Reflection:

This year as a whole was quite messy and full of ups and down, just like a rollercoaster. There were some projects that I had a great time doing, while some where time-consuming and a little boring, in my opinion. The project that I really had a great time doing has to be the Genius Hour project, mainly because I was allowed to do something that I actually wanted to learn about. I am so glad that I did my project about Fashion designing instead of something related to health-science, because I will be spending literally rest of my life rolling around books of health-science. The project gave a unique opportunity to do something that I really loved, and the part of me that I was never able to show to anyone. However, one thing I didn't really liked about the Genius Hour project is the time it took place in; I wasn't able to provide my full attention to it due to the AP exams as well as end of the year projects in other classes. I had the whole view of the project in my mind, but unfortunately it didn't turned out the way I was exactly expecting it to be, which made me a little disappointed. I wanted to add more information on some parts of the book, such as around my designs, but due to the lack of time I was not able to do it. So to conclude it, I wished I had spent more time on the quality rather than the quantity of the final product. But overall, I am happy with the outcome of the product and I had a great time doing it! Other than this project, I also enjoyed doing many other projects in the class. At the beginning of the year I was quite disappointed on the fact that I was moved from the Pre-ap class to the Leadership class. I didn't wanted to accept it, and I would constantly go to the counselor in order to move back to the Pre-ap class. Over time I figured that I had to stay in the leadership class and just work with it, but it was the word "Leadership" that scared me. I was always really poor in English subject, and it was quite hard for me to prove my point across specifically in essays; English Leadership really helped me get a little better at it, and now I don’t ‘Hate’ writing anymore. Some of the things that I had a great time doing were writing on paper about what was in our mind, which we mainly did during the second semester of the school, as well as the speed dating and sharing ideas with the classmates about the novels, which was quite nerve-wrecking but exhilarating at the same time. The books that we read this year are also some of the best books that I have read as a part of my English class till today. Out of the all the books, some of my personal favorites were Lord of the Flies, The Alchemist, The Night, and both of my independent novels (The Great Gatsby and Blind Faith). If I really have to choose the best out of this books, then it is likely to be the Lord of the Flies. The reason for that is that it was so fascinating to me that how the author connected such deep world problems during WWII to some merely little kids, and does a great job in showing human’s true nature in many different aspects throughout the novel. The reflection on my sophomore year so far is all over the place, it moves from the Genius Hour project to me moving into Leadership class and then the things I likes and I didn’t like, but it makes sense. It is very similar to me in sophomore year, jumping from one place to another, however, when one sums it up together it makes a whole sense and shows how I grew this year in vast braches.

Independent Novel: The Great Gatsby
Spoiler alert!

3. Describe a minor character in your book.  Identify the character by name and describe him/her.  What is the character’s part in the story?  How does this character feel about the main character and vice-versa?  Use examples from the story.

• One of the minor character in the Great Gatsby is Jordan Baker. She is the friend of Nick's cousin, Daisy, and she is also younger than her. "I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet..." this gives the idea that Nick might be interested in him; however, in the novel he cleared that "I wasn't actually in love with her... but I felt a sort of tender curiosity". Jordan's character is also very contrasting in compared to Daisy, because Jordan is a blond, very athletic, and plays golf while Daisy is very delicate with a singing personality. According to Nick, Jordan Baker is very reserved and dishonest, and she is grown in a Louisville and shared "White girlhood"; which gives the idea that she can be a little nosy and maybe good at hiding facts. In the novel she plays a huge role by being the interest of the main character, nick, and knowing a very significant secret. She knows that Daisy, Nick's cousin who is already married to Tom, was in love with Gatsby, Nick's lavishly rich neighbor, and she was going to end her marriage with Tom because of that, but unfortunately she couldn't due to some situation. She also ends up telling this to Nick about the secret relationship between those two, and this lead to Nick helping her cousin in order to secretly meet Gatsby which eventually leads to the main  climax and atlas a very sorrowful tragic ending of the novel. So overall, Jordan Baker plays a huge role as a minor character to run the plot of the novel.

4. Are the events in your book realistic or unrealistic?  Could they really happen, are they fantasy, or a mix of both?  Explain using specific examples from the book.

• Some of the major events in the novel are realistic while some are utterly unrealistic. One of the example of an unrealistic event in the novel is when Mr. Wilson, Tom's friend, locks his wife, Meyer Wolfsheim who has an affair with Tom, and she runs away from the room and later is killed by the car in which Gatsby and Daisy were driving it. And for some reason the car was also Gatsby's and weirdly Daisy was driving the car. This is such a co-incident which kind of makes its a little unrealistic, because out of billions of cars... it doesn't have to be only Gatsby's. However, an example of a realistic event in the book is how Tom told the Mr. Wilson that Gatsby killed his wife, in reality it was Daisy, and unfortunately Mr. Wilson killed Gatsby. This sounds like something that would happen in reality, because people can be very greedy, specifically for someone whom they love deeply. Tom and Mr. Wilson both shows how greedy they acted for their love ones, and didn't even thought about the outcomes of what they were about to do. Another events which was quite realistic was when during Gatsby's funeral, no one visited other than some handful people. Again, this shows how greedy people are and they only were closed to Gatsby because of his money and the lavish parties he hold at his house. There are many similar things happening in the realty, more specifically in industries such as Hollywood or girl marrying guys with a drastic age difference. Over all, the novel does contain some realistic as well as unrealistic events.

