"Shan in Japan" today, "Shan in France" tomorrow?

Hmm it's been a little while since I've talked about my impending trip to Japan. Well now. The latest news with that is... for starters, it's looking like my flight (and my mother's--she's coming with and sightseeing a week) will be booked soon, and I also don't believe I will be taking any side trip to the Philippines. So that is slightly disappointing, naturally. But we couldn't figure out a way to do it without spending a fortune. And did you know that flights in Japan are crazy expensive in August (when I'll be returning)? It's a madcap time for travel there.

But there's no way I'll have to wait another twenty years before seeing the Philippines, right? And when I do go I want my mom to be there with me--I think that's the most important thing. For me the whole point of it is to understand my mom's past and the place she lived for like, 27 years. To literally and not-so-literally understand where she comes from, and get some insight into this woman who gave birth to me and has marked me with her fingerprints. Whatever else I could get out of it would be icing on the proverbial cake (acceptable icing: the gorgeous white beach of Boracay).

Second matter of business is housing news: I have four chicas as roommates. Two Japanese girls, a Thai girl, and a French girl. It feels weird to think I am the "American" one. That can't be very exciting for them, having an American thrown into the mix. Nothing exotic about that. But I'm very thrilled to be living with them, and I just know I'm going to bug all of them with questions about languages and cultures. The French girl better watch out too, I have to say, because I've officially chosen Francais as the Next Language I Will Learn. Whenever that will be.

The overwhelming impression I get is that it's a real betchface of a language to learn, which I don't doubt, but I'm also a little bit nuts... so who's to say it wouldn't work out for me? Un deux trois! Even their numbers are fun to say. In German you can describe the weather with "es regnet" or "es ist sonnig", which sounds so boring. But with French your mouth almost spits out the words "il pleut" morosely, pregnant with ennui, as though you were a disaffected youth plucked out of Paris. And then if you utter the words "il fait du soleil!" it's as though you've morphed into Amélie herself, and everything tastes wonderful and nostalgic like champagne at sunset.

You know how I know I need to learn French? The French are responsible for champagne's existence. Done and done.

I wish I had taken up French earlier, but it is never too late for anything. Anyway, studying France/Francais is definitely interesting coming from a German background--as neighbors, they have quite the past, and they both are responsible for so many of the world's great thinkers. But even the Japan-France tie is compelling. You get into things like Japonisme or writings like Madame Chrysanthème, from which inspiration was drawn to create Madama Butterfly. Also very interesting (to moi): the Japanese love crepes. Love 'em. As do I. Really, they are serious dessert and pastry connoisseurs over there; I'm just as excited about trying their stuff as I was in Vienna.

Hello Kitty gets shwasted off this shiat

Oh God, talking about various countries' desserts deserves an entry of its own.

Ooh! I just remembered something. I bought two bottles of some really girly, flower-y sparkling sake called "Hana Awaka." Picked it up, along with some made-in-Okinawa beer, from Mitsuwa marketplace, the Japanese haven in Edgewater, NJ (I love that place. It is my happy place). But really, how could I have forgotten?? I should have brought that to Rutgers last weekend.

There were oodles of alcoholic beverages in really neat bottles. One bottle looked like nothing less than a science experiment ready to go.

But, as usual, I digress...