Memories

Today I came across my (relatively large) collection of things Ayu gave me as I was looking for some papers regarding luggage limits. It brought back so many funny and uncomfortable memories, as well as some good ones of course! I remember that night she first came home so well. We’d already set up Ayu’s bed next to mine, so it was Activ8 (haha my sister hates that name already XD) and me on my bed, Ayu on hers, and her suitcase in between our beds.

We were helping her put her clothes in the extra drawers and stuff like that. I was trying out small talk with Ayu, mostly with the *cough* trusty *cough* phrase page we’d been given by the organisation she was exchanging under. There was a lot of …”ehhh? uh… you mean…? eeetoo..sorry! I don’t understand. Oh! You mean *insert fast Japanese* OK!” on her side and a lot of sentences like, “um.. sorry if your bed in not comfy like at home. Eh… Sorry if beddo *point to bed* is not very comfy *lie down and try to express uncomfortableness*.. yeah?” from me.

After finishing with her clothes, she gets to a different zip of her bag, and shes like “OH! I forgot. Sorry! Puresentu for you ” which I, clueless to her culture at the time, completely wasn’t expecting, but after my initial surprise, I thanked her and said it wasn’t necessary. Now, after saying that, you would think that would’ve her plently of time to get the present out right?

Wrong. She had this friggen huge plastic bag that wouldn’t come out because of how full it was! Me and Activ8 looked at each other so comically, it was like it was on cue and we both turned to each other with goldfish eyes and mouths dropping to the floor. It was amazing! Once she got the bag out and opened she was like, “Origami paper *gives to Activ8*. Origami paper *gives to me*. More origami paper *points to the packet’s design and gives to active8* Lilo and Stitchu!” This went on for a few more times lol. Then she opened up a smaller plastic bag that was inside the larger one, tipped it upside down onto her bed and so~~~ many origami designs came out. She’d made the normal cranes, flowers and stars etc, but then she’d also made hello kitty ones, pokemon faces, little designs that looked like envelopes but with hello kitty faces folded into the design (I dont know how to explain that one clearly) and so many other interesting things that were so cute and original! (Unfortunately I ended up throwing most of them out last month during my big cleanout session that I have every month. I’d left them in my room for a few months but there was just no room to display them, and so they were all squashed together in my bookcase.)

Next, she went back to the main bag she had and pulled out these packets. The paper is so light, delicate and is decorated; they are very pretty! They all have the same design of a geisha on them, and each one is wearing something different. The geisha is a thin wooden stick. Her hair kind of looks and feels like the paper cupcake holders except thicker and rougher. The hair is tied up with gold-coloured twine..stuff. The kimono is made up of patterned and textured origami paper with a piece of plain coloured paper stuck on the inside to make up the kimono’s next layer. The obi is made up with a different coloured paper with a small strip of the textured paper put over the top. The kimono is folded in such an intricate way! Hopefully you can click on the picture’s I’ve uploaded to get a better look at how they’re made on the original sized photo. I’m really impressed by these because Ayu’s grandmother made them. Oh and I forgot about whats inside these things! Chopsticks! All that work and detail just for chopsticks!

Above: The chopsticks inside their packets, 2 packets of origami paper I’ve yet to open, some designs of Ayu’s that I kept, and heat packs.

I had never seen heat packs before, so we had a good 5 minutes or so where she tried explaining what they were using her electronic dictionary/translator and her own knowledge of English. I, being the all-comprehending genious that I am, only got what she was talking about when she wasted one to show me what they do. In my defense, the best the dictionary could come with was ‘warm pouch’ which doesn’t seem to match when you’re just a clueless person looking at this flat packet that sounds like it has rice inside when you shake it. OK, that wasn’t very good defense… I guess I’m just slow XD.

Above: Theres nothing better than fanning your hot self while promoting products, companies and universities from a different country.

Next Ayu took out these fans. On the back of the light blue one theres the name of the University its promoting in romaji. So great, all-comprehending me decides to try to read this name of elaphantine proportions (I just watched Ratatouille again, can you tell?). I won’t put its name up here, but basically when I tried to say it fast Ayu ended up holding her sides from laughing so much! Keep in mind that at this point I hadn’t done any study into the language, I didn’t even know the correct way to pronounce the vowel sounds and I wasn’t used to saying words of roughly the same length as the chemical ingredients listed on back of a shampoo bottle. So it kind of ended up something like “Tezukayayamaguyuckirukiuopuinrin…kuin.”

I think the LISMO! one with the squirrel and the one with the cute little lion mascot are my favourite, too bad theres not much use for hand-fans anymore when electronic fans and air cons are much more efficient.

Above: The Jyuuni-shi (12 animals of the Chinese zodiac)

Do you know how friggen excited I was when I took this out of its packet?! I’d just finished reading the last chapter of the manga Fruits Basket about a week before Ayu came, and I’d finished watching the anime a month or so before that. If you don’t know, the Jyuunishi play a huge part in the plot of both the anime and manga; its basically what the whole story is based on. Being both my first anime and my first manga, it of course was my favourite of each at the time XD. I might’ve scared Ayu with how excited I was, but I made up for it when I said “its the Jyuuni-shi!” Her reaction was priceless to me. At first it was sort of a thoughtful look: “I have no idea what shes…”, then it was the furrowed-brow look of deep thought: “hey wait was that one of our words or an English one that sounds like it?”, and then it was “how the heck does she know that word?!” and finally she smiled said “Very good! Yes! Jyuuni-shi!” I think I gained a little more respect, if only a tiny bit, from her because I knew some random word.

Above: Reversed adaption of Otani Oniji II

I have to admit it: I was less happy to receive this one. I’d seen it countless times in a few art books in class; you know the ones that you can’t help but flick through to ease the boredom while Teacher rambles on for half an hour about the artist on the page you’re supposed to be on? Yeah.

Its not that I think its a bad piece of woodblock art, its just that I find the illustration of the actor extremely scary looking. Yeah, I know it is from the Edo period and all and that style was normal back then, but if I was that actor and had someone portray me like that? Toshusai Sharaku would’ve been missing a few teeth and I’d be sporting a bruised fist.

Anyway, I thanked her for it still; she gave us so much awesome stuff that I wasn’t even expecting so that last gift was hardly a problem for me. But I have no idea what to do with the last two things! I mean, what exactly are they for?! Decoration? Tableclothes for the tiny tables? I’m really confused as I don’t know how to make use of them.

That was one awesome night, in any case. I could spend a whole nother post on the first dinner we had and what we did after the packing and presents, but I’m tired of typing haha.

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(This post has been almost three days in the making lol. I kept getting interrupted, or sidetracked, or forgetting which folder I uploaded my photos into on the computer and couldn’t be bothered finding them etc etc. If you read ALL THAT then congratulations for making it through such a boring feat! I just got all emotional thinking about that night so I decided to let it out and I guess share with anyone who happens to read this. And I know theres at least one of you that comes regularly! I’m not very good with replying yet but I love to get feedback and know that I’m writing for a reason, so any comments, questions or discussions are well received and I appreciate them all!)