9. Would you like to live like the characters in your book?  Explain how they live (the situation) and why or why not you would like to live like that.

• I probably wouldn't like to live as any characters in the novel. One of the main reason for that is that I would never like to act or live such a guilty life like theirs. More specifically as Daisy because someone she really liked was killed because of her own wrongdoings. I also would hate to live the life of Gatsby, because the novel clearly shows how the money cannot buy friends and he hold all the rich parties for the people but none of them were willing to come to his funeral. The only person I might like to live like is probably Nick, because he is an honest yet an innocent person. He was always there for his friends, and specifically for Gatsby during his funeral where even his own father, Mr. Gatz, wasn't wanting to come.  

Research:
South America- South American culture is very much influenced by the Spaniards and the Portuguese people, due to them conquering the land during the post classical era. This region has its own native culture, however first it got influenced by the Europeans and then the African and later to many other countries. Christmas is one of the most important festival that is celebrated in this region,  and it is celebrated according to the Roman Catholic way with Santa Clause being a huge part of it. South American art can traced back to the time during the Inca dynasty. One of the most important part of their art is the art of drawing on rocks and pebbles; one of the well known artist, Antõnio Francisco Lisboa, built a church which consisted of his art work in the late 19th century. Music is also something that is really important to the South Americans, and it is mainly influenced by the Roman Catholism. Some of the instrument they used are pan pipes, flutes, native guitar-charango and the drum. Some of the major religion that followed by people in region is of Christianity, Shamanism, Islam, Hinduism and Animism.
Bolivia- Bolivian women usually wear a pollera, a pleated skirt, some sort of shirt, bowler hat, and manta, a shawl. Men usually wear a shirt, vest and pants with a bowler hat, and accessories around their neck.
Venezuela- The folk costume for men is called liqui liqui, which consists of pants and a jacket; the color for the outfits is usually white, cream beige or ecru. Women wear a huge flowy skirt with a off-shoulder shirt, and a lot of jewelry with flowers as a headpiece.
Brazil- It is a huge melting point therefore there is not a traditional clothing. In indigenous area
, people usually wear bombachans or baggy pants, cowboy hats and boots, while in Amazon region, they usually wear tunics and faint paint with lots of bead accessories.
Australia- Australia, the continent, consists of many countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua Guiana, Solomon Island and Fiji. The dominant language spoken in Australia is of English, and the reason for that is because Australia was discovered by European countries. They influenced Australia quite a lot, and shaped the culture according to theirs. Australian are known to have a really high consumption of Beer, and before the World War 2 Australians drank twenty times more beer than wine, and this lead them to become one of the most significant wine exporter. The dominant religion that is followed by most of the people in this region is of Christianity, however, there are many minority groups for example: Hindus, Jews, Muslims as well as Buddhists, which can be found. The indigenous people of Australia, the country, had their own religion, which was called The Dreaming, by Mircrea Eliade. The belief system emphasis on the ritual system and the supernatural beings. Some of the well known festivals that are celebrated in this region is of Holi, a festival in which participants throw color at each other, in Fiji and it is a festival from Hinduism. Another well known festival that is celebrated in New Zealand, which takes place for 3 days on the shore of the Tapapakanga, and it is basicallly a musical festivals.
Fiji- The traditional clothing is called Sulu, resembles a skirt, which is wore by both genders. For men, the clothed is tailored and there are some pockets as well. Women usually wear tropical color and embroidery due to the weather.
Indonesia- Traditionally men usually wear batik skirt with trousers or teluk beskap. Women usually wear Kebaya with a beautiful selendang, a long cloth, over one shoulder.
Vanuatu- Women usually wear fiber skirt, with or without to a shirt. Men usually wear a traditional loincloth with some sort of shirt.


Cite:  http://www.boliviabella.com/bolivian-clothing.html
http://nationalclothing.org/america/52-venezuela/124-traditional-costume-of-venezuela-liqui-liqui-for-men,-flowing-ruffled-dresses-and-floral-decorations-for-women.html
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/national-traditions/brazilian-tradition2.htm
http://www.vtaide.com/ASEAN/Indonesia/clothes.html
https://vanuatuknow.wordpress.com/tag/vanuatu-dress/

