Category Archives: Chase

Honesty Over Harmony

March 28, 2013 By in Baseball, Chase, Cliff, Daily Living, Family, Kathryn, Pearls of wisdom Tags: , , , , 4 Comments
Wish I lived here

Wish I lived here

“Honesty over Harmony” was something a woman in Colorado once told me. You know how there are quotes that echo in your mind for the rest of your life? This was one of those. It was the title of a course she and her husband took after an episode of infidelity. I can’t say I agree on that front, but I do believe it has a purpose (more on that later, probably).

After my last blog, I received some “honest” comments and by that, I mean death threats… mostly from family members (aka Crazy Middle Sister). This, I expected and understood, but this is my blog, and if the truth hurts, I can only suggest some personal introspection. If anyone should be sending me nasty messages, it should be Cliff and Chase. They have oft been the inspiration for my blog and usually don’t know about it until I’ve posted. I always appreciate their feedback, listen to their pleading, but if sugar-coated family times are what they are looking for, I suggest they start viewing old Leave it to Beaver or Brady Bunch episodes. To their credit, they have an amazing sense of humor and surrender about the whole thing. It also means I can count on at least a few days of super “good behaviour” after I roast them in a blog. I love them for putting up with my rants in person and in Blogsphere.

Not Us

Not Us

I like to think I am most honest about myself. People I know who read this blog tell me how much they laugh sometimes. Do I get offended? No. I never know what makes people laugh, but if my life-adventures bring a chuckle or two, call me Mother Theresa. If you’re the type of person who is offended by everything, Freakin’ A, let me be the one to tell you, no one likes you or wants to spend time with you… and YOU WILL NEVER FIND A HUSBAND. Back to me. The other day, I went out, in my usual Brazilian, spandex workout uniform, thinking I looked pretty good. I was wearing the one pair of capri pants that weren’t black (this pair was actually a sky blue). I go to spin, do some yoga, run errands, then I get home. To my horror, I realize these capris give me camel toe to the degree that would make a camel’s podiatrist blush. I’ve been walking around, visiting my fishman (who did give me a good deal on some wild Sea Bass), looking like a Smurfette with no panties! Well, needless to say, I peeled off those pants and they were retired in the trash can.

I don't get it.

I don’t get it.

SCHOOL HONESTY: Private school admissions letters are due to be mailed out April 5th. We can access the verdicts online by the 6th, but call me old-fashioned and superstitious, but I like the anticipation of trying to use my x-ray vision, waiting for Chase to come home, and ripping an envelope open. Good or Bad, I think Chase needs to experience that for himself. My other sister in Virginia, who is a super spy during the day and yet somehow manages to have time to raise 2 girls on her own and be my personal IT support, told me she thinks I’m too hard on Chase in the blogs and making him sound academically average. That made me a little sad, because that is absolutely not the impression I would ever want anyone to have. Nor would I want him to think I felt like that once he is older and diligently reading and savouring all of mommy’s precious blog posts. I apologize if I have not accurately portrayed my son’s awesomeness. As parents, it is a fine line between being motivational while belittling your child and crushing his spirit completely. I try to ease up when I see quivering chin action.

BASEBALL HONESTY: Little league sure has changed. We (and by we, I mean Chase) are in the Majors playing on the Texas Rangers. Chase has always been The Hitter. He usually plays clean up and hits it over the fence at least once every season. That being said, I told the new coach to please not put him at #4 (Clean Up Batter) early in the season because he puts a lot of pressure on himself and ends up choking at bat. Of course, during practices, Chase was killing the pitches. Really performing well, and by the time games started, they decided to start him at #4. Chase hasn’t had a hit in 6 games. After game 4 they finally put him at #8 which was a big relief to all of us, but I’m worried the damage has been done. We are trying to stay confident and upbeat for his sake, but he cries after every game because he feels like he’s let everyone down. To be honest. This may be our last season.

Chase is #1 in our book. Number 12 on the team.

Chase is #1 in our book. Number 12 on the team.

Net-Net, I’m sorry if feelings are hurt. I try to disguise names as much as possible (not really). With everything going on in my family right now, that phrase, “Honesty over Harmony” never rang more true. I’ve learned one thing: You can eventually have harmony with honesty, but you will NEVER have harmony through lies. Peace out.

