I completed my 8 meetings with Eiko! I was determined and I did it!
We met Thursday morning before my last final. It was a nice break from studying and a great way to clear my mind before taking my test. We had breakfast together and it was nice just to sit and chat with her alone. It was sad to leave her. I feel like it was more than an assignment for Eiko. I sense that she does not have many friends to talk to, and she loves to talk.
She asked me a lot about my finals. She doesn't seem to understand how a test can take two and a half hours, but I assured her that it is possible! She was surprised that they were all so close together and that I had to move out while I was also studying. I'm not going to lie, I'm surprised I got it all done.
I asked her about her move. I finally realized that she is moving to Southlake. I thought this whole time that she would still be in Fort Worth. She and her husband are both taking loads back and forth themselves. They will hire a moving company for the big furniture, but they are doing most of it themselves. It's a 40 min drive so that is definitely a lot of time and effort. Moving out of my small dorm by myself gave me a better perspective of what it requires to move.
Like I said, it was sad to leave, but I plan on keeping up with my relationship with Eiko. This opportunity has definitely inspired me to be more involved off campus, aside from my studies.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
BlogLog Round 2!
The end of the semester is so sad, but here's one happy thing for me... I'm done blogging! Well, almost! It's definitely been a great alternative to turning in assignments and is also a GREEN option, but I'm just not the type to express my feelings through writing! I have enjoyed it more than I thought, but I can honestly say I won't be continuing to blog! I have one more meeting with my conversation partner, which means one more blog to write after this one! If you don't believe me, check out my updated BlogLog below! I actually may even have an extra comment because I can't remember if I commented on anyone's blog before I started keeping track of it! Anyway... happy blogging everyone!
BlogLog
Conversation Partner Meetings:
Meeting 8
Reading Response:
Blog comments:
I Wished There Was More Rice!
I met with Eiko for lunch at Potbelly again Monday, April 25. It was fun because that’s where we had met for the first time. This time was definitely more relaxed. I couldn’t wait to meet with her, but she had to bring her daughter so our conversation was a bit more interrupted than it usually is.
The main topic of discussion was their most recent trip, a Disney cruise. They had a blast! Eiko loved just being able to relax with her family. The cruise left out of Florida somewhere near Orlando. I’m not exactly sure where because it was hard to understand her. They had some trouble with the flight there because of weather, but luckily they planned their travels a day early so that they wouldn’t miss the boat!
While on the cruise, they went to many shows and just relaxed by the pool. I distinctly remember how amazing the food was when I went on a cruise years ago, so I asked how theirs was. She said it was good, but not great. She thinks the main reason is that it’s too “kid friendly.” I can completely understand that being on a Disney cruise. To my surprise, she said she wished there had been more rice! I’m not trying to stereotype her, but she really did say that. Eiko loves rice and that’s what she really wanted, but hardly any of the meals had rice with them. I tried hard not to laugh, not at her but just the irony of the situation.
We also talked more about my summer plans and when I’ll return to Fort Worth. I plan on going to see her new house when I get back to TCU, which I am really excited. Hopefully I will have the chance to meet her husband, too. We are going to meet one last time this week before I leave Fort Worth for the summer. It’s going to be an emotional day, but I will release all those emotions through my next blog!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
That Girl Got Jokes!
That Girl Got Jokes
Poor Mr. Nuttel. He just wants a friend! And then the niece just has to go and mess with his already messed up head.
When reading Saki’s “The Open Window,” I immediately felt sympathy for Mr. Nuttel. I was hoping he would become a friend of Mrs. Sappleton. As the niece told the horrible story of the disappearance of Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and brothers, I began to feel sorry for Mrs. Sappleton as well. I just knew that Mr. Nuttel and Mrs. Sappleton would make great friends.
O how I was fooled as well. That little niece is a liar! She needs to be set straight. To fool that poor man was just wrong considering his condition. She didn’t even know him! And then she told her family that he left because he was scared of dogs. Psh! I don’t blame him for leaving. I’m sure he has other letters of introduction with families that don’t have little rascals like that niece running around. It’s only a matter of time until the family realizes what she’s done and sets her straight. I’d like to see that!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Lazy Buddhist
Oh my… where to begin? My last visit with Eiko was AWESOME! I loved it! I went to her apartment and got to spend time with her and Haruka in a relaxed and playful environment. I feel so blessed to have been partnered with her.
I brought Haruka a present, a Playdoh Ice Cream Shop, so naturally that’s what she was most excited about. Eiko was so thankful and a bit more surprised than I expected that I brought her daughter a gift. I’m not sure if that’s just not what they do, but I hope it wasn’t too much.