Research:
Eastern Europe- Eastern Europe consists of countries such as Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The dominant religion that is followed by most of the people in this region is of Christianity, however people follow different sector of this religion in this region. Most of the people living in this region speak the Slavic, Uralic as well as Baltic languages. Eastern Europe is very different than the Western Europe specifically economy wise, because not all countries in Eastern Europe work with Euro as their currency. Eastern Europe also has a really good education, and due to that there are many international moves to Eastern Europe in order to receive education. There are many festivals that are celebrated throughout Eastern Europe, and some of the really popular ones are Creepe Teepee, The Garden Festival, Hideout Festival, FOR festival, and even more; people travel from across the world in order to celebrate this colorful and full of joy festivals with their friends, family and their significant other.
Poland- A very well known head piece for men is a red peaked hat, and they usually wear a white linin shirt with belts around their vest, a coat and loosely fitting trousers which are tightened with boots. Women have many options, however the outfit consist of shirt, corset, skirt, shirt apron and shoes.
Slovakia- A very well known folk costume wore by Czechs and Slovaks is called Kroj. Kroj played a very important role in olden time, because it showed which village they were from, if that person is married or not as well as their social status.
Belarus- The traditional clothing of Belarus was very much influenced by the Kievan Rus. era. There are many different style of clothing. The most famous one is called the Puhavicki style, in it the women usually wear a blouse decorated with ornaments and a flowy skirt and an apron on top of it.
Southern Europe- Southern Europe consist of countries such as Portugal, Albania, Bosnia, Cyprus, Azores, Spain, Corsica, Iberian Peninsula, and Balkan Peninsula. One of the main religion that is followed by the people in the region is of Christianity, and there are some people who follows Judaism as well as Islam. The culture is very family-oriented, and people enjoy leisurely activates such as spending time with friends and family member. Family and business tend to have a traditional and hierarchy structure. It is not very appropriate or elegant to wear athletic shoes in the morning during job, however, one can wear but it is better to avoid them. Similar to other European countries, people in this region also tend to celebrate numerous colorful and fun festivals. One of the most well-known festival in which people participate from around the world which takes place in Spain is called La Tomatina. The festival started due to a person trying to get attention in 1945 by attacking people with tomatoes, which now is celebrated as a form of festival which usually takes place in the street of Spain for almost 4 hours; the people participating in the event attack each other with tomatoes and making a street a bowl for salsa.
Spain- Spanish clothing were very influential in 16th century. Men would usually wear a Gilet, sleeveless vest or jacket, with black pants. Women usually wore a dress with mantilla, a veil, and peineta, to hold the veil, during special occasions.
Corsica- Clothing for both gender in this region is pretty straight forward. Men usually wore a boots, a linen white shirt, colorful vest with a jacket over it. Women usually wore a large fluffy skirt, with an apron and a scarf on the face.
Bosnia- In olden time in Bosnia, pants were compulsory for both genders. Women's pants were fluffier in comparison to the men's, and they both wore a shirt with a short jacket layering on the top of it.
Africa:
North Africa- North Africa consists of countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. There are numerous religions that are followed in North Africa, but some of the main ones are Islam and Christianity. Alike religion, there are many different languages spoken in north Africa such as Arabic, Berber, Fulani and even more, but many of this languages are very isolative. This languages are part of the Afro-Asiatic family from the language tree. The people of North Africa are very diverse, therefore there are bunch of different minority group who have their own unique festivals and culture. Some of the well-known places which are known for its history in North Africa are the Giza pyramid complex in Egypt, Atlas mountains passing through the Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Art and music are something that s very significant in this region, one of the most popular style that is used in this region is of Chaabi, and oud, a stringed lute-like instrument.
Algeria- Men usually wear a burnoose, protects them from the sun in the morning and cold at night, and most of the clothing are hooded. Women usually wear different types of dresses, for example karakou, with full of color as well as rich gold jewelry.
Egypt- Women in this region usually wear a tob sebleh, a type of long dress, and underneath they wear wide trouser. Men mainly wear a long shirt and trousers. Both gender wear some sort of headpiece, for women it is hijab, while for men it is tarboosh.
Sudan- Their culture in general is influenced by both Islam and Christianity, so people have different ways of getting dressed in Sudan; however, both genders prefers to wear loose-fitting clothing. Men usually wear a loose-fitting robe with a turban, and women wear a wrapped-around cloth with a scarf around their neck
South Africa- South Africa consist of countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana,  Angola, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa, a country, is also called a "Rainbow Nation" because of its diverse culture. South African countries are very proud of their art and music, which have been highly influenced by the Christian missionaries in previous eras. Some of their style of music are kwaito, house music, mbube, Zulu vocal, and jazzy street style music. There are many languages that are spoken in this region such as English, Afrikaans, Southern sotho, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Venda, Northern sotho, Swati and many other indigenous languages. Like other countries, there are many festivals that are celebrated in South African countries. One of the most famous festival is of the Cape Town Jazz festival, which takes place in the streets of the Cape Town. The festival had grown so much popularity that there are almost more then 40 international groups performing, and people just have fun walking in the streets with their family and friends.
Swaziland- There are different ways of clothing for different ages in Swaziland. Traditionally women in their adulthood would wear an apron and a skirt, and after them giving a birth, they would put the apron over one shoulder. Men usually wear a loin skin cloth around their body.
Namibia- Women usually wear a long petticoat gown with a shawl around the chest, and they also wear an extravagant headwear. Their clothing is very influenced by the Germany, more specifically form the 19th century.
Lesotho- Both gender wear a blanket or shawl around the shoulder. Women traditionally wear a dress with bold colors and patterns. While men simply wear long sleeve shirt and some sort of pants with rubber boots.
Cite:
http://www.our-africa.org/algeria/people-culture
http://nationalclothing.org/africa/48-algeria/113-traditional-costume-of-algeria-three-civilizations-are-mixed-in-the-design-of-algerian-folk-dress.html
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/south-africas-top-ten-festivals/
http://www.raqs.co.nz/me/clothing_egypt.html
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-to-Nigeria/Namibians.html

