A Big Bowl that Holds Everything:
Sympoiesis Technique
Collect submissions with a shared experience. In the example, I collected submissions from people who shared a classroom, although not necessarily at the same time.
Arrange the submissions according to topic or theme. Remake the classroom through collective memory through narrative or poetry by putting the different rememberings in conversation with each other. Add your own memories into the mix when you can, but don’t let your memories overwhelm. You do not need to include every part of the submission and you can make editorial choices in formatting and style. The example reads like an oral history of a classroom space.
Making a Room
Jack Peterson
I just and again
made a room
as always
by doting on shoes
on polished
cement years back
and again remade
as the lines between slabs
chip pebbles
and we drop chalk
under soles
and all we can hear
all these years
are scuffs
that make a room
교실 임예정
LIM YE JUNG
추억이란 이름으로 늘 기억한켠에 자리한 너
내가 어릴땐 너도 장난꾸러기 였는데
내가 성숙해 보니 넌 우리의 모든 것을 담을 수 있는 큰 그릇이더라
유학길에 올라 처음 만난 너는 낯설기도 했지만 여전히 한구석에 내 자리를 비워두고 늘 나를 기다려주는 제일 친한 친구였지
그 시절 너도 나를 좋아했고 나도 너를 좋아했기에 유학시절 만난 니가 많이 그립다
먼길떠나 찾아가면 그때의 너를 다시 만날수 있을까
내 기억속에 자리한 너를 가끔 꺼내보아야겠다 니가 서운하지 않게 교실
Classroom
LIM YE JUNG (Author's Translation)
You are always there as a name of memory
You were rascal when I was young
As I grow up I realized; You are a big bowl that embraces everything
I felt unfamiliar with you when I met you for the first time in my life in the States
But you were the best friend who is waiting for me still and have my seat emptied
At that time You liked me and I liked you also
So I miss YOU a lot (the one who I met when I study abroad)
Will it be possible to meet you again if I make my way to the past?
I should take you out of my memories sometimes so that you won't be sad/hurted/disappointed alone
Classroom
LIM YE JUNG (Jack Peterson Translation)
You are always in the same place.
You were a rascal when I was young.
As I grow I realize you are a big bowl that holds everything.
You first met me on my way to study abroad.
Though a stranger, like a best friend you saved me a seat beside you.
You liked me then, and I liked you.
So I miss you, stranger I met.
If I make my way, can I see you again?
I have to take you out of my memory from time to time
so you won’t be sad
so you won’t be hurt
so you won’t be disappointed
so you won’t be alone.
Sympoiesis of Zondervan 203
LIM YE JUNG, Donghun Ha, Kyungeun Ha, Jacob, capehope, and Jack Peterson
YE JUNG: A big square table where all the students sat around
Donghun: Big rectangular tables
Jack: There were six rectangular tables, I think, which were often pushed together in the center of the small, square room to make one large, square table. There was very little space for any of us to move around the room.
Donghun: During the break before or in between class, some people would lie on bean bag to relax.
Jack: Those bean bags were always in the way.
Jacob: I remember one time the TV wasn't working for American Classroom class if I remember correctly.
Jack: I’m sure that’s correct. This room was in the library because it was one of the smaller classrooms and we only had nine students in the class at the time. We didn’t have enough clout with the registrar then to get a proper classroom. As a result, it wasn’t equipped with the same classroom technology as those in standard classrooms.
YE JUNG: A big window on one side of the classroom which shows people passing by the library (Honestly, sometimes it was quite interesting to look at the people when I get bored in class. haha) or shows us ESL students to the passengers (The window made me even more nervous when I have a presentation assignment because I felt like people are listening to me outside.)
Jack: I felt the same way. That may be my strongest memory of the room because I positioned myself by the podium that was to the right of the whiteboard, which was directly across from the large window with a view of the library stacks.
YE JUNG: A white board that Jack was standing in front of most of the time
Jack: The walls were white too. Painted cinderblock, I think.
YE JUNG: Jack erasing letters on the board with hands.
