GretchenandRobert

Graduation!

2008-07-14T15:51:00.001-05:00

On June 20th, we had my hooding ceremony for my doctorate at Northwestern University. My parents came out for the celebration. And thanks to Robert for coming out and taking all the photos!

The regalia is quite hot for June!

The President of the Grad School did my hooding. He's awesome!

This is where I worked for two years at Northwestern with undergraduates: Willard Residential College

Showing off the blue velvet hood, which signifies that my doctoral degree is in the humanities.

I finally decided that I'd had enough of the regalia! I still can't believe that they charged me $70 to use it for an hour! Of course, to purchase it was nearly $700...... sheesh!

Dr. Gretchen!!

2008-05-09T00:38:00.000-05:00

Yes, after more time than I care to count, I have finally passed the defense of my dissertation and been granted my doctorate from Northwestern University!!
All signs point to my joining the faculty as a Visiting Professor of French at Sonoma State University next year. It will be nice to escape the Chicago winters for some balmy weather-- not to mention enjoy living in the gorgeous Napa Valley.

(P.S. The photo is from a "Polka Party" down in the city. Notice the skirt made entirely of men's ties! :-)

Xmas in Kauai

2008-01-21T01:21:00.000-06:00

I forgot to upload a few pics from the brief week in Kauai visiting the 'rents over Christmas! We took a family trip sailing around the Napali Coast (like we did back with Galena!); we saw lots of dolphins, but I was an idiot and didn't get my camera out in time. Actually, I just wanted to jump off the boat and play with them!

Alberta - Columbia Icefield

2007-08-26T22:31:00.000-05:00

Robert made friends with a Mountie.

The Columbia Icefield (and one of the glaciers) from the lodge.

Walking on the glacier (Robert said I should pose!)

One of the dangerous crevasses on the glacier. There were lots of warnings posted about all the people who have died after falling in a crevasse. Yikes!

On our last night at the condo, we saw a herd of elk!

And a buck!

Driving with our fearless leader! Robert found Captain Jack in the parking lot.

Alberta - Kananaskis Park

2007-08-24T19:55:00.000-05:00

We finally saw a moose!

Alberta - Banff Park

2007-08-23T23:56:00.000-05:00

Robert and I took our new Volvo wagon up to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. We spent the first night at a state park outside Sandpoint, Idaho and then drove the next day to Canmore, Alberta. Robert has a timeshare there where we are staying.

Our first steps on Banff National Park.

Bow River Falls

We found a castle-like room inside the Fairmont Banff Hotel.

Castle Mountain

Alberta - Banff Park (Moraine Lake)

2007-08-23T23:43:00.000-05:00

Moraine Lake is another glacier filled lake in the park. We got here later in the day, and so the water was reflecting the light, making it a vibrant blue.

That's me standing at the bottom of the rocks and logs. Robert took it from on top.

There is Robert on top of the rock hill taking pictures.

Alberta - Banff Park (Lake Louise)

2007-08-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

Lake Louise is a glacier-fed lake. The colors are really vibrant aqua blue. Robert and I walked along the Lakeshore up to the mountains at the back. Throughout the day, the colors of the lake kept changing. Gorgeous!

Alberta - Driving Around Canmore

2007-08-23T22:55:00.000-05:00

After a yummy dinner of organic green with a basil-blackberry vinaigrette and flatbread pizza with baby shrimp, we drove around Canmore. It had been raining all day, but in the evening the sun came out and we caught this lovely rainbow!

Canmore is a true mountain town. It reminds me a lot of some of the ski towns in the French-Swiss alps.

TEMPURA! Oy shi dess!

2007-08-14T00:58:00.000-05:00

Robert and I made tempura the other night for dinner-- something we had always enjoyed when dining out but never attempted to make at home. We were really pleased with how it turned out! We went to the Japanese grocery in Portland and bought a sweet potato, Japanese eggplant, broccoli, zuchini, and prawns. Then I coated them in the tempura batter and Robert cooked them to perfection! Oy shi! (So yummy!) Next time we're going to try some more traditional Japanese tempura vegetables like lotus root, daikon (Japanese radish) and lily bulb, as well as some green beans and anything else that we think of!

Mom's Visit - Chicago Botanical Gardens

2007-05-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

My mother and I took a trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens in the afternoon (after I gave a final at Lake Forest). Although the weather could have been sunnier, we were lucky to catch the bulbs in bloom! Carpets of beautiful colors!