Research:

Central Asia-
The predominant culture in this region is of Islam, however minority groups of other religions are scattered around the region. Central Asia has been conquered by several groups such as the Mongols, Persians, Russians etc. Due to that, the cultured has been influenced by the Chinese, Arabian, South Asian and even Russian. Languages that spoken in this region of the world are Arabic, Uzbek as well as a little amount of Mongolian. To the citizens of this regions, their culture is very significant to them, and they tend to wear their traditional clothing in regular bases. Showing too much skin for women is considered a taboo, which is very similar to other Arabic countries. In countries like Kyrgyzstan, they had the ancient practice of "Bride Kidnapping", mainly because of opposition from the family or other reason, but lately it has been prohibited by a law. Most of the people from this region are the descendants of the Turkic tribe, and they lived as semi-nomadic for most of their life; in some part of this region, the amount of animals actually out numbers the citizens. They have a lot of colorful festivals in which the family members get together and have fun. In Turkmenistan, they celebrate the "Turkmen Melon Day", in which everyone get to together and its kind of like a bazaar, mainly takes place on Sunday, and they have food stalls as well as some of the best melons and pumpkins. One of the regional holiday celebrated is of "Nowruz", which is celebrated in early spring, and this is mainly when the families shops for new clothing and other major items for their house.
Kyrgyzstan- Because most of the people were nomads, their clothing had to be light and easy to move around it. The traditional clothing for women consist of a white shirt, and a long pantaloons. For men, they would wear a large trousers made out of leather and a shirt along with a belt. Both gender wore boots with ornaments decorating them, and hats were also very significant to their culture.
Turkmenistan- Traditional clothing for Turkmenistan consist of  tight-fitting black trousers, white or brown shirt with long sleeves and boots. This is the most common outfits which were wore by both genders.
Uzbekistan- The most common clothing for men is Chapan, the quitted robe secured with a kerchief. Women mainly wear khan-atlas tunic dress with wide trousers, and both genders tend to wear boots with their clothing.
West Asia- West Asia consist of countries such as Israel, territories of Palestine, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. West Asia is mainly known as Middle East, however the citizens of this region preferred to be called as West Asians. This region is the birthplace of the religion of Judaism, but today most of the population is Islamic. There are some minority groups, Jews and Christians, scattered around the region. The literature is rich with Arabic, Jews, Persians, and Turkish domination. The art style is borrowed from the Sumerians, and most of the artwork deals with geometric patterns. It is also a taboo to draw the face of anyone, more specifically 'Allah', the almighty. There are also a lot of myths and folktales which are past down from generations. One of the most famous epic that has been passed down from years is The Gilgamesh from the Sumerians. Women are also not allow to show their skin as well as their hair to other people, except their family members.
Kuwait- The traditional clothing for women is a long sleeve dress which touched the floor, and during festivals or important events, the dress are covered with rich embroidery or it is covered with sheer. Men usually wear dishdasha, a button-down, long sleeves, very much similar to the women's clothing.
Qatar- Women usually wear an abhaya, a long dress, and cover their hair with a black hair dresser. Men traditionally wear a black robe, agal, with a headdress, gutra.
Israel- Traditionally, women in Israel wear a tznuit and they are not allow to wear bright colors such as hot pink. Men usually wear a Bekishe, a long black silk robe, with a spodik , a long tall hat.
North Europe- North Europe consists of countries such as Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and United Kingdom. The predominant religion that is followed by people in North Europe is of Christianity, however, there are also some followers of Judaism and Islam. The language that is spoken by people is this region is mainly of English. One of the main difference between the North European countries is their different ways of greeting or formalities towards people as well as  different way of giving respect to people. Other than celebrating Christmas, one of the most well known festival that is celebrated is called Glastonbury, and people across the world wanting to travel to England in order to celebrate it. In the festival, there are performers performing in theaters, concerts, as well as children's show, and it gives off a very hippe like vibes yet the sense of diversity and the colorfulness of the people.
Iceland- The traditional clothing for men in Iceland consists of woolen breeches or trousers, a buttoned up vest as well as buttoned up jacket; a tail cap is also a common form of accessory. Women traditionally wear a long dress or twirl skirt with a jacket, and usually some sort of headdress covering the head. Fish skin boots are also very common for men and women to wear.
Ireland- Traditionally women and men both wore Leine or a shirt, and women usually wore long Leine so there won't be any trousers to wear. With the shirt, men usually wore a kilt, man's skirt.
Norway- The traditional clothing for Norway is called Bunad, and it is worn by both male and female. Bunad is basically looks like a dress, it contains very elaborated embroidery, and they wear can wear an apron over it.
Eastern Europe- Eastern Europe consist of countries such as Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech, Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the most eastern part of the Russian Federation. Most of the people in this region follow the religion of Christianity, and most of them are Catholics


