Hey oh y’all,
So Japanese final. Kram the kanji, grab the grammar, tame
the tango (vocab) – you get the picture. Heh heh, I like alliteration as you play
with sounds abound in a round-about way. Ok. So I’m the slightest bit stressed
and laughing eases it neh?
Oh but last Sunday we had our last kendo practice. Jacob and
I got to dress up in a gi and perform a kata – it’s like a sequence of gestures
and moves to demonstrate you know the techniques. We also got a present from
Sensei – a cool hachimaki/headband with the words fudoushin written on it –
fudoushin (not fudoshi – which is a completely different thing) loosely means
unmoving heart – so whatever you face, you stand strong. It’s the motto of the
dojo, and I really like it.
And although we didn’t plan it – Jacob and I ended up both
wearing our hachimaki on the day of the final.
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| Sumi-chan sporting the hachimaki! |
Oh and who says cramming minutes before a test doesn’t help?
Well it must have been people who see how us Stanford students cram. Hint: it
involves pushups, yelling, and singing along to “Final Countdown.”
But yeah – it wasn't all that bad. Nothing we couldn’t handle
– most of it based straight out of lessons from the book and class. Since today
is White Day, most of the test involved talking about what makes a good White
Day gift. As far as speaking, as long as you remember the words okaeshi (gift
for someone who gave you a gift) and orei (gift you give to someone who did a
favor), you should be fine. The grammar for “What is good to give as a gift?”
isn’t that bad.
As for what to actually give, it’s normally not that hard –
just determine if the chocolate is cheap (giri) or expensive (honmei) and buy
cookies or candy that are roughly cost equivalent…unless of course you are
dealing with an angry panda who buys you expensive looking animal chocolates
but complains while giving it to you…
--Uhhh, yeah – those were expensive – I’m waiting…
Oh…hi Sumi…uhhh…here…thank you for the chocolates…?
--Yay! Panda Goods!...I mean…oh panda goods…you’re soooo original…you
think like a boy panda…always buying panda goods, thinking it suffices.
Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome. For those of you playing at
home, panda goods are usually a good bet. Pandas are terrible gift givers since
they think that everyone wants panda goods. On the flip side, all pandas like
panda goods.
Anyways, after the test we decided to watch Battle Royale…because
that’s just what you do when you are free from work…watch the Japanese
precursor to Hunger Games – a class of high school students killing each other
off in cold blood in a last man standing game for adults’ amusement. It’s…well,
if you see it, you can understand why it wasn’t officially aired on US shores…I…I
don’t even know anymore…
After we went to Adam’s house for a okonomiyaki party. Thank
you Adam for being a great host and chef! It was a lot of fun, the food was
delicious, and we had a great sing-a-long! Hooray for the gaijin-smash-song! I
think this picture says it all (credit to Adam Perelman…unfortunately he is
missing from the shot):
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| Adam's attempt at making a moe-moe heart out of mayo (like in maid cafes...keep working on that neh) |
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| Hello RJ! |
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| Hello Mickey! |
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| Hello Nick! |
Of course, while we are having a lot of fun, we still have
work to do (see final papers left unwritten)…sigh. But this party will stick
with us for years to come! I look forward to the okonomiyaki reunion!
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| This photo is probably the best representation of Stanford Kyoto Winter Quarter! (photo credit to Adam Perelman, who unfortunately is not in the picture) |
-DC
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