1) The document discusses objects a South Korean student brings to class that symbolize cultural values and orientations. These include electronic devices, pens, wallets, toothpaste, and other items. 2) Many of the items, like smartphones, laptops, pens, and toothpaste, are from Korean brands because the student is accustomed to them from a young age. This shows aspects of being past and present oriented. 3) Other objects like a conch shell symbolize the student's Buddhist faith, while a tea thermos and ginseng represent traditions of drinking tea and using herbal medicine. Overall the document explores how the items reveal the student's cultural influences and orientations.

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Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Subject
DD Month
Culture Orientation
Introduce to your classmates the objects you bring to class that symbolize the value
“orientations” in your culture
contacts:dorineadalyn@gmail.com
Culture has both visible and opaque elements that symbolizes certain values within
the community. The visible are the artistic objects which carry an important value to a
community. Our belief, assumptions, values are reflected in the artistic object which are
ingrained in our cultures. Korean, just like other communities, has its own objects which
reflects their cultures orientation. As South Korean, I bring my smartphone, laptop (where
there are electronic textbooks), some paperback textbooks, a branded wallet, a particular pen,
scooter key, sunblock, mouthwash, and Bamboo salt toothpaste sneaker-shaped pencil, couch
extra pair of spectacles ceramic tea thermos, a ginseng, Korean paper (Hanji) etc. to class.
I’m a South Korean male student. Ever since I got hold of modern electronic devices
like smartphones and laptops it appears strange to me because I have only been using
Samsung for Smartphones, LG for laptops because I found it hard to be adjusting to other
products like apple or some Chinese brands. For the pen I use in school, I’ve been mostly

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using one particular Japanese branded pen for more than a decade and even refilling the pen
now and then as I’ve been constantly feeling that pen brings me good luck. From these
examples, I may look like I’m a person trapped in the past, maybe meaning I’m more of a
past oriented person.
As a University student, I try not to live an extravagant life. But when purchasing my
wallet, I escape the cheapskate way of thinking and always buy one of the best, if not the best
branded wallets because I have a belief that a wallet is the home for money. My thought is,
money would prefer to live in a branded home than a non-branded one, so in order for more
money to flow in, I need a good house for it. You can see from the listed example that I’m not
such a scientific person. I always apply sunblock before coming for class but I still bring it in
case the sun gets a little too sunny after class and burns down my face. I bring an extra pair of
spectacles with me to class. Afterall, you might bump into a random piece of glass at school.
Who knows? The mind that I’m always prepared makes me feel comfortable. Maybe this
shows that in some ways I’m a future oriented person.
I also attach great importance in the present. I’m a person who hates bad smell and
seek freshness. For instance if I took some snacks during breaktime, I will always head to the
bathroom and go for a mouth wash. Only after the mouthwash is complete do I feel at ease
and feel happy. In this way, maybe I’m a present oriented person. I often use one particular
toothpastes called the Korean Bamboo Salt Toothpaste. This is a product made naturally from
South Korea and it is made of natural products from environment and most Korean identify
with them Not that I don’t like using other toothpaste, but the feeling that am using
something natural from a substance that is known to me makes me feel like am using the
right products. In fact, it is hard for me to change this toothpaste because of the way my
family, and perhaps, a large number of my community prefer this tooth paste to others. This

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might brand me as a conservative person, but the love of natural products makes me feel like
I want to relate more with natural substance that most artificial substance that are made of
chemicals. The toothpaste is almost shared with almost all members of my family, it is hard
for me to change it from what is uncommon to me, may be sometime, I would try some, but
until then, I still identify with the Korean toothpaste.
As a as Buddhist, I carry my conch, which stand as an emblem of sovereignty of the
teaching we incarnate from Buddhism. To me, it stands as a symbol of undoubted
fearlessness and proclaim the truth. It is a small object that I can put in my pocket or carry in
my bad and no one will notice it. Because I cannot meet with my fellow congregant here, the
conch will always remind me of the faith we share together. Somehow, though I have not yet
approved of the sentiments related to the couch is that it can burnish harmful spirit away and
also prevent harm from getting to me. Almost every member in my culture carries a couch as
a symbols of our religion. The couch inspires me to do take the right actions especially when
it permits its sound. Because I cannot carry every object on Buddhism, I chose the conch
because it is the simplest and the most portable object that I can relate to easily and can
remind me of the faith I hold as a Buddhist.
My sneaker-shaped pencil are very important for me. I use them while I want to
decorate my art or use them in class. As a South Korean, I love drawing and decorating object
or write down on the paper. I don’t do it for class work but it is because my community love
doing these kind of art and is it passed from generation to the other. My sneaker-shaped
pencil are very important because they help fill the gap or resonate me my hobbies or art of
my community. I carry the pencil not only because it is a cute stationary for me, but because
it is part of art that my community has preserved for centuries. The thirst for art which I can
only quell through drawing with this magic pencil if often spontaneity, simplistic and most