Tiptoeing through the tulips!

Oriental poppies...

When they all bloom, there will be over a thousand!

Crabapple trees were in bloom and were so fragrant!

Japanese Garden with its island of paradise in the middle

I loved these lacey tulips!

More colorful tulips....

These "bleeding hearts" are my favorites!

These pink and blue flowers were my mom's favorites!

More crabapple trees.....

I love these purple tulips!

And I like these upside-down tulips

I had a hard time getting this robin to cooperate-- he didn't want his photo taken!

Mom's Visit - Trip to Lake Forest College

2007-05-06T17:10:00.000-05:00

I was a visiting professor of French this semester at Lake Forest College (about 20 miles north of where I live in Evanston). It's a small private liberal arts college in the wealthiest township in Illinois.
This is the building where my office and the Modern Languages department is. (You can tell that my mom took the picture because it doesn't really show anything.... ;-)

The library.... Can you believe this was taken in May?!?! It still looks like winter!

The other building where I taught my literature class. I think it's referred to as the "castle".

Japan Video

2007-03-23T21:01:00.000-05:00

Trip to Japan

Bathroom pics

2007-03-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

Here are the pics of the bathroom: new vanity lighting, new ceiling light fixture, new floors, and I painted the medicine cabinet white. I still need to paint all the tiles (there is some discoloration and paint missing from where the vanity was pulled out), but the space looks so much bigger now with the pedastal sink!

Been busy at the condo!

2007-03-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the oak floors and mantelpiece I refinished last week. My friend Tom drove up from Florida to help me with them. I still have to put one more coat of poly to put on the floors, but now I know it's not any more difficult than mopping floors!
The mantel used to have a dark stain on it-- I like the natural color better.
Here is the living room with our little path of non-polyed floor.

This is my office. The floors were not very good in here before. Now they look lovely!

The hallway...

the living room...

We moved furniture around to try and show off the large size of the formal dining room.

We also tiled the bathroom floor and replaced all the lighting and sink. As soon as I seal the grout and finish painting, I'll post photos.

Miyagima Island

2007-01-11T21:19:00.000-06:00

On the ferry over to Miyagima Island. It was about a 15 minute ferry ride from the mainland.
The island of Miyagima with the floating torii gate in the background.

These pictures are from when we arrived in the morning and the tide was still in... but in the process of going out.

Barrels of sake. I'm not sure what they are storing it for..
The tide is out.

This was the cutest litte baby deer and its mama.

Robert managed to get us both in this shot!
A narrow residential street on Miyagima Island.

Inside the temple, this was a huge statue (all the way up to the top of the ceiling) of one of the gods.

From inside the tram...
Taking the "ropeway" up the mountain...
These are oyster beds that we could see from the top of the mountain.

I saw this sign and thought it was a joke......
until I saw this!

Hiking up to the top of the mountain...

This was the biggest, most purple worm I've ever seen!

This was a little stream was crossed over. All the rocks were lined up perfectly inside the riverbed.
We came down from our mountain hike in time to see the tide coming back in. You could walk all the way out to the torii gate when the tide is out.

The five-element pagoda sitting above the temple.
Catching the floating torii gate around sunset.

Hiroshima - Peace Park and Museum

2007-01-10T13:57:00.000-06:00

Near the center of the Hiroshima Peace Park is a concrete, saddle-shaped monument that covers a Cenotaph holding the names of all of the people killed by the bomb. The Cenotaph carries the epitaph, "Repose ye in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated." Through the monument we could see the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome.

Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl who lived in Hiroshima and was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. At the moment of explosion she was at her home about 1 mile from ground zero. As she grew up, Sadako was a strong and athletic girl. At age eleven, while training for a big race, she became dizzy and fell to the ground. Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease".

Sadako's best friend told her of an old Japanese legend that said that anyone who folds a thousand origami paper cranes would be granted a wish. Sadako hoped that the gods would grant her a wish to get well so that she could run again. However, it was not just for herself that she wished healing. It is said that what made the girl truly special in her effort was her additional wish to end all such suffering, to bring peace and healing to the victims of the world. She spent fourteen months in the hospital, and she folded over 1,300 paper cranes before dying at the age of twelve. She folded the cranes out of her medicine bottle wrappers and any other paper she could find in hopes of getting better.
In 1958, this statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

To this day, people (mostly children) from around the world fold cranes and send them to Hiroshima where they are placed near the statue. The millions of cranes are assembled into long strings or into collages making up pictures, often presenting an inspiring message of world peace. After display, the cranes are pulped and recycled into bookmarks, notebooks and other souvenirs which are sold at the park.