I’m not going to lie; I also had a ton of fun playing with the Playdoh. As I helped Haruka, Eiko and I had a chance to talk. We talked about Haruka’s first day at Japanese school and some other random things. When I mentioned my plans for Easter, she asked me if we had Good Friday off of school. I answered and then decided to go a little further. Not sure if I was overstepping my boundaries, I asked her about her faith. She told me they were Buddhist. Actually, she referred to herself as a lazy Buddhist because they do not worship regularly. She then laughed and told me that on Monday, Wednesday and Friday Haruka attends a Christian school, on Tuesday and Thursday a Jewish school, and on Saturday at Japanese school she learns about Buddhism.
All in all, it was great spending time with her. We drank coffee together and she let me try a Japanese cake snack, which was quite delicious. Right now, Eiko and her family are on a Disney Cruise in the Caribbean and I can’t wait to hear all about their trip. I wish I was on the beach somewhere too instead of in the TCU Library!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wait... What?
Same format as the last… Before research and after research! This seems to be an effective way to analyze these stories for me.
Before Research:
I have no idea what “The Sea Change” by Hemingway is talking about. At first I thought the girl wanted to have an abortion. When she says, “No, I can’t,” and the man says, “No, you won’t,” I took that as discussing abortion. I guess I am still thinking about our previous class. As the story continued, I changed my mind. I think they are talking about cheating. I believe that the woman has been unfaithful to the man, who still loves her very much, but is trying not to.
Whatever the case is, it was something big. It is something that changed their relationship forever. When the girl asks, “Don’t you really believe I love you?” the guy tells her to prove it. We learn that this would not have happened in the past.
At one point, the girl says, “Poor Phil,” so I assume she’s talking about the man. I also think that Phil could be the other man she loves, so for now I’m going to just refer to the man in the story as the man.
It is obvious that James, the barman, plays a significant role in this story, but I can’t seem to figure it out. He does seem to be very observant when it comes to his clients in the bar.
In the end, the girl gets her way. She leaves the bar to go pursue whatever it is. As she leaves, she doesn’t look back. The man, however, watches her leave for a while before going to the bar. To me, it seems that he loves her more than she loves him.
After Research:
I feel like I actually understood this story a bit better. While Hemingway stuck to his iceberg effect, I think that this story is a bit more obvious than some of the others. In an analysis I found of the story, it is said that the girl had been involved in a romantic affair. The girl seems to deny and admit her affair, but in the end she leaves to go pursue her affair (or as I stated earlier, “whatever it is”).
Like I mentioned earlier, I feel like the rest of the characters in the story have some importance, but I wasn’t sure what. In an analysis I read, they were briefly mentioned as being gay. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but it would make sense. If the man (Phil) was also gay, it would give the girl a reason not to love him the same way she did before. It is possible that he is also gay because at the end of the story, he joins the men at the bar and the barman seems to know him well, ironically saying he must have had a good summer.
Before and After
I have enjoyed reading the works of Hemingway, but I struggle with interpreting them on my own. For my responses, I have decided to write what I think when only reading the story and what I think after researching the story. So here it goes…
Before Research:
“Cat in the Rain” is a story about a woman who is striving to get out of her relationship. She is trapped by her husband who controls her every move. Come to find out, as she and her husband is staying at a hotel, the hotel-keeper strikes her fancy. The woman uses a cat in the rain as an excuse to go downstairs and see the hotel-keeper. Although they don’t speak, he takes care of her. He sends a maid with an umbrella while she’s outside and he bows to her out of courtesy and respect as she passes by. The woman uses this man and his generosity to escape the life she lives now. When she returns upstairs to her husband, she begins talking about things SHE wants. They are small things such as long hair, a cat, new clothes, etc. Her husband ignores all her requests and tells her to just read a book. At the end, the maid comes to the room with the cat in her hand and tells her that it’s from the hotel-keeper. This is a sure sign to the woman that she needs a man like the hotel-keeper, not the one she’s married to.
After Research:
So for the most part, I understood the story. After researching, however, there are key elements I looked over. Yes, the woman wants many things because of her lack of a relationship with her husband, but he shouldn’t take the full blame. He tries to compliment her and she doesn’t pay attention to it. Also, I seemed to completely ignore the Italians in this story. Considering it is only one line of the text, I guess I understand why. It’s interesting how that one line contrasts the American couple so much. Because of it, we see that Italians have a sense of adventure and learning outside of a hotel and reading books, something that the American woman seems to desire. If the Italians go to the square to see the monument, why do the Americans just stay inside and read? Maybe if it weren’t raining it’d be different. My guess is, it wouldn’t.
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