Cite: https://www.triphobo.com/blog/european-festivals
http://nationalclothing.org/19-nationalclothing/europe/iceland/14-national-costume-of-iceland-shoes-of-fish-skin,-high-curved-headpieces,-ruffs-and-floral-ornaments.html

Fashion Around the World

Research on Asia:

East Asia- East Asia consist of countries such as Japan, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong and Macau, territories of China, Taiwan, South Korea, and North Korea. Some of the major religions that are followed by the people in this region is of Shinto Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shamanism. The East Asian culture has been called in many different ways, and some of the common names it has been called are Sinic World, Confucian World or the Chinese culture sphere. The East culture started at the yellow and the Yangtze river, and from there it moved to the other regions through migration of people to other regions, and through communication. Chinese's dynasty had a huge influence on the rest of the East Asian countries, and most this countries have their writing system derived from the Chinese languages, Mandarin. Other than the culture and the writing system, their traditional clothing is also similar to china's in a way. In East Asia, the traditional clothing are known to conceal the body shape. The dresses are usually T-shaped garments, and the garments generally open down the front. It takes almost 34 to 35 cm of fabric in order to make the garments, and the garment contains beautiful patterns of flowers and traditional looking rich embroidery on the edges of the garment.
Japan- The traditional clothing of Japan consists of Kimono, Yukata etc. Kimono literally means 'the thing worn', and it is worn by both men and women.
Korea- The traditional clothing of Korea is called Hanbok, in South Korea, and in North it is called Joseon-ot. The top part of the clothing is called jeogori, and the sleeves are very long and it contains complex yet beautiful embroidery throughout the blouse.
China- Chinese traditional clothing are mainly known as "Han Fu", and the clothing that are mainly worn today are mainly from the Manchu era, late 17th century. The garment for the men and the women are made the same way, but women's rob are a little longer than men with a fluffy skirt.
South Asia- South Asia consist of countries such as India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives. Some of the major religions that are followed by people living in this region are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam. Countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan, the dominant culture that is followed is Buddhism. While followers of Islam in a large unit can be found in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as islands of  Maldives. Believers of Hinduism and Jainism are mainly found in Nepal and India, however in India consists of people with all this religions as well as a wholesome amount of believers of Christianity. This part of the world contains the three main branches of the Language tree, which are the Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, and the Sino-Tibetan. Draped and wrapped garments are the most common clothing in South Asia. In olden time, the clothing were threaded with real gold which showed the superiority of the person. One of the oldest empire in South Asia, Gupta Empire which is more specifically in India, the king was married to a Greek woman, and her clothing significantly influence the traditional clothing in that region. A single piece of chiton draped around her body, with some pleats going down in the center, can  be considered the ancestor of most of the traditional clothing which later diffused in countries such India, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc.
India- India consists of numerous ethnicities, languages as well as different kind of clothing. However, India is very well known of its silky, gorgeous Saree or Sari, which are worn by women with a choli, blouse. In olden time, men were likely to wear dhoti or lungi, a wrapped skirt with a kameez, a long tunic.
Pakistan- Because they share a long history with India, a lot of their dressing seems to be similar to them. Men and women both wear Salvar Kameez, and women usually wear a duppata, which goes around their neck or lays on the side of their shoulder.
Bhutan-  During traditional days, people tend to wear woven dress instead of the regular machine milled clothes. Traditional clothing for women in Bhutan are called Kera, ankle length dress, and under it they wear a blouse. Traditional clothing for men are called gho, tied around the waist which secured with a belt, and over the belt they wear a large pouch which contains traditional items such as betel nut, bowl etc.
Southeast Asia- Southeast Asia consists of countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Brunei, and Timor-Leste. In ancient period there were a lot of maritime trade happening in this region, so due to that it is influenced by many religions. Some of the major religion in this region are Islam, Buddhism, Christianity as well as Hinduism. In this region, they give very importance to art, more specifically dancing, and they also have a common feature of stilt housing.
Cambodia- The traditional clothing for women in Cambodia are very similar to the ones that are for men. The both wear a sampot, a long skirt folded in the front and it mainly looks like a trousers. On the top of it, they usually wear a white shirt or blouse. Men also wear a sampot, specifically one made out of cotton, with a white shirt of long sleeves.  
Vietnam- The traditional clothing for both gender in Vietnam is called Ao dai. However, men don't choose to wear Ao dai, but they do during traditional events. Women are usually known to wear Ao dai, which basically is a long blouse with a slit on the side which are wore over silky pants.
Brunei- The traditional clothing of Brunei are very similar to the traditional clothing of Malaysia. The clothing is called Baju Melayu, and the clothing is very colorful which is mainly made out of rich, pure silk. The dress covers the whole body from neck to toe, and men usually wear a long sleeve shirt with trousers and sarong.
Central Asia- Central Asia consists of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstani, Turkmenistan.
West Asia
North Asia
Cite:
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/clothes/clothes.cfm
http://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/clothing-around-world/south-asia-history-dress
http://www.bhutan.com/culture/traditional-dress
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/art-entertainment/97197/traditional-costumes-of-ten-southeast-asian-countries.html

