My Fourth Meeting with Harry

I really enjoyed my meeting with Harry today. Our meetings having seemingly become much more authenticated lately. With just a few quick texts, we're able to meet up at any place we choose and it doesn't seem forced. We recognize each other's busy schedules and have kept up one of our own for our meetings. It's really exciting to see the connection that him and I are making and today we had a lot to catch each other up on since the break.

We began with the ever common, "How was your break?" question. His trip to Miami was a definite hit for him and his girlfriend. The weather was warm, yet still cool and the culture was fantastic, he said. The only con he could find there was the spanish language that was so fluent for most people in the city. He's still new to learning English, but when people are throwing in Spanish to the mix, Harry's caught really off-guard. He asked how my break went and I replied with how great of a time I had in Austin for the game and that I was able to spend my vacation with family towards the end.

Harry then asked what my plans were for Winter break. All I'm really doing is going home to be with my family and friends with maybe some side trips to Austin or Fort Worth in between. Well, Harry blew me absolutely away with his plans... He'll be going to China, then in a week be leaving for Australia to stay for a week, then he'll head back to China to get ready for a flight to Denmark. I told him how exhausting that sounded and he didn't sound too thrilled about the trips either. "Yeah, we have family over in those places but I can't handle how long the flights are," he said. I wouldn't blame him either. 10 hours to Australia, then who knows how long a flight to Denmark would be... He told me he plans on staying back in China for the trip to Denmark.

He also isn't too thrilled about seeing his parents either, but then again, who is really excited to have to be with their parents for an entire month? He wouldn't be spending an entire month with his parents though. Although he's said before that his parents aren't really very controlling and have supported with most decisions he's made in his life, he doesn't actually spend much quality time with them since they're constantly working on the growth of their businesses.

Finally, before Harry had to go prepare for a project of his, we chatted about the Chinese government and how controlling they are of the internet. I saw that he was using a chinese version of what looked like Facebook. He told me that it had all the functionality of our Facebook but it was more regulated. He didn't really understand why there was a need to have separate social media sites if both chinese and the actual Facebook site mirror each other, but the chinese Facebook is more catered to the chinese in both language and regulated content (which is regulated by the government). Also, he mentioned to me that the chinese are allowed to download any song and movie they want for free through an approved chinese computer application. This was just beyond me knowing that piracy is such a huge issue in America, I couldn't believe that things like entertainment were offered to China.

Well, until next time, Harry. Can't wait.

Harry and I Meet / Part 3

Harry and I met on Tuesday at around 1:00PM, which seems to be the only time the he and I don't have a conflicting moment in the day. We found ourselves sitting in out in front of the Barnes and Noble tables, once again. I was starving this day, so I suggested we move this conversation to Dutch's for a burger; He seemed happy to come along with me!

Of course, I'm the only who is actually ordering food. I find it quite awkward when I'm the only eating at any sort of event. So as I wait for my food we begin to chat about how are week has been. Harry he seems to constantly be busy with school, because for the 3rd time he's told me that he has multiple one-on-one meetings with his professor in the coming week. It seems that ESL students really have the opportunity to have personal meetings with their professors, but I'm just assuming that they're more like "check-ins" that provide them information as to how they're progressing through their requirements and what not, I'll ask him about it on our next meeting.

Once my burger arrived, we began discussion about what makes each other laugh. He didn't quite seem to know why I was asking this question, I told him about what our class was about centered around and he started to grasp the concept of what he thinks is funny. He's amused by many things: jokes, television and movies. All very general answers, so I decided to delve just a bit deeper and ask specifically what aspects of each of his answers made him laugh. He didn't really have an answer for jokes besides the fact that jokes are usually funny, we shared a bit of an awkward laugh about that. Entertainment media, however, definitely seemed have more depth behind it. I can't remember the name of his favorite actor, but he was quite obsessed with this certain comedian and he had a passion for various films that I had never heard of.

