Having been here for two months now, the “awe and wonder” feeling of being in a foreign country is gradually being replaced with a need to build “normal” lives. We are thousands of miles away from our normal responsibilities – mowing the lawn, maintaining the cars, working on the house, etc. At first glance, it is great to eliminate so many chores! On the other hand, we still need to find activities that make us feel productive and mentally engaged.
At first, my days were pretty much consumed with learning how to get around, how to navigate the grocery store, and how to grill a fish in the itty bitty fish oven. Now that I have become much more efficient in my daily duties, I find myself with more time to pursue other activities.
I recently started my “job” as a volunteer at the international center. I am part of a team that produces a monthly English publication to keep foreign residents up to speed on upcoming events, special activities, and other essential information. As the only native English speaker on the team, I am responsible for editing the final draft and providing mini grammar lessons. It’s the perfect combination of writing, editing, and teaching which, in another non-engineering life, would have been my ideal career.
In addition to “work”, I have gotten reacquainted with the arts-and-crafts side of my brain through formal art classes and craft experiments at home.
My first pursuit was amigurumi, or silly little crocheted stuffed animals (not a direct translation, but close enough). Though this modern Japanese craft has crossed the ocean and become popular in America, I had never actually tried it until coming here. I saw a book in a craft store with all kinds of cute patterns and was immediately hooked (no pun intended… well okay, maybe it was). This useless little past time fulfills my requirements for at-home crafts – cheap, quick to complete, doesn’t require much material, and can be done half-mindlessly while watching TV or waiting for dinner to cook. Now my only problem is – what in the world am I going to do with my growing population of tiny stuffed animals??
My amigurumi menagerie
Taking a break from the crochet hook, I delved into a more respectable study of various art forms. It has been fun to learn about traditional Japanese art, which has a lot to do with the Japanese culture and mindset as a whole. I find that the classes reveal a lot more than just how to make something pretty.
Ikebana is the traditional art of Japanese flower arranging. On the surface, you just take the flowers and arrange them according to the rules (there are set angles at which the stems must be placed – this is truly Art for Engineers!!). Beyond that, though, is a much deeper pursuit of self-awareness and an eye for the natural world. My teacher kept fiddling with my flower placement and saying, “Make it natural! Make it look real!”. I’m not used to anyflowers in a vase looking natural, but it’s all in how you think about it. No, tulips don’t naturally mirror the growth habit of a cherry branch, but the point is to make the shapes look organic and not so contrived. I think I have a lot to learn – and not just about how to follow the rules.
My first attempt at beginner level ikebana
Much of the lesson was an opportunity for the teacher to describe the differences between the Japanese and European styles of flower arranging. The phrase “more beautiful” was used at least two or three dozen times. I have to agree that I find the asymmetry quite appealing, but I did get a kick out of having the idea of “Japanese style = better” hammered into my mind throughout the entire class.
I also started a calligraphy class this week. Now that is tough! I’m learning “normal” calligraphy, which is like learning how to print rather than write in cursive. Except, of course, that you are using an enormous paint brush instead of a pencil. It is the first time that I have ever looked at a written language as a form of visual art in itself – but it’s a lot easier to do when you are considering kanji, which are the Chinese characters used in the Japanese language. The characters really are quite beautiful. Getting my paint brush to cooperate, though, wasn’t so simple. I would finally get something that looked about right to me, but my teacher would point out that my swoop was too short or my corner formed at the wrong angle or my stroke width wasn’t constant or… aahh! Again, I have a lot to learn.
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture to share with you of my initial attempts at calligraphy. I left my papers in the “classroom” (teacher’s apartment) to continue practicing next time. Plus, every character that I did get correct was “rewarded” by the teacher painting an orange circle right over my beautiful creation. I was horrified! Seeing the look on my face, she smiled and said, “In Japanese, this is how we say ‘very good'”. I wanted to say, “We call it ‘defacing’!” When I made one or two characters that were proclaimed to be “perfect”, I got an orange spiral painted all over them. I guess I won’t be hanging my accomplishments on the refrigerator!
This brings me to an important point. The Japanese words for performing ikebana and calligraphy end with the character for “road” or “journey”. It’s not about the one flower arrangement that looks good or about the one painted character that was finally declared to be perfect. It’s about the journey towards mastering the art and learning about yourself and the world around you in the process. I will just have to accept that the orange circles are a success… and maybe I’ll buy my own paint brush so I can produce my own refrigerator door material at home!
Northwest Meets Far East 