Culture Days *yay*

Soo...I've already told you guys about the Culture Days. Now we got the assignment to write about 10 of the presentations (uhhhh..I hope I remember all of them :D ). All in all, I think the Culture Days went really well. There were hardly any delays (I think we were in time mostly) and most of the topics were really interesting.

The Kennedys
I think "The Kennedys" is a really cool topic. Usually it's always about John, but this time it was fiiinalllyy also about his brothers and his father (who by the way played a veery important role in American politics). John's father was very strict and even when the boys were still kids he wanted them to get the best education available. So they always had to talk about politics. Unfortunately they all suffered great loss during their lifetime (also called the Kennedy curse). The oldest brother died in WW2, John and his younger brother Bobby were assassinated, and Ted died from brain cancer. Still, they were one of the most loved and admired families in the US.

The Korean War
As my topic was the Vietnam War, it was really interesting to listen to the presentation about the Korean War and compare those two. During WW2, Korea had been occupied by Japanese troops. The Soviet Union and the US, however, wanted to pitch the Japanese out of the country and worked together to do so. In the end, they drew a line between North and South Korea- the North was supported by the Soviets, the South by the US. This friendship did not last long and soon troops from the North started attacking the South. At first, the North Korea was about to win because the US had underestimated the power of the Soviet Union, but then the US asked for the help of the NATO. Together they pushed the North Korean troops back to the North. However, nobody was able to win the war and therefore they only agreeed on a ceasefire agreement. So actually North and South Korea are still at war.

American Indian Boarding Schools
Since I had already learned about this topic in school, I knew most of the facts that were mentioned in the presentation already. However, it was good to fresh up my knowledge and hear about this cruel episode of American history again. The pictures where they compared Indian kids before and after the school were extremely shocking. Afterwards they just looked like Europeans.

Ellis Island
I had also heard about Ellis Island before, but I never had any detailed knowledge about it. For example, I had never heard about the "Six Seconds Medical Exam" where they tested immigrants in order to make sure they were physicall and mentally fit enough to be allowed to immigrate. Imagine having to go through this after fleeing from persecution- imagine the fear they must have felt knowing that they might not be accepted and might have to go back.

Woodstock
Although I had also already known most of the things that were mentioned, the presentation was really interesting. What surprised me most was the fact that for the first time Hippies were not seen as radicals anymore (I had not known that). I think the Woodstock era is one of the most fascinating parts of American music history. It
was an expression for what people felt back then - their wish to live in peace and harmony, their opposition toward war, their desire for change.

++++ These were the 5 topics I chose for my KGP (final oral exam). I think they were the most fascinating ones and can be related very well to other American topics e.g. Ellis Island to the American Dream or the Arizona Immigration law; Woodstock to Vietnam, Korea and the Cold War; or the American Boarding Schools to the Trail of Tears, the Luisiana Purchase, Manifest Destiny or to Sacagawea ++++

Race Around Ireland
This presentation was my absolute favorite among Irish presentations. It was not only interesting to
hear about the race itself (I hadn't even know that there was a race around Ireland haha) but also to hear about the personal experience of the student who did the presentation ( He is one of the guys who help cyclists during the race). The only thing I missed were pictures of Ireland's landscape...I bet what those cyclists get to see is soooo beautiful *.*

9/11 and it's aftermath
My friend Helene did this presentation and it was soo awesome! I mean.. I had heard it a couple of times before the actual presentation because we practiced together..but still... it was great. I think 9/11 is a tragedy that is still in the heart of Americans and that influenced decisions that had great impact on the whole world (Iraq, racism against Arabs, Afghanistan etc.) Also, Helen showed President Bush's speech in which he declared war on terror... today we all know what that actually meant (invading Iraq and Afghanistan, death of thousands of soldiers..etc)

Irish Intelligence at its peak
Although I heard the presentation twice, it was never boring. The student who presented it did a veeery good job.. she made people laugh and still gave a lot of interesting information. I do believe though that I would have understood more if I had known more about Irish history in general (I still know a lot from last semester- but I have forgotten some of the key facts).

Belfast

This presentation was somehow very shocking to me. I just can't believe that the serperatists and unionists there are still kinda fighting. That they need a WALL in order to be separated and not kill each other. It's really unbelievable. But then again...the time of the Troubles was not so long ago and what had been happening to the Irish for CENTURIES (English Protestants telling them what to do and killing a lot of Irish in the battlefield) takes some time to be processed I guess.

All I have is a voice
Another friend of mine -Sarah- did this presentation, and just like Helene she did a veeery good job =). It was so interesting to hear how Hip Hop evolved and how music was used by blacks in order to express their feelings- how it was their only way to keep their cultre alive during the time of slavery and oppression. Also, I finally learned who exactly Malcom X was (I had heard his name a couple of times and knew he had something to do with the Civil Rights Movement, but I didn't that he was so radical and wanted to protect the right of blacks by ALL MEANS NECESSARY.)