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importantly is creates in me a feeling of harmony and reconnect me with nature. As a South
Korean, I prefer the undorged beauty of natural patterns because it is innate in me and
perhaps my community. I accept nature and its significance to our lives. My love for drawing
is it bring out the inherent natural relationship with nature into visual art.
I bring my scooter keys to class. The keys itself don’t have much meaning to me, but
it’s the scooter that is the important thing here. I always ride a scooter to class even if it’s a
walkable distance as I know that I and my friends would be heading to a restaurant or café
right after class. We don’t have a destination on our mind until the class ends and magically,
instantly become hungry. The first person to spit out a name of a restaurant, his ideas are
followed and we eat there. In this regard, I am a being orientation person. Often, despite the
fact I can’t get most of my Korean meals here, I do love to eat rice because of my people love
eating it.
I also carry my small ceramic tea thermos. The thermos is so small that it can be
carried inside my bag pack without being noticed. This ceramic tea thermos has too essence,
as South Korean, there is a natural love of nature especially on art. We make ceramic object
which is a tradition ingrained in out roots. I feel so close to these ceramic object because it is
one of the identities that the Asian communities can be identified with. Also within the
ceramic tea thermos is my tea. The most favorable part of the object. The main ingredient in
my tea is the pine needles. This is my favorite tea. Tea, not only to me alone, has been part of
my culture for centuries, it a tradition that is carried for a long time. Sometime I share this tea
with my friends. It is part of my culture to serve people with tea whenever they visits. This
may seem like I am conservative persons because to depicts my relationship with people
around me.
I also carry my small ginseng in a small bottle with a lid. This Korean ginseng is the

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pretest and the best remedy to reduce stress, improve, my concentration in class and stamina.
This substance is very important to me because it aid my concentration especially when am
overwhelmed with many class work. It is a natural substance from my community that has
medicinal benefits. Sometimes my friend ask me to them give a portion of it. Most Koran are
known by this substance thus the mane “Korean Ginseng”. This substance is also preferred in
the long run because it help increase energy, thus one does not feel burden or does not
become exhausted while doing a task. It helps me discourage the feeling of laziness
especially when dealing with class work project.
To aid my drawing, I carry my Korean paper called Hanji. Because of my love for
drawing, I do prefer this paper because it is strong, aesthetic and has luster nature. The paper
are decorated with beautiful flowers making them the best papers for drawing. Besides, their
strength makes my artistic works durable unlike other paper that fade out within short time
shall start. Somehow, I have used this paper for drawing in my entire life and I don’t know
what it feels like to use other papers other than the Korean papers. Also these are the best way
to present my artistic works to my friends.
As a South Korean, I am flanked with one notorious nature of my culture- hard work.
Hard work is inherent in me just like it is embed in the mainstream culture of my people. This
is consistent with my nature of going to the library, taking every assignment serious. The
value of the hard work, I believe is a push toward achieving the success of education. Hard
work is ingrained in me and sometime my friend tell me that I should have time to rest, Even
though I do have time to rest, sometimes it can be seen that I have taken my education
serious. As long as faith, determination and strength are provided, anything can be achieved.
Not only do my Nature of hard work persistent in class only, I often give a considerable
energy and focused determination to see that anything I do become a success. I do manage

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this through etiquette of time. As a South Korean, time is of essence in every aspect that is
deemed to have positive result. I find it hard to alter my schedules, especially if is assigned at
a particular time of occurrence. Moreover, time is a push factor for in achieving the goals I
have set. I have a conservative time manger because that is the way I incarnated it from my
culture.
Also come with a Gibun which assign of bowing. Sometimes, in my interactions
with friends and people whom I respect, I bow. Bowing to me is assign of respect and
acknowledging those who are in position of authority. Naturally, not something I am coming
up with here is that, South Korean are people who are respectful, humble and sometimes
timid. This is not to show that I cannot react to situation, but is because my culture taught me
to be like that in regard to my relationship with people. I believe that every person is part of
nature. The only way I can maintain a good relationship with this part of nature is to welcome
them in that manner. My culture uses the term “Gibun” which related to state of mind and
emotion in English. Achieving goals without hurting someone is the greatest value of life.
This why is it important to me to maintain good interpersonal relationship with people to
avoid hurting them and also have good state of mind? This is because, my culture value
human life and most importantly the family. I am taught that a person without a family is like
a tree without roots. These are the learning we got from Confucianism and I intend to keep it
that way, God knows how long. This brand of decision portrays me as a conservative person,
or still living in the past because of the way I value family and friends. While I am here, my
friends and the people I interact with daily are my family, they are the one I owe my respect
to.
Innate in me every time I come in class is my sense of space and self. Personal space
is very important to me. Often, I like keeping some distance with people not because I do not

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want them near me but because as a Korean, I like keeping it that way. However, I have lot of
friends whom I dear so much. Direct eye contact is also very important to me when I speak,
because, I tend to know when someone is telling me the truth. Despite the fact that I have few
friends who speak Korean, my language is always inherent within me and is the best
language I an express myself with.