The Timbers!

So, we're waiting in the Seoul airport, and before saying anything about Korea-which has been great-I have to blurt out my excitement about the new NW MLS franchises--- The Seattle Sounders have sold out their first two games (in Seahawk Stadium!) and in 2011 the Timbers will be pro, and there'll be a new team in BC, too!! Awesome!!!!!!!!! Awesome!! Awesome!!!!

It will be hard to root against Seattle, but I will probably have to when they play the Timbers. Oh, man, I'm so excited.... Chrystal is trying to read her book and I keep interrupting her with exclamations. YES!

We're in Seoul

We got here about 5 hours ago, and already the following has taken place:
1) Realized Seoul is much colder than Kyushu.
2) Went to dinner and ordered food randomly chosen by waitress (Ben says he chose, but whatever)
3) Ate kim chi, beef ribs, wicked-hot cabbage, and a totally weird concoction that I thought might be kidney? tofu? brains?
4) Was approached by drunk college student who offers to show us around. Phone number given to us.
5) Found out that my food was some sort of pork/potato conglomeration. Phew.
6) Returned to guesthouse and heated floors. Ate Korean oreos and Seoul milk (see milk carton for proof).

East meets West

Happy Spring!

Go to this: Billy Collins, "Today," animated.

Fire Festival Fotos

Yamaguchi-sensei took us to the Aso Fire Festival this week. I'll make this brief: Mount Aso = Mountain god. Mountain god has a wife, the Tree goddess. On the day of the fire festival, the tree is burned to please the Mountain god. What does this all mean? I'm not really sure, except that it's been going on for centuries and there is a tree to run around if you want to get married (one direction for men, the other direction for ladies). The highlight of the festival is these swooping balls of fire (grass and rope that one throws about the head, lasso-like). It was smoky!

It's Ben lighting up his torch!

We were actually "on stage" during the pre-fire taiko performance. Loud, loud drums:

Looking down at the caldera, where Aso City and the Fire Festival are:

This Made National News!?!

On the NY Times website this morning, this headline caught my eye. And what did I find?

My Name Is Rip Van Winkle and I Can't Sleep

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 16, 2009
Filed at 8:52 p.m. ET

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- An Oregon man says people usually think he's joking when he introduces himself as Rip Van Winkle. But that's the name on his birth certificate. Really. Van Winkle told the Corvallis Gazette Times that his father and grandfather were nicknamed Rip, but his dad made things official for his son, figuring the nickname would eventually stick to him too.

Now, he has a little fun with it.

''I went to the doctor's office,'' the 37-year-old contractor said. ''My name is Rip Van Winkle, and I can't sleep.''

He owns and operates Rip Van Winkle Residential Contract and Repair, and prides himself on being able to fix almost anything.

Van Winkle said he would never change things.

''It's cool, because you get a chance to be yourself,'' he said. ''How many Rip Van Winkles do you meet?''

------

Information from: Gazette-Times, http://www.gtconnect.com

Chrystal is stupid.

Here are the most recent reasons I am stupid in Japan. It's OK if you laugh; in fact, I hope you do so that I feel less foolish, and more a comedienne.

1) I bought rice flour this afternoon instead of regular wheat flour (which I've already bought several times) to make pizza dough.

2) I wanted to thank my teachers and congratulate them on a good school year, so purchased these Japanese cards that I see everywhere. Knowing that black is typically the color of funerals, I still made the poor decision to buy the pretty silver-and-black cards at the 7-11. (They were so much more pleasing to my eye than the other options). I wrote notes for the teachers inside. I even said, "I hope I didn't pick the wrong card for this occasion!" Ha. ha. ha. Well, guess what I learned from Keiko today. I selected the funeral card. And it wasn't even a card. These damn things, which I see EVERYWHERE, are "money envelopes." So, when I handed Yoshigai-sensei her "card" last Friday and said, "Oh, it's nothing, I just wanted to thank you!" And she replied, "Oh, thank you! That's really nice!"--well, she was probably surprised that I had given her "thank you money." For a death. Also, the card had a really pretty death-flower (lotus) drawing on it.

Why do I do the things I know are wrong sometimes? Japan has really made an idiot out of me. Please laugh. Ugh.

We started watching it last night and we're already addicted.

Twin Peaks. I remember watching it as a kid every now and then, and being spooked (I must have been nine when it came out), but I really didn't know why until we finally began watching the season one DVD 19 hours ago. Not only am I still spooked, but I'm hooked.

Plus, it's exciting to see Snoqualmie on TV. We totally called it before finding out the show was actually filmed there. It reminds me of last week, when The Colbert Report and The Daily Show both broadcast Oregon news: first, it was Earl Blumenauer defending animal rights (sort of), then it was KATU news anchor Jeff Gianola reporting on something that was apparently easy to make fun of... I love the northwest.

Some everyday things I appreciate

There are many small differences in our daily lives here in Japan, and here are some photos to explain a few of these things.

Bread, for one: squishy, white, sold in bags of 5-6 perfectly thick slices. Not the best bread, but interesting nonethless. Two: Rice, sold in large bags, always. The one here is is medium-small bag. We also like the beercan slogans and large bottles of soy sauce (we're now on our second).























I can buy orchids on the cheap and put them in the pretty sake bottles which are just as good as vases. Also, we've requisitioned the single-size futon frame that came with the apartment into a wall-hanging and a rack for holding ties and shirts
which need ironing.

We have a closet for shoes by the front door.

The bathroom is literally that: a room for taking baths. And the toilet room? Well, the toilet flushes two ways (#1 and #2).























They really like rock-paper-scissors here. In fact, it's a cultural mainstay. They call it jan-ken. Above-right is "paper" and "rock."

Finally, I appreciate the cuteness of the Japanese kids. I mean, check out this Christmas card from a student! Even Ben, just the other day, said he now sees a point to cute, girly things. All he needed were some awesome thank you cards courtesy of several dozen 15-year-olds. I don't know how many said "I love you."