Until next time…

Personal Essay by Chase Kim Wright

February 23, 2013 By in Chase, School Tags: , , , 3 Comments
Write about an experience from which you learned something (150-200 words) and illustrate a scene from the experience.

essay

It was 7:30 am. The air was cold and the sun was bright. Today was the day I have been dreading. It was the 600 meter swim. All the new boys gathered at the dock. The only thing the couseler said, “This is the 600 meter swim. Good luck!” I was scared. I could see myself swimming and failing. When it was my turn, I jumped into the murky water and swam as hard as I could. Suddenly images from “Jaws” flashed through my mind. When I was half way to the island I felt like giving up. Out of the murkiness, I hear a voice. It was my counselor, Jack Rice sitting comfortably in his kayak yelling, “Don’t give up! Feel the power of the flamingo god!” The flamingo god was our cabin mascot. I don’t know why, but hearing these words motovated me to finish the challenge. As I crawled onto the dock, I felt I was on the top of the world. In the few moments I had to myself, I felt likd I could do it again. Thankfully, Jack quickly arrived and offered me a ride. As I sat in the boat, I thought, I could do anything I wanted.

essaypic

This, is Chase Kim Wright.

Until next time…

Ookii and in Charge!

February 19, 2013 By in Chase, Kathryn, Mini Schnauzer, Relocating, School Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

Me w/ Ookii & Maggie

Let me introduce you to our new baby: Ookii. She is our miniature schnauzer and all girl. Many tried to tell me how your second is so much more stressful than your first and they were right! She has been great overall, but when I do feel like I need a break, I just put her in the laundry room with a bowl of water and a chew toy (kind of like when Chase was a baby, sans bowl of water). Ookii means “Large” in Japanese and Ok Hui is a Korean girl’s name. “Win-Win” as the Chinese say. As soon as she arrived, I called the dog whisperer Anna and we have been having puppy training sessions. Anna is with Happy Healthy Pup. Housebreaking has its good days and bad days. Much like myself.

SPEAKING OF LARGE:

Growth Chart

Growth Chart

At the last possible moment, applications to private schools is finally complete. Since I last blogged, we received Chase’s SSAT scores and let’s just say they were not so great. Chase has actually misinterpreted the score report and believes he scored in the Top 29% when the exact opposite is true. After thinking about it, I decided to not burst his bubble. What’s the point? Plus, it will only end up crushing his academic confidence. It is what it is. I remember waiting in the hallway alongside other hopeful parents for our children to finish the test. It’s such a horrible feeling of doom and relief. I can’t even imagine what it must be like outside testing centers in countries like Japan, China, Korea, India when so much rests in the success of that child. As the results of Chase’s SSAT slowly sank into my mind, my heart sank even lower. Now, I have the child who “doesn’t do well on standardized tests”. Now, I have the child whose scores are ”on the very low end of acceptability”. Now, I must say things like, “I didn’t want to be at a school that didn’t look at the whole child.” It is what it is.

Last Saturday, I took Chase to Waffle House to finally satisfy my yen for… well, Waffle House. It made us both realize how much we missed walking together. Our walk had us pass Arlington Memorial Park cemetery and I found myself thinking about my mom. I remembered how she used to tell me, “You are my hopeliest daughter.” I laughed thinking about the obvious translation glitch but also because it made me so happy to remember the sentiment. I watched Chase run ahead of me, still in his bubble of innocence, and I whispered, “You are my hopeliest son.”

Until next time…

Trying To Do the Right Thing

January 29, 2013 By in Baseball, Chase, Cliff, Culture Shock, Daily Living, Family, Kathryn, Relocating, School, useful Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
Getting my Yakult On!!!

Getting my Yakult On!!

It’s been about a month since we’ve been back. Things are just starting to feel “normal”. I say this after going to Buford Farmer’s Market today and practically having an orgasm after finding they have Yakult Yogurt! I must have put on some kind of show because a lady who was nearby asked me, “Is it that good?” and then picked up a case for herself.

I’m still not comfortable driving. I swear every other car is being driven by people on their phones talking or texting and it makes me so paranoid. I keep having to remind myself to STAY ON THE RIGHT! STAY ON THE RIGHT!!! And on top of all that,  I don’t know how Georgia code allows mailboxes to be placed so close to the roads. It’s life and death getting your mail here.

Oops!

Oops!

