Say What?!?!?!

I've been feeling under the weather all day, but still managed to double over in laughter when I read this. I don't know, maybe I've just been away for too long...

"People don't need to worry about security. This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America." —George W. Bush, on the deal to hand over U.S. port security to a company operated by the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., Feb. 23, 2006

Ikata Kara Yawatahama Made...

I often joke about the inconveniences of life in the inaka (countryside) - particularly my hour-long bicycle ride through the mountains to get to the grocery store in Yawatahama city. However, recently I allowed myself to admit that this ride isn't all bad. In fact, I sometimes actually look forward to this weekly journey (especially now that the weather is warming up). Must be that I enjoy transporting heavy grocery items in my little basket and negotiating potholes and curbs while getting oogled at by passers-by. Oh yes, I am well-known in southern Ehime as the crazy gal on the red granny bike. Seriously! When people from Ikata, Seto, Misake and Honai Town meet me for the first time, they inevitably mention that they've seen me traversing that "gentle, rolling hill" (insert sarcastic laugh and eye-rolling) that separates me from the rest of civilization.

Anyway, thought you might like to come along on this fantastic voyage with me...if you are a junior high school student or younger, please fasten your mandatory bicycle helmet. If you are Joshua, please try not to break your finger for the fourth time.

Begin by coasting down tiny little road that connects apartment building to main road. I live at the top of this slope and to the right. Can you believe I actually get my car up this street? I haven't lost a side mirror yet!

This is the highway. It can be busy at times although I know it looks like a sorry excuse for a main traffic artery here. Ride along this highway in the direction of Honai Town.

Detour! Stop to notice the beautiful mountain view from this interesting cemetary located off the side of the road.

Pass through trecherous tunnel to reach Honai Town. Gambarre! After completing the tunnel, you will see this sign which indicates you are roughly half-way there!

Over the river and through the woods...

Past the beautiful harbor, my favorite part of the trip...

Through the final tunnel...

And viola! You're there!

Your Daily Kanji Fix...

息
Pronunciation: いき　(iki)
Meaning: breath, wind

息　つく　暇　も　ない　よ。 I don’t have time to breath.
彼ら　は　とても　息　が　合つている。 They are getting along very well.
息　が　詰まる。 To choke (いき　が　つまる)
息をのむ。 To gasp

Cooking Class in Kucho

Yesterday, my friend Josh invited me to a cooking class he taught in the Kucho neighborhood of Ikata. The menu included the following American classics: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw. The audience consisted of 13 or so woman who, on the surface, appeared to be your average Japanese housewives, but in fact are members of a top-secret, underground "cook club" with a loose network of cells operating throughout the greater Nanyo area. One source (who agreed to speak with me on condition that she remain anonymous) informed me that membership into this clandestine group is granted only after a most rigorous test in which the pledge is locked in a room with an egg, a saucepan and some wakame. The pledge has approximately one hour to transform said products into a gourmet meal.

Seriously, these women were phenomenal! They approached the recipe with all the gravity of a logistician reading schematics in the war room of the Pentagon. As for me, I managed to walk around the kitchen without being too much of a nusance, and designated myself group photographer.

Translation coming soon - Japanese for Cooking with Angie:

(1) Is this milk spoiled?

(2) Help! The stove is on fire!

In short, it was a HUGE success, and I just need to give a shout-out to Josh for such a well-organized and well-executed event!!! Here are some more photos...

Slicing the apple, celery, and onion for meatloaf with expertise

Yes...mashed potatoes were an alien concept to them...look how serious everyone appears in this photo!

Ever heard of this world-famous martial art which originated in Ehime-ken?

Hey - for all you fellow martial arts fans and history geeks out there...check out these links below to learn about Ashihara karate, a Japanese martial art that has roots in traditional Korean budo (well, I think so anyway).

This school of budo was founded by sensei Hideyuki Ashihara in our very own Yawatahama City (15 minutes by car from Ikata Town)! Its now an internationally taught martial art with branches in America, Europe, and Africa. Cool, huh?

If anyone has more information about this, please get in touch with me! Thanks!

http://www.ashiharacanada.s5.com/Hideyuki.htm
http://www.ashihara.com/website/history.htm
http://ashiharakarate.org/

Kanji for kendokas...Part 1

"Ken" (Left) = Sword

"Do" (Right) = The way, the path

I'm not an expert. Seriously, not even close. In fact, I still can't even tie my headgear appropriately. And that stupid little bandana just drives me nuts...it constantly seems to slide off my head and into my eyes at the most inopportune moment, usually just seconds before I'm about to be clobbered on the head by an angry 13 year old chugakk-sei wielding a big stick.

So for several months now I've had what can only be described as a love-hate relationship with kendo. For those of you who don't know, Kendo is a Japanese martial art (sport) similar to fencing. Here is a brief explanation peppered with some Japanese terms for those of you practicing nihongo with me.

