Introduction:

Autoethnography is a challenging research practice, as it is often too easy to fall into a comparative mind and not fully appreciate the culture on its own, this bias will cloud the authentic experience. Throughout the course of the semester for BCM320, I have felt quite uncomfortable with the autoethnographic process as I have struggled to not compare and forcing myself into deeper critical analysis of my own epiphanies. I still feel that I have a lot of learning to do to increase my own research process but do feel I have improved and become more aware of cultures outside my own. I have had several key references that have helped me grow with the new research style.

Idea Formation and Methodology:

I was uncertain about how to approach the DA, within many elements, I wanted to select a topic I would feel comfortable with, however something that still…

2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1 …over and under…. creating the braid…forming a strong hold…

Braiding for me is a hairstyle I forced my mum to learn when I was in primary school, it helped me look fashionable and keep my wild hair tamed (if only slightly). I have never really thought much more about other variations of braiding, it has always signalled hair for me. Any cultural associations I make with it, again stem to hairstyles.

~ Just three strands of hair entwining as one but nothing overly deep~

However, during my autoethnographic experience, this notion of braids being only hair related was challenged, in a very unexpected way.

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For my autoethnographic journey, I decided to explore the world of Japanese romantic anime, in the form of the 2016 film ‘Kimi no Na wa ‘/ ‘Your Name’. I chose this…

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https://www.canva.com/design/DAELME0oUWY/WrIrEILbMjses2TdwoazRA/view?utm_content=DAELME0oUWY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

Week 11 Group:

Amanda

Nicola

Georgie

Imogen

~currently being edited, may seem empty at parts being adjusted~

This week’s viewing was a TV show called ‘Hi Score Girl’ (2018), I loved the fact we were able to experience live tweeting a show rather than film, although we binged it and it were as if it was a film, it was just so different from the other weeks. The very obvious difference it this was anime! Our first time!

So I had to think about I could connect with, with this being a Japanese TV show and my very basic Australian up-bringing. Funnily enough, there were things that made me very nostalgic, I never considered myself a ‘gamer’ in any means of the word, but some of the featured games really connected with me.

~ in the process of being edited~

I must admit this week’s filming threw me off. I have no experience with the Pakistani culture, and I think the only thing I can tell you about them is that they like cricket. So leading into the viewing of Cake (2018), I had zero expectations and yet somehow I was still shocked with what I watched. I felt so over the place with Cake, I found it hard to follow, it was slow and long, and changed genre multiple times and I never really knew what was going to happen, some of the plot twists were straight up bizarre. I sat thinking “if this were in English would this be easier?”, but I honestly don’t know with all the little side bits, it would still have been a lot to follow. I don’t want to make it out to be bad though…

What do I know about Vietnam or what interactions have I had? What can I list?

• The beautiful hand-craved chest in my Nan’s lounge room depicting a typical Vietnamese town centre
• Vietnam War
• My friends who are Vietnamese and hearing them speak to their parents in Vietnamese
• That one episode of Top Gear where they went to Vietnam and rode around, mostly on scooters
• The many rivers that flow through the country
• I can list a few places and recognise the flag

This about the extent of my knowledge of the country. Out of all of memories, my earliest and most vivid is the hand-craved chest at my Nan’s house- the scene shows a bridge connecting two Vietnamese towns, with traditional food markets and wearing conical hats. It paints this glorious, harmonious picture of this sweet culture.

That is how I know Vietnam: the very traditional, rural culture built around…

I was born in Australia. Mum was in England and Dad, Germany (although he is actually Scottish- long story). Growing up, I binged British shows, I can discuss English royal families and have travelled around most of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

This is my cultural background.

(Me in London, England. Feb 2020)

Looking to other cultures, I am definitely not as well informed. I have very limited knowledge surrounding Asian culture, I have Vietnamese friends and have been to Asian restaurants but still would not consider myself someone who has been exposed to that culture.

So, when watching Indonesian film ‘Love For Sale’ (2018), I was fascinated to see how much I would be able to relate to and elements that highlights the differences between the two cultures. ‘Love For Sale’ sees main character Richard struggle to find a date for a friend’s wedding and turn to a website…