27 September 2009
25 September 2009
Up up and away to Alaska!
For the next six weeks I'll be in Dillingham, Alaska, a village on the southwest coast that is renown for its salmon fishing. Come summertime sleep deprived fishermen pull net after net of King, Sockeye, Coho, Chinook and Pink salmon out of percolating waters. The town grows into quite a cosmopolitan place actually, with the influx of seasonal workers from all over North America, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Having arrived on the 21st of September, I missed out on all of this year's fishing, but I did get to see some skiffs bobbing around in the harbor.
"Skiffs" are boats, and "snow machines" are what I call snowmobiles, but "lickin' chicken" is a phrase that only Rex employs to mean: "that sounds great!" He enthusiastically says this a lot, and not necessarily in sole reference to food. Dillingham jargon also includes a lot of Yupik - a language spoken by one of seven main indigenous groups in Alaska. Quyana (KWI-ana) is "thank you", and I might say this if somebody were to give me agutik (Eskimo ice cream), but perhaps not if I were to be gifted an oosik (OO-sik), a walrus penis. I think this is part of a joke often played on newcomers, and I'm grateful I've got an uncle for the inside story. Names of places are also influenced by Yupik. There is the Nushagak river running into the bay, and last night I went to Wood-Tikchik State Park; with 1.6 million acres, it is the largest state park in Alaska.
I never realized how incredibly huge Alaska really is until someone told me they once bought a t-shirt with an outline of the state holding four pictures of Texas inside. From the western tip of the Aleutians to the eastern Canadian border with BC, Alaska easily stretches across the lower 48. The average world map doesn't seem to reflect this proportion reality, although, the following website might do so: http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html. World Mapper illustrates equal area cartograms, also known as density-equalizing maps, which re-sizes each country to reflect the variable being mapped. There are a plethora of categories: communication and language, disease and destruction, health, services and movement. It's definitely worthwhile to check out when you've got a free moment.
My first few days in Dillingham were full of free moments, with plenty of time to observe, reflect, ponder, draw insights and delve into lengthy discussions, but now days seem to be filling up. This morning I've already visited the elementary, junior and senior high schools, trooper station, DMV office, probation headquarters and the courthouse. I'm looking into substitute teaching possibilities while I'm here, so need a background check but first must get an Alaskan ID card from DMV. The last two stops were to Rex's office, and then to court to see him in action. Ah what a morning, oh yes, and I forgot to mention it's only 10:46. Please stay tuned in for Alaskan anecdotes.
"Skiffs" are boats, and "snow machines" are what I call snowmobiles, but "lickin' chicken" is a phrase that only Rex employs to mean: "that sounds great!" He enthusiastically says this a lot, and not necessarily in sole reference to food. Dillingham jargon also includes a lot of Yupik - a language spoken by one of seven main indigenous groups in Alaska. Quyana (KWI-ana) is "thank you", and I might say this if somebody were to give me agutik (Eskimo ice cream), but perhaps not if I were to be gifted an oosik (OO-sik), a walrus penis. I think this is part of a joke often played on newcomers, and I'm grateful I've got an uncle for the inside story. Names of places are also influenced by Yupik. There is the Nushagak river running into the bay, and last night I went to Wood-Tikchik State Park; with 1.6 million acres, it is the largest state park in Alaska.
I never realized how incredibly huge Alaska really is until someone told me they once bought a t-shirt with an outline of the state holding four pictures of Texas inside. From the western tip of the Aleutians to the eastern Canadian border with BC, Alaska easily stretches across the lower 48. The average world map doesn't seem to reflect this proportion reality, although, the following website might do so: http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html. World Mapper illustrates equal area cartograms, also known as density-equalizing maps, which re-sizes each country to reflect the variable being mapped. There are a plethora of categories: communication and language, disease and destruction, health, services and movement. It's definitely worthwhile to check out when you've got a free moment.