CHASE

The last couple of weeks it has been like DefCon 4 here at the house. We decided at the last minute to try to apply Chase to different middle school Fall 2013. This involved last-minute EVERYTHING. We are applying to 3 different schools. To be honest, I just couldn’t muster the energy to apply to any more than three. They are like college applications nowadays. So for each school, I have to fill out involved background information and write essays about our family and Chase in particular. We have to pay registrations fees to each school. I have to request transcripts and teacher evaluations for each school from all the schools Chase has attended. I also had to late-register Chase for the SSAT which is required by private schools in Atlanta for entry evaluation. His test date is February 2nd. And by the way, did I happen to mention he had Spring Baseball tryouts last Saturday? All the schools have called and we have scheduled the interviews. Why are we going through this madness when we are already at a school with an excellent reputation that he attended since he was 3 years old? As much as we love Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School and appreciate its loving and nurturing culture, things have changed, and Chase has changed.

Very shortly after Chase returned to school, a boy known for being the bully type came up to Chase in the playground and forced him and a friend to stop playing. This boy, then got in Chase’s face and said, “So what are you?!? Chinese or Japanese?”

Next incident: Same boy comes up to Chase at recess and says, “Hey Chase, since you’re so fat, I’ll bet you’re slow too. Wanna race?”

Today, Chase told me he was challenged by this boy to a tether ball game and after Chase won, the boy hit Chase with the ball bruising his arms.

He started school January 7th.

The bullying is horrible, but this boy was a bully before we moved and it is obvious he has suffered no consequences for it.

The other issue is homework. In Tokyo, we often had 3 or more hours of homework each night. Here, we have hardly any homework and much of the homework is extremely easy. It is very hard for me to sit by and watch while Chase re-calibrates his effort towards schoolwork. We practically had nightly exorcisms to get to the point when Chase could survive academically in Tokyo and now there are days when he has no homework because “there’s a test tomorrow”.

Unlike most Japanese, people in the South have opinions. Especially about things like private schools. I’ve heard enough good and bad stories about every school at this point, I feel like it’s God’s Will. Even if we end up staying at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, I will take it as a sign that it is just meant to be. The great thing about HIES is I know they will cater Chase’s program for his needs. Given the fact that Cliff doesn’t want Chase to go to Woodward Academy because it’s “in a terrible neighborhood” (and he doesn’t think Chase will get to play sports because of all the black students), and I don’t want Chase to go to Westminster because I want him to have a life, that only leaves Pace Academy. In case you are interested, tuition to these private schools: Woodward ($19,770), Westminster ($22,270), Pace Academy ($22,570). Applications have to be completed around March and early April is when decision letters will be mailed out.

Making the decision to explore other schools for 6th grade is heart-breaking for me. Chase has been at Holy Innocents’ since he was 3 years old. His best friend is there and we have great friends and memories of the school. I don’t know what is the right thing. All I know is I’m just trying to do the best thing and for some reason this felt like it needed to be done.

Until next time…

Boys Weekend & Bitches

January 20, 2013 By in Chase, Cliff, Culture Shock, Domestic Trips, Relocating, Tennis Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments
Drop Off at the ATL Airport

Drop Off at the ATL Airport

This weekend Cliff and Chase went on their first boys trip together. Destination: San Francisco. They were also going to pick up our newest family addition! Cliff planned a whole trip of visiting friends and sight-seeing. I planned to putter around the house and just enjoy being alone. There was also a Girls Night Out Saturday night.

It’s been about 2 weeks since we have been back in Atlanta. Lots of adjusting and reverse culture shock. I find myself thinking about my friends in Tokyo a lot. It all feels surreal still. One minute I’m surrounded by Asians and now, everywhere I look I see black people. It’s been good to jump back into a workout schedule, but even that is a bit freaky because the women look so “plastic” and the men look so huge. Everyone is starting to look related because they are all out of page 57 in the “Plastic Surgery for Dummies” book. God, I hope I have good friends who will stop me before I inject my lips or suck my hips or enhance my nips.

Boys Weekend day 2

Boys Weekend day 2

This is a picture Cliff sent me on Saturday. I’m not sure this is something any mom wants to see, but at least Chase isn’t wearing an orange jumpsuit and sporting dreadlocks and tattoos.

So Saturday night, I went out with my girlfriends to Del Frisco’s (the latest hot spot in Atlanta dining). I have come to realize that I need to double book GNOs because for some reason people seem to flake out at the last-minute. We went to the St. Regis for drinks afterwards and it was pretty disappointing. Next time I go out, I’m doing some research and finding out where the cool interesting people are hanging out. Everytime I saw a flash go off, I swear, it was like seeing Jigsaw from the Saw series or the CryptKeeper. In Atlanta, if you’re older than 30 and God-Forbid you want to go out somewhere and dance or have a drink, too bad! I miss you Tokyo!

jigsawSunday, I committed to playing mixed doubles for a local team. The captain called me out of the blue because she needed a female for this weekend’s tournament. New team, match play, new partner (who is a man), and it’s super sunny. I was a mess, I thought I would vomit. I got there early and ended up warming up with some people from the opposing team. I felt terrible for the guy I was warming up with because I would have had trouble hitting my ass with a banjo. At one point, he told me he needed to “prepare for his match”, which normally means you want to warm up by hitting. The way he said it, I took to mean, he wanted to quit whistle-dicking around with me.

