Author Archives: Janice Youn

Riddle

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Norwalk, CA
Performance Date: March 4, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

When I first came upon this riddle, I was in my senior year of high school.  I was in my English class waiting for the bell to ring and I had nothing to do.  Therefore, one of my friends turned around and told me this riddle.

In the riddle, there are two men in a bar.  They decide to play poker for a bit of money.  After several games, the first man has lost most of them and is in debt.  However he doesn’t have any money to pay the second man.  Therefore, he decides to try and run away without paying his opponent.  He runs into his car, rolls up the window, and locks the door.  The second man walks out angrily with a gun and shoots and kills the first man.  However, no damage is done to the car.  There are no scratches, no bullet holes, or any other mark.  One man was in the car while the other was outside, and yet no visible sign of damage existed.  How did this happen?

The answer to the riddle is that the first man was in a convertible.  As there was no roof to the car, the second man was able to kill the first without damaging the car.  When I first heard this riddle, I couldn’t comprehend how the situation could exist.  It seemed impossible that the first man could be killed when he was separated from the second man by the car.  It didn’t occur to me until later that he could be in a convertible.  As with many other people, I was looking at the riddle with a narrow mind and failed to see the other possibilities that existed.  It wasn’t until I began to question what I assumed to be true that I saw the answer.  I had been determined that the car was a regular car that I didn’t realize it could be otherwise.  Thus, this reflects upon the inability of people to see things as they truly are and their tendency to believe things as they are familiar with.

The riddle also reflects upon the American belief of justice.  Because the first man had tried to run away without paying the second man, it was only fair that he was killed.  The riddle presents no ill feelings towards the second man for committing murder but rather focuses on how the first man was killed.  It seems to suggest that the first man deserved to die and there was no surprise that he did.  This is similar to the response the riddle elicits in the listeners.  They don’t feel compassion for the dead man but instead accepts that his death was justified.  The murder itself isn’t what bothers the listeners; it’s how the murder was committed that confuses them.  Therefore, this riddle exemplifies the belief system of Americans on justice.

Game – Korean

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Cerritos, CA
Performance Date: March 27, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

??? – Korean seesaw

nol-ttwigi

Joanne learned this Korean traditional game from her grandma when she was 7 years old during a traditional New Year’s Day celebration.  She was at her grandma’s house celebrating the New Year and listening to her grandma tell stories of her childhood.  Of the stories, the most memorable one was about how she used to jump on the Korean seesaw with her friends on New Year’s Day.  Because girls were forbidden from participating in games with men, the women celebrated the new year by playing nol-ttwigi.

Similar to regular seesaws, nol-ttwigi requires the use of a long board with participants on each side.  However, unlike seesaws, the participants do not sit on the board but rather stand on the edges.  As one partner jumps on the board, the other is forced up.  Because the individuals are both standing up, it creates a thrilling experience as they are tossed into the air.  This game played an important role for women in the old days because it allowed them to experience excitement and action without disobeying the strict rules society placed on women.  According to Joanne’s grandma, women in previous times were prohibited from leaving the gates of their homes and were restricted to living within the walls of their houses.  As a result, nol-ttwigi was a blessing to their lives for it allowed them to see past the walls of their confinement.  Each time they were pushed up by their partner on the other side, they were able to catch a glimpse of the outside world.  Therefore, nol-ttwigi became a popular game among women for it provided females with a temporary entrance into the outside world.  It has since been established as a traditional game in Korea and is played during holidays and special occasions.

Annotation: Koh, Frances M. Korean Games. Eastwest Press: 1997.

In this book of Korean games, the author describes the traditional game of nol-ttwigi.

Proverb – Spanish

Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Reno, CA
Performance Date: April 5, 2007
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Crea        fama       y               acuestate          a           dormir

Create      fame      and           go to bed           to          to sleep

“First impressions go a long way”

Tony learned this proverb from his grandfather when he was preparing for college interviews as a high school senior.  He was trying to predict the possible interview questions he would face when his grandpa reminded him that it was also important how he looked for the interview.  He would be meeting the university officials for the first time and how they viewed him initially would affect how the rest of the interview would be run.  When a student makes a very strong first impression the interviewer is eager to carry out the interview.  However, if the interviewee isn’t impressed by the student, it makes it difficult for him/her to change his/her opinion.  The initial impression of the interviewee will always remain and will influence his views on the individual.

First impressions are also important in a variety of situations, ranging from a simple meeting of one’s parents to establishing business connections.  Jut as parents would not want their child hanging out with an individual with body piercings and tattoos all over, business associates will not want to form bonds with someone who looks unorganized and unstable.  Appearance, therefore, is one of the first steps in establishing trust and deeper relationships.  It provides individuals with an initial understanding of who you are and either stirs in them a desire to want to know you deeper, or fails to.  Therefore, it is important to remember the importance of the initial encounter with people and to understand that first impressions can often make or break an individual’s future.

Myth – Singapore

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Whittier, CA
Performance Date: April 2, 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

The name of Singapore

Alric learned this myth in high school during a class on world geography.  The class had been studying the southeast nations and his teacher felt compelled to share the story with her students.  The myth attempts to explain the origin of the name Singapore while exploring the characteristics of the land.

According to the story, the name of the land was first established by a Malay king when he visited the island.  Upon stepping foot on the land, the king came upon a majestic creature full of grace and power.  It was roaming across the island with authority, protecting the land from foreign invaders.  The king was amazed at its beauty and magnificence and overwhelmed that such a creature existed on the land.  In his eyes, the animal was comparable to the grandiose lions that existed in the far west.  The king therefore deduced that the creature was a “singa,” or a lion, and claimed that the island would be known as Singapura, or the city of lions.

By placing such a strong and powerful meaning behind the name of the island, the myth creates a majestic and awe-inducing charm about the land.  By being a land of lions – a land of beautiful and magnificent creatures – Singapore can be seen as a high and grandiose land.  It increases the allure of the island and encourages people to come and explore the place where even the lions deemed fit for living.  Therefore, by creating an explanation for the origin of the land’s name, the myth adds to the charm and appeal of the island.

Folk Belief – Hawaii

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Honolulu, HI
Performance Date: March 10, 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

You can’t have pork in the car while driving down the Pali highway.

Katie Tamai first learned this superstition from her mother when she was a child.  She was driving towards the Pali highway with her mom when her mom stopped the car and placed the box of leftover pork on the side of the road.  Though Katie didn’t understand this action at first, she learned that according to Hawaiian superstition, it is unlucky to drive along the Pali highway with pork in the car.  If a person does not surrender their pork on the road, his car will break down in the middle of the highway.  Therefore, individuals in Hawaii, including Katie, do not drive along the highway with pork in the car.

From the beliefs of many Hawaiians, having pork in the car while driving on the Pali highway is disrespectful to an ancestral spirit and can cause the car to shut down.  This superstition, however, may also have a more functional purpose behind it.  In Hawaii, this mountainous highway is known to have a high rate of car accidents each year as a result of speeding.  Many individuals die from unexplainable deaths on the highway.  Therefore, the superstition may have been created to promote safe driving in this region.  Not only would individuals not be eating while driving but they would also be more cautious because of the superstition.  As a result, not only would individuals be pleasing the supernatural spirits roaming the highway but they would also be keeping themselves safe.