My first few days in Dillingham were full of free moments, with plenty of time to observe, reflect, ponder, draw insights and delve into lengthy discussions, but now days seem to be filling up. This morning I've already visited the elementary, junior and senior high schools, trooper station, DMV office, probation headquarters and the courthouse. I'm looking into substitute teaching possibilities while I'm here, so need a background check but first must get an Alaskan ID card from DMV. The last two stops were to Rex's office, and then to court to see him in action. Ah what a morning, oh yes, and I forgot to mention it's only 10:46. Please stay tuned in for Alaskan anecdotes.
22 August 2009
16 August 2009
Nebuta et al.
Hmmm...what to write? So much has happened during this last month in Tokyo. Reflecting upon some of the highlights, I think about singing with my sister, Erika in Inokashira park one Saturday night. We had a single fan consistently within earshot - a self-proclaimed "alien" who was amicable and missing a few front teeth. A fireworks display in Koremasa was outrageously incredible and indelible. Music blasted through towering speakers in the jam-packed stadium, accompanying a rainbow of zipping swivels, booming bursts and crackling pops. Then, Damien, an Irish friend visited last week. We took the Shinkansen - bullet train - north to Aomori, and by chance found ourselves in front of cameras filming a commercial for the Nebuta festival. I'm sure we won't become famous, but our faces will flash across all television screens around Aomori at least.
Nobody knows exactly when Nebuta first started (I've been given a wide range of guesses, between 60-150 years ago), but everybody knows exactly how it should be celebrated. The festival always falls on the first full week in August, and is just behind Aomori apples in terms of its national and international recognition and popularity. There is day-time fanfare, but everyone knows the hoopla really begins with parades down Shinmachi dori each night. The taiko drums and piping flautists with fast fingers lead throngs of dancers dressed in yukatas shouting "Ra-se-ra ra-se-ra" through the city. The gigantic illuminated floats weigh up to four ton - about 8,000 pounds! - are (wo)man powered, built with wooden frames and lit up with thousands of light bulbs. Makeshift risers stacked three high flank the parade route, and to get a good spot it is best to show up at least two hours early.
I've had the chance to haneru - literally, "jump" - in the Nebuta parade three times before, but had to miss out this year. Damien and I were in Aomori on the eve of the festival, and got to check out all of the glowing floats on exhibition just beside Aomori bay. My ceramics sensei, Kamata san, is a good friend of Nebuta's top designer; hence, that night we soon found ourselves in his company sitting seiza style, sipping sake and eating edamame. He invited me to help out with next year's float. I told him I was honored to receive an invitation, but because the project would start in February and finish in August, I really didn't believe I'd be able to give the time. Mais, c'est la vie - life is an array of options, and I'm really starting to think about what directions our decisions take us...
Nobody knows exactly when Nebuta first started (I've been given a wide range of guesses, between 60-150 years ago), but everybody knows exactly how it should be celebrated. The festival always falls on the first full week in August, and is just behind Aomori apples in terms of its national and international recognition and popularity. There is day-time fanfare, but everyone knows the hoopla really begins with parades down Shinmachi dori each night. The taiko drums and piping flautists with fast fingers lead throngs of dancers dressed in yukatas shouting "Ra-se-ra ra-se-ra" through the city. The gigantic illuminated floats weigh up to four ton - about 8,000 pounds! - are (wo)man powered, built with wooden frames and lit up with thousands of light bulbs. Makeshift risers stacked three high flank the parade route, and to get a good spot it is best to show up at least two hours early.
I've had the chance to haneru - literally, "jump" - in the Nebuta parade three times before, but had to miss out this year. Damien and I were in Aomori on the eve of the festival, and got to check out all of the glowing floats on exhibition just beside Aomori bay. My ceramics sensei, Kamata san, is a good friend of Nebuta's top designer; hence, that night we soon found ourselves in his company sitting seiza style, sipping sake and eating edamame. He invited me to help out with next year's float. I told him I was honored to receive an invitation, but because the project would start in February and finish in August, I really didn't believe I'd be able to give the time. Mais, c'est la vie - life is an array of options, and I'm really starting to think about what directions our decisions take us...
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