own Korean BBQ at a restaurant afterwards, that was a first, and it wad delicious! 

We also had the chance to learn about Cambodians in Chicago and the heartbreaking experiences of the Cambodian Genocide and the refugees that fled to America during this time. The story is enduring an inspiring. The refugees have established a name for themselves in Chicago by opening up a museum that taught us all about the history of Cambodians in Chicago and the genocide. It is amazing how much of a difference the location of your country can change your story and the reasons you came to America. Exploring all of these Asian neighborhoods was so educational and one of my favorite parts of the seminar experience.