The A-Bomb Dome is the skeletal ruins of the former Industrial Promotion Hall. It is the building closest to the hypocenter of the atomic bomb that remained at least partially standing. It was left how it was after the bomb in memory of the bombing.

A statue of children in the Peace Park.
This time piece stopped working with the impact of the bomb: 8:15am.
This is a tricycle and helmet that a 3-year old was using outside his house at the time of the bomb drop. The father buried the trike and helmet with his son (who was killed by the bomb); they were dug up 50 years later and donated to the museum.
These are Buddha statues that were destroyed by the bomb drop.

These monuments are six gates covered with the word "peace" in forty-eight languages from around the world. They are lit up at night.

Hiroshima - Around town

2007-01-10T13:12:00.000-06:00

Robert always has to stop and take photos of any reflections he sees. This big metal globe offered us lots of opportunities for picture-taking!

Multiple reflections...

Robert looks like he's in a metal womb.

Robert coming out of the metal ball.
This is the woman preparing our food in this little tiny restaurant in Hiroshima. There were only tables for about 8 people and then several stools at the counter.

This man bought Robert and I some sake. He seemed to enjoy speaking in Japanese with Robert, although it was difficult to understand him. He was very friendly though, and interested in us "gaijin" (foreigners)
I forget what this dish is called. It's like an egg pancake cooked with lots of vegetables. It was tasty but really filling (Robert finished half of mine).

I didn't know I was in the photo! I thought Robert was just taking a picture of the food.

Sacred City of Nikko

2007-01-08T14:37:00.000-06:00

Frank Lloyd Wright designed this train station in Nikko. It follows along the lines of his Prairie-style houses in Oak Park, Illinois.
Nikko is known as an incredibly beautiful tourist destination. A Japanese proverb says, "Never say Kekko (content), until you've seen Nikko" because harmony abounds between the natural beauty and the impresive man-made splendors.
The Shinkyo (Sacred) Bridge in Nikko. Legend has it that the man who settled Nikko was carried across the river here by two serpents. In feudal times, the sacred bridge could be used only by the emperor.

We visited a four-season Japanese garden outside the Toshogu shrine. I'm sure it's even prettier during fall and spring, but it was lovely during winter too.

Toshogu Shrine in Nikko

2007-01-07T01:48:00.000-06:00

Statue of the first shogun who is buried at the Toshogu Shrine.

Purification before entering the shrine.

At a Shinto shrine, the main hall (honden) has an innermost chamber that contains the shrine's sacred object.
Three giant gilded Buddha statues inside the main hall.

Entrance to the shrine area through the tall torii gate.

The Toshogu Shrine is the mausoleum of the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. The lavishly decorated shrine consists of more than a dozen Shinto and Buddhist buildings set in a beautiful forest up in the mountains above the Sacred City of Nikko. It was completed in 1636 after 12.5 years of construction, and it cost more than $200 Billion (in today's money) to build.

Countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf were used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan.

We were lucky enough to see a traditional wedding being performed inside on of the temple rooms.
Famous elephant carvings.
This is one of the famous carvings above the Sacred Stable at the shrine:
"hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil."
Found near the entrance of every Shinto shrine, the water of these fountains is used for purification. You are supposed to clean your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall.
Robert standing in front of one of the temple guardians. (This was one of the main gods who was a common guard at other temples we visited. This was one of the largest statues we saw, though.)

Me inside a telephone box in the town of Nikko.
The restaurant where we ate lunch had tons and tons of notes from past diners pinned all over the walls and ceilings. There were even currency bills from all over the world pinned with it. We counted at least $40 American dollars.

First Travel Day - Sapporo to Utsunomiya

2007-01-06T13:52:00.000-06:00

Sitting in a train station early in the morning... it was cold and I was still sleepy!
After spending a few nights in Sapporo, we left for Utsunomiya. Below is a photo of the Shinkansen or high-speed "bullet train."

We spent two nights at the Petit Benefit hotel (means "Small Benefit"-- actually it had the most benefits of any of the hotels where we stayed!) It was the only hotel that had a high-speed Internet hookup and we also really liked the robes they provided. They also had some very nice Japanese baths in the downstairs of the hotel. Robert used the baths every night (they were a little hot for my taste, so I just used the tiny tub in our bathroom.)