Fashion around the world

Background information about the Genius Hour project:

For my Genius Hour project, I decided to research about different culture's traditional clothing and the significance of the clothing in that specific culture or region. After researching, I am likely to create a book about it, and that is mainly because I want to spread awareness of the significance of that traditional clothing to the young adults and the coming generation. In the book I will be sketching the traditional outfit of a specific region into something more modern yet still not losing the traditionalism, which can be wear by the young adults today and the future generation. The reason I want to do this project is because, since I was little I always enjoyed fashion, in general, and if I have to choose a career other than in Health-science then its likely to be related to fashion designing. Because of such reasons, I want to do create this book and I will give my all efforts in to create this book.

Research:

North America:
Native American-
There are many different clothing styles in North America according to different tribes, and many times looking at the accessories and clothing helped them tell apart the difference between people of different tribes.
In most of the tribes men wore breechcloth and most of the of time it was made out of leather, because of the cold climate. Men didn't wore shirts back then, and the only exceptions for that were the soldiers. The soldiers wear special war shirts which were decorated with feathers, hairs, beads as well as intricate quillwork. Most of the women would wear dress in most of the tribes, and in some such as tribes they would wear shirts. The shows were common for most of the genders, which were heavy moccasin, leather shoes, or mukluk , heavier boots. In some tribes they would prefer they would prefer bare foot. Over time feather headdresses and woven blankets started to get really popular among the Native American tribes. The word that is used by natives Americans for their traditional clothing is Regalia, which are mainly used in their ceremonial occasions.

Types of Native American cultures (North America):
The Arctic- It is the present day Alaska, Canada and Greenland, and the people there mainly use seal and otters skins to make warm, waterproof clothing.
The Subarctic- Mainly composed of piney forests, waterlogged Tundra and it stretches from Alaska and Canada. It was very hard for the people in this region to travel, so they created the snowshoes and warm yet light weighted clothing out of animal's skin.
The Northeast- This is the present day Canada's Atlantic coast and stretches all the way to Mississippi river region. Their clothing were mainly made out of fox's skin, and this helped them have a distinguish them to other tribes.    
The Plains- This the vast prairie region from the Mississippi river to the Rocky mountains. They mainly created their clothing out of buffalo's skin and most of the women wore dresses.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/88/65/13/886513b7a15bc66de066933e56b62009.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/47/f8/d9/47f8d901072b42976deafcee4fbab958.jpg

 Citations:
http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/native-american-cultures
http://www.native-languages.org/clothing.htm




The Alchemist

Sign Post: Part Four

Word of the wiser- Santiago was on his way to pursue his personal legend, and on his way, he earned many wise advices from the alchemist. Specifically in the last few pages of the novel, the alchemist tells a story about the Emperor Tiberius of Rome, and this was something very significant he told the boy before them separating apart on their different ways. The story was mainly about the angel telling the emperor that how his son's poetry will be very well known for generations; however, when the emperor dies, he meets the angel again and thanks him for making his son's poetry immortal. The angel says, "The words you're hearing right now are those of your son in the military", and his son went on for looking a cure for his servant. This is very significant because it provides Santiago with lesson of even if one does not have a destiny, they can truly have a desire and work hard in accordance to their desire which can lead them to achieve their desire or personal legend in their life. This is one of the most important piece of advice that Santiago receives, because it is likely to help him in future when he is doubting himself after coming all the way to the Egypt, and being unsure about the path he decided to choose.

Aha Moment- One of the most important yet very surprising aha moment occurred at the end of the novel. When Santiago decides to dig up the specific place where he thought he might be able to find the treasure from, he confronted some refugees. The refugees "As the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy...", and the reason for that was mainly because Santiago was not able to find any gold. The refugees atlas decided to leave Santiago alone, but before leaving, the leader of the group told the Santiago about how similarly he often had dreams about the finding the treasure in Spain, where the shepherds and their sheep sleep near the church. This was a very big aha moment for the boys as well as the readers, because all the journey he did from all the way from Spain to Egypt was only hearing to this. However, this gives the idea of how the universal language works, like how all the elements of the world, for example: people, wind, sun, desert etc., helped Santiago to achieve his personal legend. So overall, the universal language as well as the strong desire of Santiago played a huge role in him achieving his personal legend.