As conversation began to die down, I asked his plan for his Thanksgiving break. He was heading to Miami with his girlfriend and some friends. He laughed about no plans on seeing his family until much later into the winter. I asked him where is girlfriend went to school and she's in school a smaller liberal arts school in the Mid-West. I thought it was remarkable that he was able to keep connection and an emotional relationship with his girlfriend through the process of moving to America and attending different schools, I don't think I could even do that. However, they've been together for almost a year and he likes her quite a bit. I laughed a bit and told him I was pretty jealous of his love, and he scoffed right back at me and said I could a get girlfriend no problem. We both started laughing a bit and I said, it's a bit harder than you think to just get into a relationship, but he has quite a bit of confidence in me to get myself into a relationship.

It was at the end of our relationship talk that I had to end our conversation for a meeting I had early in the afternoon. I bid him farewell and told him we would meet again after Thanksgiving.

Tales of Juha p. 1 - 41

Splashed across about 33 pages of the reading were stories filled with this character called, Juha. An interesting character that takes the form of various emotions, entities and people. I, personally, was very absorbed into the short bits of comedic storytelling. This Juha character seems to be the center of Arabic humor taking advantage of every type of joke that seems possible to tell. From sarcasm to physical humor, Juha is seamlessly fits into each form of humor.

It's odd to me that Juha is such a present form of comedy for Arabs. Seems a bit to me like the "yo mama" jokes in America, focusing on one comedic aspect of somebody's mom and making a joke of them. I know, horrible example, but it seems to fit the mold of Juha, perhaps? Focusing on one element and putting that element in different situations, but Juha isn't just placed in various situations, Juha changes character again and again. It is said the Juha is rich and a pauper, old and young, hero and thief. Is Juha an actual character or is it just an idea? That what the text even questions to us. Juha is fictitious and reality, a representation of societal norms and strife? So many questions come from this Juha humor, but what I did recognize was that Juha was always found in perplexing situations that always ended with witty dialogue. Juha would find a way out of a situation or twist the words of others to manipulate the story into how Juha saw fit.

I can't really describe my true feelings towards this humor, but I was drawn to it, absolutely. The jokes were short, light, fun and sarcastic, at times. The humor dug into representations of real life struggles, slice-of-life type of settings but ended with a comedic twist due to the presence of Juha. Juha would step in, in some form and fashion, and would take these realistic trifles and manipulate them into whatever Juha wanted the outcome to be. Sometimes saving the poor, sometimes helping himself (in not so heroic ways).

To me, Juha wasn't laugh-out-loud type of funny, but I see where Juha has developed many other types of humor. From punchlines to the use of wit, Juha seems to be an older version of humor that has branched out to mesh or begin many types of comedic elements in humor. Because Juha is this omniscient character that has flexibility in form, it looks to see that this type of Arabic humor traveled the world through storytelling to help shape what humor we have today in a way unknown to the creators of Juha.

As I think through again and again about this idea of Juha, it seems that Juha itself is a variety of types of comedic elements. Juha is the epitome of humor. However, I may not find this to be the funniest form of humor, but I see where Juha has helped to develop the humor we recognize and use today. We've unknowingly used Juha to create our own humor, and in that, Juha still exists today. We laugh at our own humor because we've made Juha our own. 

Class Thoughts and Hokum Final Thoughts

Currently, I sit here in this class thinking about where I intellectually and emotionally stand in this class. Although I wasn't able to read the last of Hokum, I still feel that I have input on the subject without knowing what is precisely happening with such-and-such character or this or that time period. I get it, yet I still feel at a disadvantage in this class. From my mid-term essay, you can probably grasp that I'm enjoying the content of this class but sitting here, surrounded by my peers it's difficult for me to speak. Strange, coming from me, am I right? I am the funny guy (or I'd at least like to think so at times), but because of that I feel pressured to not talk about my opinion. When I don't, which is quite often, I feel subordinate to most in this room, as if I'm being judged for having a legitimately serious opinion. I've challenged myself by taking this course and being accepted into the honors college, because this a deterrent from my usual academic curriculum. This is a complete 180 degree change from my advertising and film production mind-set. It is a positive struggle, if you will.