Utsunomiya is basically known for gyoza (dumplings), and we enjoyed a few. Other than that, it was just a place to stay that was convenient to sightseeing in Nikko.

Sapporo Christmas "Illuminations" in Odori Park

2007-01-06T13:20:00.000-06:00

The Sapporo White Illumination festival uses 370,000 lights to decorate Odori Park Dori and Sapporo Ekimae Dori. The decorations are from mid-November until the beginning of January. The park terrain was frozen solid, almost like an ice skating rink, which made it really slippery to walk around. Fun, though!

Gretchen's Arrival in Japan

2006-12-16T03:59:00.000-06:00

Robert and his host mother Sumiko and his host brother Yoshi.
The table set for Robert's last dinner at Sumiko's house: sukiyaki, fishcake rolls, fried herring, miso soup, and daikon salad. (See Sumiko preparing it below. The photos got out of order when I added new ones.)
Robert was pretending to drink the raw egg that Sumiko served us to dip our boiled meat in. I was a bit hesitant at first, but it actually didn't taste too bad. Her sukiyaki was one of my favorite meals in Japan.
Robert and I standing in a pedestrain mall in Sapporo.

Wax/plastic food in the restaurant windows or display cases. It's usually how we had to pick our restaurants and our food as Robert didn't always know the kanji on the menus. It was kind of like a "game of chance" and we often got a surprise to eat! (Like chicken livers on a stick or fat wrapped around mushrooms.)
This is Robert giving his end-of-the-semester presentation in front of all the exchange students and their families. I don't know what he said-- it was in Japanese. :)

Sumiko had so many dishes! Every meal had to have lots of little dishes for each item. She sounded really offended when she told us how her host family (when Sumiko visited the U.S.) only used one large plate for everything!

Robert's little bed was a futon that was piled high with blankets that served as a mattress (not really well, though).
This is Robert is a five-story, very busy Japanese store! It was a little overwhelming, but they have everything you can think of...

Susukino is the area of downtown with all the lights and busy commercial area. It reminded me of Times Square in NYC.

Sumiko was Robert's host mother in Sapporo. She was so great and such a sweetheart! In this photo, she was preparing sukiyaki for our last dinner. She showed me how to prepare a few different things (sukiyaki, unegeri, yuri) and sent us home with lots of presents!
She and her son Yoshi drove us to the train station at 6:15am on Friday morning. So early! We hope Sumiko and her family will come visit us in Portland or Chicago!

Daytona Beach

2006-11-21T23:11:00.000-06:00

From Monday to Wednesday, we stayed at Robert's timeshare in Daytona Beach. If it wasn't so cold, it would be an amazing time! But we're here when the weather is 20 degrees below normal! Just a freak cold spell (it was 42 today!).

Here are photos of the inside of the condo. It was so nice!

New York City

2006-11-21T23:08:00.000-06:00

I'll add more pics and writing to this later, but I spent Thursday to Monday in NYC with my parents. We stayed in my friend's apartment and had a great time. Saturday we went to a matinee performance of "Chicago" and otherwise we walked around and shopped a whole lot! Here are some photos of the night skyline from the apartment. I have to get the better photos from my mom's camera! It was an amazing view!

Halloween

2006-10-28T23:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a photo of my Halloween costume for the dorm party. Hopefully, it's pretty clear who I was.....

Okay-- evidently it is not as clear who I was as I thought it would be! So to my father and anyone else who might have it wrong-- I was MARILYN MONROE! *Not* Anna Nicole Smith!!!

My weekend in Iowa

2006-10-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here are photos from my weekend visiting Christine and Bill in Iowa. Christine is Robert's sister for those who might not know that. Bill is her husband and a grad student at the University of Iowa.

These are photos of Christine's renovated guest bathroom. She tiled the floor, painted, and replaced the vanity and sink. It looks great!
Christine and Bill in the living/dining room.
Christine and Bill were repairing the siding on the house.

Photos of Christine's Coffee Shop!