After being introduced to my new partner, we started warming up right away. Sure enough, those people I warmed up with were our competitors. I still wasn’t feeling great, but too late to back out now. We started hitting and as I played I channeled my girlfriends and my coach from Tokyo. I started to think about representing them in this game and what they would expect. It worked, because we ended up winning 6:1.6:0!

Returning to familiar places is comforting and unsettling at the same time. Things are familiar, but then I realize I am different. I have seen and done things now that color my vision. So much changing and adjusting to do, for all of us. The weather was perfect today, so I took Maggie on a long walk. We needed to talk about the new baby. I reassured her that she was my first-born and I would always have a special place in my heart just for her. Plus, I told her, with the new baby, the bitches out-number the boys now!

Baby

Baby

Until next time…

Welcome to America

December 27, 2012 By in Chase, Cliff, Culture Shock, food Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Yesterday, after breakfast, Cliff and Chase took a road trip to Charleston to visit our jeweler (my ring needed some fixing) and Cliff probably wanted to put as much distance between himself and my sneezy, sick self.

In Japan, the term “wa” refers to a certain state of harmony. I have started using it as an acronym for “Welcome to America”. The day proved to be another “W.A.” kind of day.

——Original Message——
From: Cliff Wright
To: Kathryn
Subject: On our way back
Sent: Dec 26, 2012 2:09 PM

May take a little longer…chase taking the poop of his life! ;-)

Clifford F Wright
Managing Partner, Tokyo
Global Practice Managing Partner
Supply Chain and Logistics

——Reply——
From: Kathryn
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 04:51 AM
To: Wright, Clifford F
Subject: Re: On our way back

Listen, you need to be more patient.

Mary just got a call from Sam’s Club where dad bought 2 packs of smoked salmon. We just learned these packages are a part of a nationwide recall due to Listeria contamination. His frequent bowel movements are one of the early symptoms. I’m exhibiting the rest (i.e. dizziness and nausea). It can take up to a week to resolve. I hope he’s okay. Chase only had it for lunch on Christmas eve. I had it twice which I believe contributed to my immobilization yesterday.

Drive safe,
K

Net-Net: Christmas for me involved food poisoning, jet lag, and flu.

Until next time…

Coming Soon

December 16, 2012 By in Chase, Cooking, Getting there, Girlfriends, Mini Schnauzer, Relocating, Tokyo Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
For Reals

For Reals

On a recent tour to Yokohama, I came across this sign and couldn’t resist. Remember, the Japanese don’t joke.

Cliff was putting me on notice by saying something about having a lot to do this weekend. Did something change? Last time I checked, we had 3 bags each to pack. For some reason, I don’t think that’s going to take 48 hours.

T-Shirt Floor at Uniqlo Ginza

T-Shirt Floor at Uniqlo Ginza

Saturday, I met Bridget and her daughter at Ginza Uniqlo to buy cute Japan T-shirts and some last minute fun stuff at Hakuhinkan. She surprised me by gifting me a beautiful antique clutch purse from her and Emily. I was so touched. It is definitely easier for me to give gifts than to receive and this was no exception. I always hear my dad’s words about “friends representing who I am” and I think, how did I ever get so lucky to know these people? What did I do to deserve such fine friends? Then, I remember, “Oh yeah! I’m awesome!” ;)

Christmas Brownies ala Kathryn

Christmas Brownies ala Kathryn

I’ve baked brownies for Chase’s last day and Christmas party. Chase and Mize helped me decorate the brownies. They turned out terrific, if I do say so myself. I’ve posted this picture and recipe on my Pinterest.

Last Day

Last Day

Monday the packers start their work. I will go to spin class at TAC to stay out of their way as well as Cliff’s. He enjoys being “The Overseer”, I don’t. Monday we move to the Conrad Hilton in Tokyo.