 

Reflection:

I was surprised how the author added numerous different religions which all connected internally throughout his novel. During the beginning of the novel, I saw many religions being represented in many ways, but near the end of the novel when Santiago was asking the wind and the sun to change himself into a wind; I saw the representation of the religion of Hinduism. More specifically when the boy was having conversation with the Sun about him changing into the wind, and the sun wasn't able to do it, the wind "Was listening and wanting to tell every corner of the world that the sun's wisdom had its limitations...". In Hinduism, there are actually many deities, and there is one which represents the sun called "Surya", and the other one which represents wind "Vayu". This two deities are known for having a very tensed relationship due to many conflicts happening between them, and the Surya god, sun, is considered on of the major influential figure over the other deities. But due to some incidents, Vayu god, wind, always tend to go against his ideas in general, and we can see that representation being shown in The Alchemist, with the wind being the very gossiping towards the sun.

Questions:

1. Do you think that Santiago will reach safely back to Fatima?
2. What do you think will after when Santiago meets Fatima? 

The Alchemist

Sign Post: Part Three

Contrasts & Contractions- Since when Santiago decided to go to Egypt after listening to the gypsy woman and also to pursue his personal legend, he was always very unsure about him choosing a right path or not. Santiago also started to think "It seemed as if what the old king has called "beginner's luck" were no longer functioning" and this shows the insecurity that lies within himself after al this hard work he did to pursue his personal legend of finding the treasure. This started to contradict as soon as Santiago encountered one of the woman of the desert, "Was not dressed in black", Fatima. "At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him...he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke...the language... capable of understanding in their heart", this shows the affection that Santiago had towards Fatima and this really contradicts with him before meeting her; it is mainly because he understood that the reason he was able to meet her was with the help of the universe, and his hard work paid off. Their love symbolizes the trust between two people, and it is very significant that Fatima lets Santiago go follow his personal legend which gives the idea of how Santiago have something to return for after achieve his personal legend, finding the treasure.

Contrast & Contradictions- At the beginning of the novel, Santiago met Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and one of the most significant advice from him to Santiago is that the fate doesn't rule the person and the destiny can be change by the person. Later in the novel, Santiago met the crystal merchant, and he later used the word "Maktub", meaning "it is written". The word "Maktub" repeats throughout the novel by different character, and that really clashes or contradicts with the idea of the Melchizedek. Then later when Santiago met Fatima, he said "Maktub", which goes back to the idea of him believing that it was destined for him to meet Fatima, and the universal force helped them meet. However, Santiago struggles to choose whether the fate rules the person or it doesn't. This also foreshadows how Santiago, in future is likely to be struggling with the idea of faith and destiny, in general.

Reflection:

The meeting of Santiago and the Fatima, in The Alchemist, reminds me of the meeting of the Ram and Sita. Ram and Sita, are the married couple and they are the part of a very significant epic story called "Ramayan", and they are also one of the of the deities in Hinduism. Ram was the king of the Ayodhya but due some circumstances, he was told to leave his position of being the king and spend 14 years surviving in the forest. Ram agreed to do that because of his respect towards his dad, and Sita also decided to spend 14 years with Ram in the forest, and this shows the loves and trust between the Ram and Sita, which they are also known for. This is very similar to the case of Santiago and Fatima, because Santiago was unsure about whether to follow his personal legend or not. Fortunately, Fatima ensured him that she will  happily yet desperately wait for him, like his mother waited for her father, and she will have trust in him, because she knows that he will surely return someday to her. "Now it will be the hope... I'm a woman of the desert... but above all, I'm a woman...".

Questions:

1. Is meeting with Fatima will make Santiago want to achieve his personal legend even more than before?
2. Was meeting with Fatima considered to be the "Beginner's luck", or is there something more to come?  

The Alchemist

Sign Posts: Part Two

Contrast and Contradiction- After Santiago's wealth were stolen, he decided to work at the crystal merchant's place. There he came across that the merchant also has a dream, to visit the Mecca, but he doesn't want to achieve it. "All I wanted to do was put together enough money... and could go to Mecca..." the merchant said, and then Santiago asked why he wasn't able to do so and his reply was, "Because it's the thought of  Mecca that keeps me alive. That's what helps me face these days that are all the same...". This shows how the different the paths of Santiago and the crystal merchant's are, and this creates an obstacle for Santiago to pursue his dream. Merchant's way of thinking is very different in compare to Santiago's. The merchant particularly wants to avoid the dream because of his fear and complacency, and he thinks that after achieving his dream he won't have anything to live for; while Santiago is very open-minded, and he clearly wants to achieve his dream and pursue his personal legend. Because of the way the merchant thinks, it makes Santiago unsure about pursuing his dream, and he questions himself to go back or not and to live the way he normally did or just go on with the journey. But later in the novel, Santiago realized that it is okay to let go the normal and comfortable life in order to achieve something significant, and that was mainly because he thought of how the merchant earned a huge profit by taking a risk, which could possibly change his lifestyle, of serving tea in the glass as well as putting out the glass piece to attract customers similar to his situation. Another thing which affected Santiago to pursue his personal legend and dream was when he and the merchant had a conversation while smoking, and the merchant gave him blessing as well as used the word "Maktub", which can be considered as that it is already decided for him to go or it is his fate that will make him go.