As I feel this class is absolutely beneficial to the idea of thinking outside the box, I constantly find myself re-thinking of where I stand. What I've found is that I've been able to combine the technological aspect of my major in a way to express myself within this class. I am not dumb, nor subordinate to anyone in this class. I have to keep telling myself that. I may not always read before class begins, I still have an opinion on the matters that we discuss in class. I care very deeply about the history behind African-American humor, because I am, in short, a minority. When it comes to sharing my opinion about the various aspects about this humor and the various humor and subjects we discuss in class, I am thankful that I have social media to share my voice. I may not always be heard in class, and at times, I may look like a fool, but I know I'm not. I'm thankful that I have the ability to express myself through social media, because I have an actual outlet to speak my mind with a serious tone.

_______________________

Grazing the pages of Hokum,I kept finding myself lost within many of these stories and bits of humor, I was forced to do a re-evaluation of my previous thoughts of what is considered humor through the minds of African-Americans.

From the blatant use of racial slurs to the presentation of slavery and oppression shown, I found myself struggling to connect with how this could be humorous. But it was this struggling to connect that better abled to connect me to these various works. Humor is found in a variety of fashions. From sarcastic to the absurd, from the grotesque to the acceptable. It is how each individual makes it out to be, and while we've discussed that time and time again in class, it's very easy to lose sight of that when we're taken out of our comfort zones. As horrible it is to laugh at such oppressive stories, it's best to take these stories and dialogue into the context in which they were written. They were meant to be real, but relative. Relative to those that can relate. The various types of humor found in Hokum weren't meant to please every audience, it wasn't made to muster a chuckle from every individual who read through them. Each story had a background that could truly only by understood by those endearing the times of slavery, oppression and racism. 

Being a minority in various aspects, I was able to set realize that during these changing times that I, myself, am still struggling to be accepted in society. I find myself constantly in oppressive situations where harsh terms are flung around with no care as to what psychological and emotional harm they cause on the movement I'm trying so hard to be a part of. Oppression isn't something to make light of, but that is exactly how we, as minorities, fight against. We make a joke of it. Words can't hurt if we make them our own. Let's take a negative slur and turn it against our oppressors. It's with this realization that allowed me to place myself within the context many of the stories of Hokum were written in.

I am now so much better connected with understanding the humor of other cultures that lack a majority status. As previously stated, oppression is nothing to make light of, but when you're the one being oppressed it's sometimes the only way out.

Harry and I Meet ... Again! Oct. 12

Our second conversation took place outside of Starbucks. Very much passed our awkward greetings, we said "Hello!" enthusiastically to one another and began conversation very quickly. This week our topic seemed to linger on getting to understand more on a personal level and his perceptions of TCU and Fort Worth.

Harry personally loves Fort Worth and finds himself at home here. He's made quite a few friends while only being here for less than a year and being from a completely foreign country, at that. Not that it's surprising that he has friends, but that he has such a tight knit group of friendships that seem to have developed so quickly. He lives in an apartment down the road that he thoroughly loves because he has such great roommates and he has a place to call his own - which Harry seems to love his newfound freedom here.

Speaking of home, Harry defines Fort Worth as his new home. He thoroughly enjoys the fact that he is living in this new city and finds the culture so different from China. Apparently most food in China is made from chicken or white meat and is not nearly as deep fried as the food we have here. The taste of burgers and other food in Fort Worth is good, he says, but he prefers the taste of food from home. He implied that he prefers the lighter taste of the food from home.

His discussion of food from home got me thinking... What what his opinion on the chinese food in America? Harry laughed at my comment saying that it definitely does not compare to what he has back home. He's found only one restaurant that has decent chinese-style food.

I noticed he was reading a book, if only I could remember the title of the book, but it looked very strange for him to be reading such a book about American economics. I asked what he was reading and he looked at me with a bit of disgust. It was a book he had to read in order to complete his English as a second language course. He honestly had no idea why they had to read it, but he understand most of it, thankfully. I flipped through the novel a bit and saw he highlighted some lines that he didn't quite grasp and most were sarcastic lines of humor which, needless-to-say, I was surprised to find in a book about economics.

Well, as we finished our discussion about his economic book I noticed I had another meeting to get to. We said our farewells and promised we'd meet again soon.