I’ve been fielding emails and notes from friends in Atlanta giving me something to look forward to. I’m so lucky to have them. I’ve also been using a new meditation/self-hypnosis track by Mike Mandel. I know his headshot on the website is a little creepy looking, but he has a good reputation, and I think his CDs help me. The other day I caught myself yelling at Chase over homework while waving a knife around and thought, I need to get back to those self-help CDs.

My girlfriend Debra wrote me she felt like my moving was the end of the ”Desperate Ex-pat Wives” Show. This is high praise coming from someone who doesn’t watch TV. But I reassured her, there was more to come. Next season takes place in Atlanta, Georgia and she is part of the primary cast!

New Season. New Drama.

New Season. New Drama.

TEASERS FOR UPCOMING BLOG POSTS:

  • Back in the Pink Palace
  • I’m Sorry Officer? Did My Alarm Go Off Again?
  • Doubles Atlanta-Style: Lauren & Me w/ our Sugah Daddies
  • Trying to Stay off the Grid
  • I’m Back & I’m Juicing
  • Another Asian Female on the Road. God help us.
  • Chase Goes Co-Ed
  • Little League Baseball after Japan
  • Cliff Buys a New Car
  • Selling Dad’s House
  • March Madness: Cliff’s High School Friends Come for a Visit
  • What to Expect When You are Expecting a Mini Schnauzer
  • The World is a Stage… Why Am I Not on It?

You thought Japan was fun, stay tuned friends, it’s just getting started.

Until next time…

Hello, Goodbye

December 12, 2012 By in Chase, Getting there, Girlfriends, Kathryn Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

friends

If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.

-Paulo Coehlo

I’m not one of those people who likes to quote quotes so much, but I came across this one by Paulo Coehlo and it seemed especially poignant. Within a year, I’ll be moving literally from Tokyo to Atlanta, and emotionally from having a mom to not having a mom. Usually, when I know I’m moving, I just skulk off in the middle of the night without warning and disappear. I would tell as few people as I could as late as I could. I hate the way people look at you like you have some terminal disease after you tell them your plans. Soon after, I can tell they have “checked out”. Since my mom passed, saying goodbye is especially hard. I’ve been walking around with a perm-a-grin similar to the Joker from Batman. I am loath to admit this, but I feel fragile. Sometimes I’m grinding my teeth so hard trying to keep the smile on my face I feel like my eyes are bulging. In the big picture, I know I am being selfish.

Golf friends

Golf friends

FROM THE OTHER SIDE

A few years ago, when I was ready to accept yoga into my life, I formed a very close relationship with my yoga instructors. Balance Yoga is where my inner yogi was born, and it was there I joined a yogi sisterhood. One day, I showed up to class to find out that one of our instructor/friend/yogi/sisters had just left. Evidently, unbeknownst to me, she was having some marital issues, and she just up and left in the middle of the night. Shut down her Facebook and phone and fell off the grid. It was so shocking. It left us all dazed and confused. It was the first time I cried after a yoga practice.

School Friend Aaron

School Friend Aaron

SAYONARA TOKYO

Tokyo is a place full of good-byes. Every 5-6 months there is this period of time when everyone is getting together to say bon voyage. I don’t blame the Japanese for being reserved. I get it now. For some of us born B.F. (Before Facebook), friendship requires more than a click on the “Like” button. Forming bonds and establishing friendships means an emotional investment is being made, and, like most things, you get what you pay for. As sad as I am to leave this wondrous and ethereal place, I am looking forward to being somewhere where I can invest for the long-term without worrying about early withdrawal penalties.

Food Friends: Nghi, Anna, & Hema

Food Friends: Nghi, Anna, & Hema

YOU’RE GOING TOO?

Nghi happens to be leaving for their next assignment in Beijing. She insisted Cliff, Chase and I come over for dinner at their place. She treated me to a night off from cooking and all of us to a terrific meal. It is nice for us to be leaving at the same time because I think I would feel saddest to leave her behind. She is so special and waaaay too good for Michael. Michael’s a good guy, but honestly, he should thank God every day to be so lucky. I can’t wait to hear about their move and “new life” in China.

Golf Friends

Golf Friends

Today’s good-bye coffee was nice because we were a table of women who were all relocating out of Japan. No one is being left behind and it’s a lot less sad.

Mayumi, Me, Grace, Alexandra, Angela

Mayumi, Me, Grace, Alexandra, Angela

I have started to just do coffee appointments because I was booking so many sayonara lunches and dinners. Now I’m all jacked up on caffeine all day, but I think it helps me biking the tough hills and my Joker smile.