Jack: I often make mistakes and have always had poor handwriting. Sometimes it’s quicker and, I thought, less disruptive of the flow to make simple erases with my fingers. Also the Expo erasers have always felt weird to me – They are too light and I end up just as grimy as if I erased with my hands.
Donghun: Ye-Jung was proficient in all three languages she spoke: Korean, Chinese, and English. I remember she enjoyed taking a nap on the couch that was right next to the classroom.
Jack: I remember I would walk by sleeping students on my way to class. Many faculty talked to me with great concern about how late some of the Korean students were staying up at night.
YE JUNG: Students with a huge age difference (Haven't experienced studying with people 9-10 years older or 5-6 years younger than me. I liked it a lot!)
capehope: All of them in the class were very much younger than me.
Jacob: Kip, Jenifer, Lena, Bora, Dong Hoon, Jae Eun, Ha Jung,
Donghun: Jongkeun was a well-mannered gentleman who actively participated despite his innate calmness. His questions were often seeking word-to-word translation and he said simple responses like "sorry" and "thank you" quite a lot.
Jack: He was funny, yet serious about his studies. Tall and thin. I felt an underlying frustration from him that the classes were not as helpful, or that English learning was not as easy, as he hoped they would be.
Donghun: Midum was very confident in her speaking ability. She did not actively participated in small talk in classroom, but when she had opportunity for public speech, she did it very fluently.
Jack: I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t have a strong memory of Midum.
Donghun: Hansol was the "funny guy" in the classroom. He was quite playful and his facial expression with his widely open eyes often made everyone laugh.
Jack: Yes, I remember Hansol and his humor. He wore round, dark-rimmed glasses.
Donghun: I remember one time Hansol asked what would the proper word to indicate prospect or rising stars in sports. And it seemed that he was trying to find the word-to-word translation for the word "꿈나무 (kkum-na-mu)", which is a combined word of 꿈 (kkum, means 'dream'), and 나무 (na-mu, means 'tree'), a figurative word for teens with full of dream and potential. And Hansol could not come up with other English explanation, and he just said "Dream tree?", which made all of us in the classroom laugh.
YE JUNG: Remember myself with a big smile; I enjoyed studying with Jack and my old friends.
Kyungeun: Happy, fun
Jacob: Laughs (from the American Classroom class when everyone shared their joke in English),
YE JUNG: The classroom itself; warm, cozy, and calm(peaceful). There were no trouble makers in my class.
Donghun: Some people were shy and reluctant to speak up during class, but you made sure everyone gets enough time to participate.
Kyungeun: A foreign place with foreign people, learning a foreign language
capehope: I was nervous as an alien but it made me feel free.
Kyungeun: okay to make mistakes
Jacob: Frustrations & confusion (from the pronunciation class when we were struggling distinguishing the phonetics with similar sounds)
Donghun: - You would give us some "free time" so that we could talk freely, and personally record a list of things, either on the board or on the sheet of paper you brought. These lists were things like broken English or important expressions, or other things that is worthwhile of talking about. After that period, you would iterate through the list and ask the class what they meant by that, and provided other expressions that would be appropriate.
Jacob: textbooks
YE JUNG: Don't have any memories of text books.
Jack: Haha. My textbook memory is foggy, which is funny since I was the one who selected and planned from the textbooks. Kaplan’s TOEFL book was one. I remember using a few University of Michigan Press books with your group. It was their Academic English series. Four Square? The cover was primarily yellow with a multicolored square. We also used a book about being an international student. A cornflower blue book with a picture of a book and a globe on it maybe?
Donghun: Handouts
Kyungeun: Lots of handouts.
Donghun: Outside the classroom, people would hangout and study in the study rooms adjacent to the classroom. That is where each of us get to talk individually and bond.
capehope: Sometimes I felt lonely, but I think the loneliness made me stronger.
Kyungeun: The foreign place turned to the place I miss the most. The foreign people became good friends for life. The foreign language grew into another voice of mine
capehope: It was a wonderful experience of my life.
Title
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