Memory moment- After talking with the merchant about whether or not to pursue his personal legend and achieve his dream, Santiago had a memory moment. He thought about the sheep and how they taught him, "Language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time he was trying to improve things at the shop", and this shows how he was able to achieve a part of his dream with the help of sheep, and this foreshadows that in future he is likely to be using what he learned from the sheep to achieve his dream and pursue his personal legend. He also thought about the merchant, and for a second he wanted to be like him and avoid his dream, but then he thought "I can always go back to being a shepherd... I'll never have another chance to get to the pyramid in Egypt", and this proves that at this point he was able to overcome his obstacle and he regained his confidence, which makes him prepared for his journey to Egypt.

Reflection:

I was surprised when Santiago met the Englishman, and the reason for that is he mentioned and talked about "Alchemy", which basically is related to the name of the novel The Alchemist. The Englishman's character can be considered a little self-centered, because at first he wasn't very talkative when Santiago approached him, but when "He took Urim and Thummim from his pocket, and began laying with them... The stranger shouted, "Urim and Thummim!"; this shows how he did paid attention to others, but only talked when it was something that concerned him. The Englishman also used a biblical allusion while he was having a conversation with Santiago, more specifically when Santiago mentioned about the king, "Not at all. It was shepherd who were the first to recognized a king that the rest of the world refused to acknowledge .... ", and this tells about the Englishman representing as an educated person in the novel.

Questions:

1. Is the Englishman going to influence a change in Santiago in anyways?
2. What is the significance of the word "Maktub" ?

The Alchemist

Sign Posts: Part one

Word of the wiser- After leaving from the merchant's house, Santiago decides to visit an old gypsy woman, who can interpret his dreams, at the town of Tarifa. After interpreting his dream, she tells him to go to the pyramid in order to find the treasure in return of 1/10 of the treasure as her payment for reading his palm. However, Santiago decides to go to the plaza in order to read his book, and there he encounters a strange yet mysterious old man, Melchizedek. He tells Santiago that the book carries a huge lie to it, and the lie is basically that fate rules a person and they can't choose their destiny. He then promises to meet Santiago on a specific date, and that day he will tell him about the way to find the treasure in return of 1/10 of his sheep. The gypsy woman and the old man acts as an advisor to Santiago, and they both provides a push that is needed for Santiago to achieve his dream. The lie that the old man told about the book can be considered very significant to Santiago, because he doesn't have to live as a shepherd for the rest of his life, and he can possibly change his destiny through his hard work. They also discussed about how every person has a personal legend, a dream they want to achieve, and this also aids in him pursuing his dream in his life. The old man was also able to get the Santiago's attention and his trust only because of the conversation about the book with him, and this gives the idea of how Santiago values and respects education as well as the people who can read, in general.  

Setting the scene- Santiago went to the merchant in order to sale wool, but that was not the only reason for him to pay a visit there. He also wanted to see the girl, the daughter of the merchant. "The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors. The merchant was busy with the shop, so he asked Santiago to wait till the afternoon. He and the merchant's daughter had a long conversation about the village and how he learned to read etc. "As the time passed, the boy found himself wishing that the day would never end..." and this tells about how Santiago is starting to develop affections towards the merchant's daughter. Later in the chapter, Santiago encounters and old man, Melchizedek, and in order to prove the reliability to Santiago, the old man writes down the names of the people whom are close to Santiago on the sand. The old man then talks about how bakers are more preferable than shepherds, and immediately Santiago thinks about "There was surely a baker in her town", and this shows his affections towards the merchant's daughter are sincere. This foreshadows that Santiago might change overtime because of the girl, and the change might make him want to pursue his dream and to accomplish the treasure, for a better life.

Reflection:

Characters- In the first part of The Alchemist, we met many characters such as the protagonist of the novel, the boy or Santiago, Melchizedek, gypsy woman, the merchant and his daughter.
So far, I really like the character of Santiago, and there are many reasons for me liking his character. One of the main reason for me liking his character is that I like his personality of being idealistic. He is also a very open minded person, and he also values his freedom. When the merchant's daughter asks Santiago, "Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?" then Santiago responded, "The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to avoid responding to her question... the girl would never understand...". This shows how much he values his freedom, and even if he has affections towards her; it doesn't stop him from being a shepherd. I also like how Santiago listens to people who are trustworthy or creditable, and doesn't trust any strangers. For example, the only reason Santiago paid attention to the old man was because of his ability to read and his interest in the book, and this proved that the old man was a reliable person. Because of such reasons, I really like the character of Santiago in The Alchemist.  
Questions:
1. Will Santiago be able to achieve his treasure?
2. Will his shepherd herding cause him to be not able to pursue his dream?