My Tennis Crew from the Embassy: Sachiko, Mariko, Izumi, Hiroko, Setsuko, & Kelli

My Tennis Crew from the Embassy: Sachiko, Mariko, Izumi, Hiroko, Setsuko, & Kelli

ST MARY’S INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Chase has been moody as well. I’m trying to help him through it. Fortunately he’s not one of these macho types who doesn’t believe in therapy. He actually suggested taking a meeting with the school counselor to talk about transitioning. He’s so renaissance. I love it.

Leno, Chase, someone I don't know, Keibun, and Kwang-Hyun

Leno, Chase, Jae-Hyuk, Keibun, and Kwang-Hyun

I know we had issues in the beginning regarding school placement. Who doesn’t? Somethings you just don’t know how it’s going to work out until you give it some time. Cliff and I both agree (did I just write that?!?) putting Chase in St. Mary’s International School was the best thing for him. It is the closest thing to a Japanese learning environment a non-Japanese speaker could experience. In an all-boy environment Chase learned being a boy/man is defined by many things. In retrospect, if he had been accepted to ASIJ, he would have spent a majority of his time with Americans and probably missed out on a lot of cultural learning opportunities. This year has been terrific.

NEW HELLOS

Me, Bridget, Emily

Me, Bridget, Emily

Just when I think my friend list can’t get any longer, I meet new people who are just too irresistible. Take Bridget & Emily. They are part of my “spinning crowd” and we just started hanging this fall/winter. ExPats are like that. I think when you know it’s all temporary, you figure out pretty quickly it’s either clickin’ or it ain’t. Relocating is a lonely process. Sometimes it’s self-imposed and sometimes it isn’t. It’s nice to meet people who know you’re leaving and say “Screw it! let’s just enjoy the moment!” Hearing this from a woman is definitely different from a man.

Me and Nicki

Me and Nicki

SHIPS IN THE NIGHT

Chase & Mize

Chase & Mize

Just a few weeks ago, Chase started talking about a new girl at the bus stop. Her name is Mize. Evidently, the way to Chase’s heart is to tell him you like playing Minecraft. I got the feeling this girl was “different”, so being the good mom I am, I started to stalk the two of them. I followed Chase to the bus stop. I realized, the first time, it was a mutual admiration club. She is definitely checking the “like-likes” him box. This is Chase’s first crush. I thought I was going to be all jealous and bitter, but on the contrary, I’m completely enthralled with each days “bus stop drama”. After school, I ask him to give me detailed description of what happened today. Fortunately, he is happy to re-cap it all. He’s feeling quite the stud.

Watching these two, has me genuinely smiling. Soon they will have to part ways, but they are enjoying something so special. Once more, I find myself learning from Chase. He’s not ignoring her or pushing her away because he’s on his way out. He’s being present in a way that is a gift for both of them. When was the last time you had a conversation with someone and neither was hanging onto their phone waiting to be interrupted? The lunches, dinners, and coffees I’ve had over these last few weeks have been so special to me. I’ve given extra long hugs and shed a few tears. It’s hard on one hand, but that’s the nature of precious things, isn’t it?

Until next time…

See the Difference

December 2, 2012 By in Chase, Cliff, Living in Tokyo Tags: , , Leave a comment

Can you pick out the American?

I love it when white people tell me, “They can tell the difference.”  I can’t tell the difference and I’m Asian! Cliff started talking about his “abilities” soon after we were married. I assumed it was because suddenly he assumed he was Asian-by-Marriage and could say such things. I don’t know how other Asians feel about the issue. Personally, I find it on the offensive side. Now that Cliff has lived in Japan, he is full on convinced he can “tell the difference”. I have heard other Asians claiming to have the same super powers and usually I just think they are full of it and besides that, who cares?

Conversation from a few days ago:

  • Chase: We had an awful substitute teacher in Chorus today.
  • Me: Really? What happened?
  • Chase: She didn’t let us warm up our voices like Ms. Stenson normally does.
  • Me: So you felt off key…
  • Chase: Mom, when you have a low voice like mine, you need to warm up your voice or you can really do some damage when you try to hit the higher notes. (cue crickets)
  • Cliff: So what did the teacher look like?
  • Chase: What do you mean?
  • Cliff: Was she Japanese? White?
  • Chase: White
  • Me: When you say “White”, do you mean she was White like Ms Christenson? or Non-Black, like Hispanic or Philippino?
  • Chase: I think she’s Canadian.

Now that is something to brag about.

So true

Until next time…

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