Hemingway was a genius. Perhaps a bit of a drunk, but an absolute genius. Heck, there is even a six-fingered cat named after him. He managed to write one of his great literary works in six words. That's right, six words. Here is the story.
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn".
I think you can appreciate his literary prowess. To help my students understand the power of words, I taught them to write their own six word stories. It was a great day to class to see their young, ingenious minds concoting some ridiculous stories. Here are some of my favorites!!
"Yes, you look fat," Relationship over."
"Took SAT. Failed. Mom planning funeral."
Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I decide to write a few stories of my own to further describe my life here.
Enjoy!
Six weeks. No traveling. Money still disappears.
No Valentine's date. Impulse haircut instead!
German friends leave. Find new friends.
Tall woman. Miniature sled. Broken ego.
Yellow dust comes. * Cough!* Automatically dead.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Napkin Lessons
RANDOM NAVY GUY TEACHING ME JAPANESE ON A NAPKIN:
"If you swoop the line this direction, it means "ni" or sun. If you sweep the line the other way it means pon, or "to rise". Hence the name Nippon, or Japan. It means the land of the "rising sun". Isn't that great?! Japanese sure is easy to learn!"
ME IN RESPONSE:
"Oh yeah, I get how the Japanese language is divided into three different kinds-kangi, hiragana, and katakana. It definitely makes more sense than Korean. Thanks for highlighting that for me and showing me 40,000 different characters. I think I"ll have Japanese down by the weekend."
MUTTERING TO MYSELF FIVE SECONDS LATER:
"Cha, right! I can barely remember what a gerund is in my own language."
Since my arrival in Asia, I have received many "napkin lessons" about Korean language and culture. The setting for these impromptu lessons usually takes place at an eating establishment. I'll want to learn something on the spot, but lack paper. I somehow always have a pen, but never paper. Napkins work surprising well for these helterskelter language lessons.
I received a "napkin lesson" two weeks ago when I first arrived in Japan. I spent forty-five minutes talking with a naval officer about the structure of the Japanese language. It's a haunting and beautiful language and requires great diligence and commitment to achieve mastery. I think I'll have to stick to Korea, especially since it's easier to learn and I actually live in the country. Korean wins for now.
Thankfully I didn't spend all my time with napkin lessons. My roommate Kirstin and I were blessed to visit my good friend Davia. She served as our host for the week and mock Lonely Planet guide extradonnaire. This girl knows how to plan an itinerary. Some highlights include a five hour road trip to visit snow monkeys in Nagano, train-hopping in Kamakura to go visit a giant Buddha, exploring a scary Goth exhibit that highlighted the underground costume play of Japanese youth, leisurely relaxing at the hot springs while looking at the snowy Japanese alps, gaping at GIANT beheaded tuna at the fish market, and subway hopping to diverse and eclectic neighborhoods in Tokyo. Another highlight of Tokyo was having another "collision" (see entry below) with all my new and old friends. I came with Meredith and Kirstin, met up with Davia and Meredith's high school friend Derek, my hagwon friends Tim and Don, and my friend Mary I met at a writing conference earlier this year. We had a blast traipsing around Tokyo and comparing the differences between Korea and Japan.
The best highlight of the trip was Davia. I am used to seeing her every other month since we graduated college, but an entire year has passed between us. But like lifelong friends, we picked up right where left off- eating Trader Joe snacks, oogling at Gap and Uniqlo, Davia checking my suitcase to make sure I didn't steal any of her clothes, more shopping, discussing the navy, education, and how much we miss the sushi restaurant Tank in Chicago. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I think I hugged her ten times before I hopped on the bus back to the airport.
I found the Japanese napkin at the bottom of my suitcase when I was unpacking. I couldn't help but smile at the smudged characters. I hope to go back to the land of the rising sun sometimes soon. The next napkin lesson will figuring out the Japanese train system.
"If you swoop the line this direction, it means "ni" or sun. If you sweep the line the other way it means pon, or "to rise". Hence the name Nippon, or Japan. It means the land of the "rising sun". Isn't that great?! Japanese sure is easy to learn!"
ME IN RESPONSE:
"Oh yeah, I get how the Japanese language is divided into three different kinds-kangi, hiragana, and katakana. It definitely makes more sense than Korean. Thanks for highlighting that for me and showing me 40,000 different characters. I think I"ll have Japanese down by the weekend."
MUTTERING TO MYSELF FIVE SECONDS LATER:
"Cha, right! I can barely remember what a gerund is in my own language."
Since my arrival in Asia, I have received many "napkin lessons" about Korean language and culture. The setting for these impromptu lessons usually takes place at an eating establishment. I'll want to learn something on the spot, but lack paper. I somehow always have a pen, but never paper. Napkins work surprising well for these helterskelter language lessons.
I received a "napkin lesson" two weeks ago when I first arrived in Japan. I spent forty-five minutes talking with a naval officer about the structure of the Japanese language. It's a haunting and beautiful language and requires great diligence and commitment to achieve mastery. I think I'll have to stick to Korea, especially since it's easier to learn and I actually live in the country. Korean wins for now.
Thankfully I didn't spend all my time with napkin lessons. My roommate Kirstin and I were blessed to visit my good friend Davia. She served as our host for the week and mock Lonely Planet guide extradonnaire. This girl knows how to plan an itinerary. Some highlights include a five hour road trip to visit snow monkeys in Nagano, train-hopping in Kamakura to go visit a giant Buddha, exploring a scary Goth exhibit that highlighted the underground costume play of Japanese youth, leisurely relaxing at the hot springs while looking at the snowy Japanese alps, gaping at GIANT beheaded tuna at the fish market, and subway hopping to diverse and eclectic neighborhoods in Tokyo. Another highlight of Tokyo was having another "collision" (see entry below) with all my new and old friends. I came with Meredith and Kirstin, met up with Davia and Meredith's high school friend Derek, my hagwon friends Tim and Don, and my friend Mary I met at a writing conference earlier this year. We had a blast traipsing around Tokyo and comparing the differences between Korea and Japan.
The best highlight of the trip was Davia. I am used to seeing her every other month since we graduated college, but an entire year has passed between us. But like lifelong friends, we picked up right where left off- eating Trader Joe snacks, oogling at Gap and Uniqlo, Davia checking my suitcase to make sure I didn't steal any of her clothes, more shopping, discussing the navy, education, and how much we miss the sushi restaurant Tank in Chicago. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I think I hugged her ten times before I hopped on the bus back to the airport.
I found the Japanese napkin at the bottom of my suitcase when I was unpacking. I couldn't help but smile at the smudged characters. I hope to go back to the land of the rising sun sometimes soon. The next napkin lesson will figuring out the Japanese train system.
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