Carynn's Intercultural Collaboration

The Particular is the Universal started off with a discussion on habitus - a word that I've never came across before. It's what makes each of us unique, it's like the building blocks that makes up who we are. In my blog post Habitus, I wrote about my country of birth - Malaysia, and how multicultural it is. I realise that I've never thought about my country as being something other than the name of a nationality in my life. I've never considered that it plays a big part of who I am. Prior to this, Malaysian was just a name with little to no value to me. I came into the course thinking that I would not have much to contribute because my country was so small that some might not even have heard of it before. Sure, we have a few notable stars such as Jimmy Choo and Michelle Yeoh, but when I hear their names, my mind does not jump to 'I'm so proud that they're Malaysians.' I introduced the famous mamak in my Habitus blog post which I found interesting to...

Prompt: How do you think your habitus has changed from the beginning of the semester to now?  Although I grew up surrounded by South-East Asian culture, I was barely exploring it. In fact, I wasn't even touching any of it. It's not that I was ashamed of my culture, it was simply ignored and put aside to make space for mainstream Western media. Before this semester, I didn't think there was anything special about my own culture and the country I grew up in. Perhaps it's because I've been seeing my country everyday and being in a new country was much more exciting. Perhaps it's because I didn't make an effort to expose myself to local content creators or maybe I simply didn't think anyone would be interested in a small developing country like Malaysia. It is week 11 as I write this and despite having only two The Particular is the Universal  classes a week, the discussions have changed the way I view the world. I'm more aware of my own habitus be...

Whether we like it or not, technology, especially social media and messaging applications have become a big part of our lives It was tremendously helpful to be able to text my HKBU partner without cost because I could speak to her whenever I wanted. The instant reply made it feel as if I was talking to her in real life. By using messaging apps, we were able to send pictures to each other whenever we want. As both of us are into arts, we bonded even more by sending photos of our artwork. I found myself using those pictures as prompts to continue the conversation, it was easy to start talking by sending her a picture of something I thought she might like. It could be a picture of my graphic novel collection (she really likes graphic novels) or it could be a picture of a vegan burger I was trying. I don't have to be too selective because it's free. We both live in different countries yet we are able to hold conversations and actually be able to see what the other party's lif...

Prompt: What about your interview with your HKBU partner informs/inspires the creative work you’re producing? Are you surprised by it? Is it what you were expecting? Are you let down in some way? Have you adapted something in response to something unexpected? My interview with my HKBU partner started off with graphic novels. I connected with her almost immediately after the first message when she replied with equal enthusiasm for graphic novels. We talked about a variety of topics, from art to food to languages. We even shared about the stress we have and our current struggles. Before the week ended, I already had a sense of who she was as a person. I wanted to write the best piece that I could because she deserves it. I went through different ideas, changing here and there as dissatisfaction rolls in. Many of the ideas I discarded were ones that I felt were not strong enough. It's hard to explain why I wasn't satisfied with those ideas, they just didn't feel  right. I w...

In a multicultural country where we have so many different races mingling around, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what 'authenticity' is as a whole. As individuals (Chinese, Malays, Indiants etc.), we know what our individual culture is like. I know the difference between Chinese, Malay, and Indian weddings. I know the different cuisines, the different ways to greet each other, even the different body language. But I am Malaysian first and foremost. Yes, I'm Chinese and I grew up with Chinese values, but I spent my entire life in a country which has a culture made of other cultures. I think one of my problems writing about Malaysian culture is that it is a mix of cultures. When I write about Malaysian culture, I find that I have to explain most of the aspects. For example, we have our Malaysian slang, the most popular one being ending a sentence with lah .  It can be said that it originated from the Chinese word used as a final particle - 啦, but it's used by all o...

                It would be the darkest and coldest night when 7-year-old Synneva sat in front of the fireplace. The firewood crackled as embers danced about, painting the right side of Synneva’s face in a warm glow. She craned her head to look into the archway that lead to the kitchen. From where she was, she could peek an arm moving around. Her mamma and grandfather’s voices mingled with the sound of chopping and bubbling water.                She quickly pulled on her gloves. Though she despised not being able to feel what she touched, she didn’t want the cold to bite into her slender fingers. With practiced movements, she tiptoed towards the front door and carefully opened it. Just enough for her body to squeeze in so the winter wind would not have a chance to slither into the house.              ...

Writing outside my own experience has always been a daunting idea. There are so many things I'm interested in. I watch them through a window and they fascinate me. There's nothing wrong with observing, but writing is a different story. When writing, we are "pretending" to be someone else (in fiction, but one can argue that even in non-fiction, we might be trying to express a version of ourselves). We put ourselves in our characters' shoes and walk the journey as them. It doesn't matter if they're not the main character, we still have to be  them. And that's where problems arise. I personally do not feel comfortable writing outside my own experiences because I know some things I wish to write about are topics that I have to tread carefully around for fear that I might offend someone from said community. I'm afraid of getting it wrong, afraid that my version of the experience as an outsider is not authentic or right, afraid of offending when I di...

PROMPT #1 I stare at the line of people increasing in front of the small counter. There was a family right at the front, a baby in the father’s arm, and the mother struggling with the backpack as a young boy tugs at her arm. I hope I would not have to sit with them, else this would be a much longer flight than it already was. It was true that it can’t be helped, they can’t do much to control their children, but I’ve flown enough to eventually stop caring. Especially on this flight to this place – again. All these years and I’ve never once flown peacefully there. I waited until the line dwindles and head off myself. Double checking my pockets as I inched across the aisle to my seat. As always, I stashed my bag under my seat and watched as the compartment below closed silently then the moment my back hit the seat, the seatbelts emerged from both sides and met in the centre. There was a pressure before they loosened and adjusted across my stomach. Adjusting my posture, I scan th...

