Woo! Interviewness
Aug. 15th, 2003 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaitou1. Why did you decide to attend Clarion?
I read about Clarion in Orson Scott Card's book about writing Science Fiction that I got at the library, and I was surprised to find out that it was right there in Michigan! My parents, my dad especially, have always been very supportive about me writing and suggested I apply. I applied when I was 17, but didn't make it in. I honestly hadn't thought about it much during the next year, I was really busy studying for AP exams and such. But I got a letter from Clarion saying 'Please try again, you weren't half bad.' So I threw myself into writing and editing to try and get something ready in time for the deadline....it was a lot like Clarion itself actually. I think I finished editing and printing around 4 in the morning, and then my Dad and I ran it into Fed Ex JUST in time to make the deadline.
2. What are the last three English books you read?
Let's see, I just finished Henry IV part one. And "The Science of Harry Potter" which is a lot better book than it ought to be. I highly suggest it, all full of interesting science tidbits. And before that was a horrible Mystery/Romance book called "Always a Thief" that I read anyway because, obviously, I have a thing about thieves. Right now I'm almost finished reading "Deception Point" by Dan Brown which is an excellent page turner. I read "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" when I went home in April and bought the rest. I've been saving this last one, but decided to break it out on the bus ride to Hiroshima yesterday.
3. Do you ever dream in Engrish?
Not yet, thankfully. I do sometimes dream in Japanese though. Never a whole dream in Japanese, but some bits. I'm starting to speak Engrish a bit though. I have a tendency to pick up the accents and speaking patterns of people around me, I think it's because I moved around so much as a kid, a kind of defensive mechanism. But now I'm picking up patterns from the English teacher! But honestly, a lot of it is intentional. I know what kind of English Japanese people speak, and I can adapt my English to be understood by them.
4. What's one thing you wish more Japanese people understood about foreigners?
That we're people. Sad that that's true, but very often, especially non-white people, are treated as we are less human than Japanese people. It's a bit like "All Animals are Equal, but some are more equal than others." (Did I quote that right?) People are constantly amazed that I can handle simple tasks, or that I can do something like write my name after 9 years studying Japanese. There's a concept called "Nihonjinron" that everything in Japan is unique and special. Which is all well and good, but it's so engrained that I wind up with people asking me if we have "scissors" in my country. And these aren't questions from the children. The children are great, it's the adults you have to watch out for. It's really draining in a way that I hadn't expected.
5. Why Beavers?
Long story. But a good one I hope. I have NO idea what class this is for, but apparently they study Beavers in the third grade in Japan. I have a student named Hikaru who is one of the happiest and genkiest kids it is my privilege to teach. And Hikaru is Beaver Crazy. To him Beavers are wild and exotic animals, and so very very cool. I think this is hilarious. So around Christmas I go to a party for an after school group and one of our activities is to make porcupines out of mashed sweet potato and bits of pretzel sticks. But of course, none of the kids listened really and all started making whatever animal they liked, which I think is as it should be. But Hikaru comes over to me and says, with stars in his eyes, "Ann-sensei, let's make beavers! Mama and baby Beavers!!!" He was SO excited. So I made the mama beaver and he made the baby beaver and proudly showed them off to anyone who would stand still for a second. Again, I think this is hilarious. Sweet, but hilarious.
I told this story to my parents, and it's turned into a running gag sort of. When I was home we looked for beaver stickers. Really I just wanted stickers with North American animals, but Mom was into looking for beaver stickers. And the other week I got a beaver beanie baby in the mail from my parents. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to end up with a beaver collection that I never intended to start.
---
THE RULES!
1 -- Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 -- I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 -- You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 -- You'll include this explanation.
5 -- You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
---
I read about Clarion in Orson Scott Card's book about writing Science Fiction that I got at the library, and I was surprised to find out that it was right there in Michigan! My parents, my dad especially, have always been very supportive about me writing and suggested I apply. I applied when I was 17, but didn't make it in. I honestly hadn't thought about it much during the next year, I was really busy studying for AP exams and such. But I got a letter from Clarion saying 'Please try again, you weren't half bad.' So I threw myself into writing and editing to try and get something ready in time for the deadline....it was a lot like Clarion itself actually. I think I finished editing and printing around 4 in the morning, and then my Dad and I ran it into Fed Ex JUST in time to make the deadline.
2. What are the last three English books you read?
Let's see, I just finished Henry IV part one. And "The Science of Harry Potter" which is a lot better book than it ought to be. I highly suggest it, all full of interesting science tidbits. And before that was a horrible Mystery/Romance book called "Always a Thief" that I read anyway because, obviously, I have a thing about thieves. Right now I'm almost finished reading "Deception Point" by Dan Brown which is an excellent page turner. I read "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" when I went home in April and bought the rest. I've been saving this last one, but decided to break it out on the bus ride to Hiroshima yesterday.
3. Do you ever dream in Engrish?
Not yet, thankfully. I do sometimes dream in Japanese though. Never a whole dream in Japanese, but some bits. I'm starting to speak Engrish a bit though. I have a tendency to pick up the accents and speaking patterns of people around me, I think it's because I moved around so much as a kid, a kind of defensive mechanism. But now I'm picking up patterns from the English teacher! But honestly, a lot of it is intentional. I know what kind of English Japanese people speak, and I can adapt my English to be understood by them.
4. What's one thing you wish more Japanese people understood about foreigners?
That we're people. Sad that that's true, but very often, especially non-white people, are treated as we are less human than Japanese people. It's a bit like "All Animals are Equal, but some are more equal than others." (Did I quote that right?) People are constantly amazed that I can handle simple tasks, or that I can do something like write my name after 9 years studying Japanese. There's a concept called "Nihonjinron" that everything in Japan is unique and special. Which is all well and good, but it's so engrained that I wind up with people asking me if we have "scissors" in my country. And these aren't questions from the children. The children are great, it's the adults you have to watch out for. It's really draining in a way that I hadn't expected.
5. Why Beavers?
Long story. But a good one I hope. I have NO idea what class this is for, but apparently they study Beavers in the third grade in Japan. I have a student named Hikaru who is one of the happiest and genkiest kids it is my privilege to teach. And Hikaru is Beaver Crazy. To him Beavers are wild and exotic animals, and so very very cool. I think this is hilarious. So around Christmas I go to a party for an after school group and one of our activities is to make porcupines out of mashed sweet potato and bits of pretzel sticks. But of course, none of the kids listened really and all started making whatever animal they liked, which I think is as it should be. But Hikaru comes over to me and says, with stars in his eyes, "Ann-sensei, let's make beavers! Mama and baby Beavers!!!" He was SO excited. So I made the mama beaver and he made the baby beaver and proudly showed them off to anyone who would stand still for a second. Again, I think this is hilarious. Sweet, but hilarious.
I told this story to my parents, and it's turned into a running gag sort of. When I was home we looked for beaver stickers. Really I just wanted stickers with North American animals, but Mom was into looking for beaver stickers. And the other week I got a beaver beanie baby in the mail from my parents. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to end up with a beaver collection that I never intended to start.
---
THE RULES!
1 -- Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 -- I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 -- You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 -- You'll include this explanation.
5 -- You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
---
