Author Archives: nhartwel@usc.edu

New Orleans Ghost Story

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 22, 2018
Primary Language: English

Main piece:

“So my cousins were staying in New Orleans, which is known for ghosts and everything, and they in their house and they hear a knocking outside saying “Hey, this is my house! Let me in!” and the door handle kept turning and shaking and so the people came downstairs cause they thought someone was trying to break in, and they thought it was just a drunk woman or something knocking on the door and everything. And the doorknob was shaking and they could hear it perfectly and then it was quiet for a short time and they open the door and there was nothing on either side, like nothing was there. And so they’re like, “what the fuck?” and they look it up and the house is haunted and they’re like “Oh my god” and then it happened again the next night. The same exact thing. And no one was there when they opened the door again. And the neighbor said that it happens to that house a lot and like it’s a ghost, it’s not anyone.”

Background:

Informant is a first year student at the University of Southern California who grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was told this story by her cousins.

Context:

The informant told me this story one night in her dorm room.

Commentary:

The informant learned this story from her cousins, who were the original experiencers. Although she was not there at the time of this encounter, she believes it to be true and fully believes that a ghost was present. Because this story came directly from a member of her extended family, it is much easier for her to believe in its truth value than it would be if it came from a stranger. From an outsider’s perspective, this story may not seem as compelling and may be easily disregarded in terms of factual truth, but for the informant it is very real.

 

Cold Remedy

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Pre-Med Student
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Performance Date: April 22, 2018
Primary Language: English

Main piece:

“I always go and get this… I call it spicy lemonade, but it’s like lemon, agave, and cayenne pepper, and it’s from Whole Foods and I always go and get it when I’m sick.”

Background:

Informant is a third year pre-med student at George Washington University who grew up in Mill Valley, California. While she knows that this may not be highly effective, using this combination of ingredients as a cold remedy is something that she learned from her mother, and she says it does make her feel better.

Context:

I was just getting over a cold, so the informant shared with me some of her favorite ways to feel better.

Commentary:

This cold remedy is not based in science, yet it is one that I have learned from many different sources, be it my peers, my family, or the internet. Because it is so well known, it is easier to believe its effectiveness. The informant’s mother made this concoction for her growing up, so naturally she is going to trust its validity and continue the practice. This is a prime example of how a remedy gains more “scientific” credibility when it is corroborated by a larger community.

A published example of this recipe can be found here.

 

Remedy for Hiccups

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 22, 2018
Primary Language: English

Main piece:

“When I was younger, in like elementary school, I was at my friend’s house and I got the hiccups and they wouldn’t go away and my friend’s dad told me to get rid of hiccups you have to drink water out of a cup with a paper towel on top of it upside down. It was really confusing, but I mean the thought of it actually made it work.”

Background:

Informant is a first year student at the University of Southern California who grew up in Pleasanton, California. She learned this method from a childhood friend’s father, and has used it ever since.

Context:

I asked the informant if she had any home remedies that she likes, and she shared this cure for hiccups.

Commentary:

The folk belief that hiccups can be cured by drinking water upside down is quite common, but it is interesting to see the variation in this belief with the addition of placing a paper towel on top of the cup. It was most likely added as an attempt at keeping the water from spilling while the children struggled to drink the water upside down, but the informant still follows this to this day.

As a piece of folk medicine, it is evident that this practice is not based in science. It is interesting to see that not only do so many people follow this belief, but also the informant herself even seemed to recognize that this practice does not actually make scientific sense, admitting that just “the thought of it actually made it work.”

 

British Drinking Song

Nationality: British
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 23, 2018
Primary Language: English

Main piece:

“We like to drink with (person’s name), cause (person’s name) is our mate! And when we drink with (person’s name), she gets it down in 8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1!”

Background:

Informant is a first year student at the University of Southern California who grew up in Henley on Thames, England. As the drinking age is 18 in England, she has experienced the British bar scene with her friends.

Context:

The informant shared this song one night that she sang back home with her friends.

Commentary:

This song is well-known in England, and while it might not be as common in American culture, its simple nature makes it quite easy to join in even without knowing it. Since “mate” is more of a British term, it allows the song to rhyme in a way that wouldn’t be possible using “friend” or any other variation, but it is still understandable across cultures.

 

Baby Jesus Bringing Christmas Presents

Nationality: Colombian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 22, 2018
Primary Language: Spanish

Main piece:

“We go to bed, and we have to go to bed early so that baby Jesus puts our biggest present under our bed. Yeah, baby Jesus puts the big present under our bed, that’s the big one. Like, if you wanted a GoPro, baby Jesus comes down and puts it under your bed. So you go to bed, and then the next morning is also exciting, so it’s a two day experience. So the 25th, we wake up… I usually wake up at like 5:30-6 to milk my cows, but before that I check under my bed, and like one of my happiest memories was getting a Wii, and I ran into my parents room and I tell them that baby Jesus brought me a Wii. And then that’s pretty much the day.”

Background:

Informant is a first year acting student at the University of Southern California. She was born in Medellin, Colombia, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and at age 12 she moved to Paris and later Hong Kong. She spends her winter and summer vacations with her family in Colombia.

Context:

I asked the informant about how she celebrates Christmas, and this was her response.

When asked how she celebrates Christmas, the informant shared that in her family, the belief is that baby Jesus himself brings you one present, typically the biggest one you asked for, and he leaves it underneath your bed. She still said Santa brings other presents, but the biggest one comes from Jesus.

Commentary:

Unlike the typical belief that Santa Claus comes through the chimney and delivers all the presents under the tree, the informant added onto this and said that for her family in Colombia, baby Jesus himself is responsible for bringing the biggest or most important presents. Santa is still responsible for bringing other gifts (see also “Celebrating Christmas on December 24th”), but her family wanted to emphasize the fact that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus by having him bring the present that they most looked forward to. Christmas seems to get more and more commercialized each year, and this addition is a simple reminder of what the holiday is about at its core.