Sai read the email again. Her big, slanted eyes reflecting the words from the email. An icon bounced up and down at the bottom right of her screen, telling her that she has 7, 9, 12, and now 27 unread messages. She swiped her finger down to preview the messages, not ready to go into the app just yet. Her friends were talking about the email as well, but theirs were different from hers.                They sent in their applications together. Scanned their fingerprints and clicked the button on a countdown. Just a week ago, they were looking at pictures and searching for good restaurants near the university they were supposed to go as one.                The messages flooded in as they expressed their excitement over their acceptance to University of Reia. She could barely read the messages on the preview screen, they were going too fast. She...

In Malaysia, I studied in a Chinese government school from the age of 7 to 12 before going to a private high school. Despite the shift from a government school to a private school. Their teaching methods were quite similar. Although the private school was slightly more relaxed in terms of teaching and homework, but the teachers I had were still strict and most of them came from teaching at government schools. Since young, we were taught to be silent in class. There should be no noise when the teacher is speaking, no noise when we were assigned work to do. Even during the small breaks between classes when we wait for the next teacher to come, we were expected to be quiet. In primary school, my teachers had what we called a 'rotan', which means rattan. Those things you use to make baskets, except they were used to punish us. Whoever was too noisy would be called out and receive a hit or two on their palms. A couple of times, my teacher threw chalks or dusters at my friend...

As we become more educated, we grow into individuals with deeper feelings, deeper thoughts. Some say that people now gets offended by everything; we are too sensitive even if the issues are not related to us. Of course, this affects the writing industry because writing is a form of expression. With the positive increase of people of colour becoming published authors and books including more diversity, comes several issues. Most commonly: cultural appropriation. Disclaimer: I'm not a scholar nor am I an expert in this field. I'm just a very tiny person in this huge world expressing my very tiny thoughts.  Writing is a passion, it's a form of escapism, it's an art. I believe that anyone can write anything they are interested in writing. Saying no to someone's interest is like me waving my baby cousin's favourite fruit (strawberries) in front of her without giving it to her. I don't think we have the power or the right to suppress someone else's inte...

In week 2 of this course, we had the opportunity to learn from Sanaz Fotouhi, the general manager of Asia Pacific Writers & Translators. The lecture was heavily based on discussion and in one of them, she asked about fears (forgive me if I got this wrong, my memory is not the best). I mentioned that I was afraid of not being 'Chinese' enough to write about Chinese inspired stories. I was scared that as someone who grew up in an English speaking household surrounded by American content, I would not be qualified to write about Asian stories. I would be told that I wasn't enough. Recently, I've noticed a surge of books published by people of colour, especially in the YA section. And as usual, we can't have nice things. While many of us are celebrating these marginalised authors, there are those that lurks in the shadow with their slimy tongues and nasty fingernails waiting to pounce. Here are some tweets I found where these authors speak of their experiences. ...

After a harsh and terrible journey into the depths of Bourdieu's habitus, I conclude that habitus is what makes you you. The aspects in life that shapes who you are. It affects the things you do, the things you know, and the way you see things. Therefore, it affects my writing. As a writer, my habitus plays a huge role in what I write. They say to write what you know, to draw from your own experiences so your story is more realistic. Growing up in Malaysia, a multicultural South East Asia country, defines what I know and what I am interested in. It dictates the way I see the world. Despite writing mostly fiction, the words I pour out reflect the words I consume. I could try extremely hard to erase my knowledge of my home country, but try as I may, my influences and perceptions are innate, and will seep through the filters. As mentioned before, habitus is affected by where I grew up in; the class, family, culture etc. Naturally, it establishes my creative process - how I write. Si...

With the flat of her knife, she crushes a few garlic cloves and peels the stubborn skins. She chops them with a steady beat, a rhythm, and scrapes them onto the side of a plate with the chopped broccoli, diced onions and all the other ingredients for the feast. It has been a while since she was back in her parent's kitchen cooking proper meals. but cooking to her, is like riding a bicycle. Once you learn, you never really forget. Her hands have not forgotten to slice, to chop, to fry, to stir. And her tongue has not forgotten the salty, the sour, the sweet, and the bitter. She starts out awkwardly, pulling open cabinets and drawers to look for the right utensils. There is only a small space for her to work with and she regrets not using her other kitchens from her temporary houses to its full potential. She couldn't remember turning on the oven in her house at Italy. Despite the space and her rusty skills, she is determined to cook the best meal. The fridge overflows with t...

Review Getting here by Henry Wei Leung The first sentence in Getting Here is around three lines long and has no commas. In fact, the story almost entirely ignores the use of commas and opts for run-on sentences instead. Some readers may have to read a few sentences several times to understand their meaning. This can be jarring at first, but over time, they begin to reflect the narrator’s personality. The run-on sentences fit well into the idea of the narrator questioning and reflecting on his past. We read his thoughts – raw and unfiltered. Through this stylistic choice, we understand the character even more despite the writing being hard to digest in the beginning. Similarly, the abundance of metaphors may require a line to be read twice or thrice. It can be said that the author uses too many metaphors and sentences that seem out of place, however, the majority of Getting Here is spent in the narrator’s mind. The author, Henry Wei Leung, uses such uncommon metaphors to...