You get to wear cool armour like this:

Men (head), te (hands), and do (waist -left and right) are the only legitimate striking targets, although I'm told that extremely advanced kendokas (students of kendo) can also strike at the throat. The movements are combinations of quick slices and precise snaps with the sword, as well as thrusting/pushing with one's entire body, which developed from the swordplay of early samurai warriors. This sport is extremely fast-moving. Shinai (swords) are constructed from four pieces of bamboo held together by leather and string. Really doesn't sound like much till you take it on the head.

FYI - Did you know that the kanji for shinai is 竹刀?

Like all things Japanese, etiquette and ritual are central to kendo. I was shocked to learn that points are awarded on a number of different factors beyond the execution of proper technique, including:

1. Posture - refers not just to good fighting stance but also to how you carry yourself in the dojo, how well you wear your uniform, etc.
2. Kiai - yes, this is the screaming we do as we beat each other with aforementioned bamboo sticks; my sensei says I have great kendo potential because I have a "big mouth" (go figure!), but I prefer to translate this into "big voice" instead
3. Zanshin (fighting spirit, alertness)

This is all significantly different from the other martial arts I have practiced in the past. Its also part of my attraction to the sport.

Now a note to all my fellow martial artists sitting at home, back in Chicago, reading this post...I know what you're thinking. Hey - aren't there any kicks in Kendo? Any punches? For the love of god, can't you even wrestle a person onto the ground and proceed to put them in an arm lock?!?!?!

No. Nope. Iie.

Why? Because kendo is not a self-defense system. Yes, I can feel the reverberation as you all collectively faint. And I'm expecting to take a certain amount of slack for this when I return home. I understand that I have debated, lectured, philosophised, ranted, and preached for ten years plus - until your eyes have glazed over with boredom, frustration, or perhaps even fear- against the efficacy of any martial art that does not have practical street applications. But they promise me that there are truly great things I can learn without all of that. Who knew?

And yes, I'm going to give it a go.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Two more photos...

You can see my post below about print club. My buddy just sent these additional photos which I thought were funny and wanted to share. Enjoy! Seriously, doesn't this look like fun? Fellow mikans, beware...we are organizing a Nanyo B print club "extravaganza" soon. Something along the lines of beer, tabehodai, photos, and air hockey (trust me, it will all make sense when you get there!).

Put your clothes on the table?!?!?

Now we will study various meanings of the word "fuku". Why? Because today somebody earnestly tried to communicate something to me using this word and what resulted was a HUGE communication breakdown.

#1 Fuku - (noun) clothes
#2 Fuku - (noun) happiness
#3 Fuku - (verb) to wipe

So, the directions I received were along the lines of "teberu wo fuite kudasai" (or, "please wipe the table"). Should have been easy enough, eh? Unfortunately, no.

It is an unspoken rule here in Ikata that if Japanese is not your first language, Japanese people will inevitable speak to you in faster than normal Japanese. It also follows that they will use the most round-about way to construct a sentence, the goal being to use as many words as possible. I believe that extra points are earned when the words are particularly abstract, vague, or old-fashioned (but I'm not completely sure on that last point, I'm still learning the rules).

So this man at school tries to tell me something. Of course, his directions were delivered in the usual rambling way, accompanied with some strange gestures, and punctuated by two grunts (why are old Japanese men soooo freakin incomprehensible?). Caught off guard, I could only manage to gaze very stupidly back at him as he continued to speak at rapid fire speed. I heard the key words: "teberu"..."fuku"(dictionary form, tricky)..."teberu"..."fuku"..."teberu"..."fuku"... Amidst this verbal carnage I quickly surmised that I was being propositioned to take my clothes off and put them on the table. Only later, with dictionary in hand, did I realize my mistake.

Ah, but my original interpretation makes for a more interesting story, doesn't it?

Print Club

To quote my friend David (right), "No Mom, this isn't an advertisement for some Chinese Telecommunications Company!" This is "print club". For those of you who haven't encountered print club in Japan, here is my definition:

"Print club a guilty little pleasure that we ALTs have to while away the hours (especially those of us in the Ehime countryside who have very few alternate options for entertainment)...its an activity that everyone secretly enjoys but some are too cool to admit it." I happen to love it!

Basically, you go into a large photo booth with as many friends as you can cajole. Each booth has a different theme and the really cool ones have props. As you strike a pose the camera shoots away, forever immortalizing you in the corniest ambulations imaginable. The more acrobatic and...er...um...creative you can be, the better! Because the booth we choose had some monkey bars in the back, I managed to coax David into impersonating a running jumping side kick with me.


As if that weren't good enough, once the photos are completed you can go to a computer screen located at the side of your booth. There you can decorate your photos, change the background, add words/images/icons etc. I swear, this is really addictive. Some people have enormous albums full of print club photos. Its a real pheomenon here.

"Sick" Vocabulary

A few days ago the elementary school in my town temporarily shut down due to a terrible flu virus which incapacitated most of the upper grade students. Here at the junior high about 20% of the students have been out sick with this nasty bug. Thankfully, I've only shown minor cold symptoms thus far. So, here is some more illness-related kanji to help you survive the winter. I truly hope you DON'T have to use it!

咳 せき cough
風邪 かぜ (common) cold
病院 びょういん hospital
病人 びょうにん patient
病気 びょうき illness

I have a fever. Netsu ga aru.