London. A city filled with life found in pubs, archaic architecture, a happening night scene and crowds of fun-loving Brits. On the day of my arrival, I passed through customs and was immediately confronted with a scene that could have been from a comedy show on the BBC. As I showed my information to the security guard at the immigration desk, I received a series of questions filled with sarcasm and skepticism, stereotypical of English comedy. All very fun for me, by the way.
From Portland, Oregon, to Cambridge, England. From Portland State to the University of Cambridge. From a Northwest summer to an English summer. What will I find?
At “the concert…you will see 36 students pouring their hearts out onstage,” said Ethan Sperry, conductor of Portland State’s Chamber Choir. Sperry and the choir have been accepted to compete in an international competition in Italy this summer: The Seghizzi International Competition for Choral Singing is one of the oldest and largest choir competitions in the world.
From 1910 to 1945, Japan ruled Korea, its colony. During this time Japan created an idealized outward image of Korea—known as Koreana—by using various mediums for promotion. Koreana refers to the ideal image of Korea—a mythological representation and fantasy version of Korea at odds with what the country is really like.
“He didn’t know anything about Japan before he came to PSU,” Portland State professor Ken Ruoff said of his former student, Gabe Rosen. “He started taking Japanese studies [classes] and became fascinated with Japan and Japanese cooking. His long-term dream of opening a restaurant would transform into a dream to open a Japanese-style restaurant.”
Are our perceptions of other countries and their ways of life accurate? Let’s hope so: The interaction between members of different cultures has become an increasingly relevant dialogue in our globalized times.