2006-10-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

I was excited to make a trip to Christine's (Rob's sister) coffee shop that is opening at the end of the month. Here's the street view of Christine's coffee shop "Grounds for Dessert." It's a great location near the main commercial/pedestrian area of Iowa City. For those who know Iowa City, it's just down the street from the Sheraton, next door to a large parking structure. Christine has done lots of work on the shop! Painting (love the colors), ordering equipment and furniture, tiling the floors, etc. It's really a great space-- I was surprised by how large it is.
This is the coffee, waffles, register, etc. area of the coffee shop. And there's Maddie in the right corner.
The blue area is the bakery section where Nate will be making cakes and other desserts-- for the coffee shop and for special order.
Christine did all the tile herself, so I had to take photos to show everyone what an amazing job she did! That had to have been so much work! That's a lot of surface area to cover! These are Nate's baking supplies inside the baking area.

Christine and Bill are standing in the "office" section of the shop.

This is the men's bathroom. The mirror still has to go up.
And this vibrant blue bathroom is the women's bathroom. Christine did a super job painting.
Here's the view from the back of the cafe to the front. Lots of great natural light from all the windows.
And this is the view from the front of the cafe to the back. The blue wall is where the bakery will be, and the green area to the left is where the coffee and register and everything else will be.

October 14, 2006: Day trip to Otaru, Japan

2006-10-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to a small port town called Otaru. I went with Nick and Josh -- two friends that I have met since I arrived here. Nick is from England and Josh is from my school (Lewis and Clark).
Anyway, we began our day at the Sapporo train station at about 9am(-ish). We got on a local train, which cost each of us about $6 one way for a 45min ride. It was a quiet ride -- not much to say about it... We arrived in Otaru and went off to a rustic coffee shop/bar that had a bunch of old things inside (lanterns/photos/boat decor/etc.). We hung out and had a snack and coffee for about an hour and then we started our exploration.
We didn't ever really find a whole lot worth mentioning. It was an industrial town with a lot of shopping areas as well. Kinda boring, I think. Anyway, we all just kicked around and took photos of randomness, and then found a decent -- fairly priced -- place to have a late lunch. After that, we went for more coffee. This coffee place was in an old wooden building that was dark, spacious, and comfy. The room lighting was done entirely by kerosene lantern (chandeliers and all). It was pretty relaxing (I will post pics later).
After coffee, we nearly decided to head back to Sapporo because we were out of things/places to explore. We managed to find a nifty little park which had a huge buoy-anchor on display. So, we all climbed atop and sat around for an hour or so. That was the highlight of our day up to that point. From there we could see half of the town that we hadn't been to... so we wandered again. There we found Hokkaido's largest factory-outlet mall -- Yippie! Outside of it was a large ferris-wheel. We each paid about $4 and got to go 'round twice (thanks to Josh, because he asked the attendant for another spin)! That was pretty fun because none of us had been on a ferris-wheel in a very long time.... We all took many snapshots -- those are coming too.
After our ride, we walked through the mall and Josh bought a birthday gift (a liter of the local beer) for his host-father -- which he greatly appreciated.
Josh and I each bought a $3 waffle cone ice cream, and then we started off towards the train station to go back to Sapporo.
We caught an express train back to Sapporo that shaved off 20mins from the trip... They have a variety of trains available here -- they range from fast to slow, or expensive to cheap. They really have an effiecient/reliable mass transit system here -- something that Americans would drool over considering gas prices these days...
Anyway, we got back to Sapporo and went walking around looking for a bar that Josh and I found one night. That was about a month ago and we haven't managed to ever find it again. The bar district here is a maze, and is overwhelming in fact. So, we ended up going to our latest favorite joint -- only I cannot think of it's name... It's a British-style pub, so Nick really fancies it. I think it's a bit pricy, but I don't really fixate on money so much... It's a watering whole where we feel comfortable, and that's good enough.
We all stayed there for about 2 drinks, and then we all went home. I think that I got home at about midnight, but I wasn't really paying much attention....
In sum, the day wasn't all that exciting. We just chose to go somewhere that was cheap and close -- and Otaru fit the bill. I took a lot of pics (which will be added later), and enjoyed hanging out with my friends. What more can a guy ask for? Oh yeah, a Gretchen travel buddie!

I'll try to be better at updating this blog... But I am usually busy, so please be patient...

Next weekend we are all (most of the exchange students and a bunch of Japanese students) going on a weekend trip, so I should have plenty to post in a week or so...
Until then,
Bye!
Robert

Fall Colors in Evanston

2006-10-09T14:03:00.000-05:00

We've been having such lovely weather in Evanston the past few days that yesterday I thought I would take my camera out with me and take some photos. The leaves are just beginning to change... even today I'm seeing even more oranges and reds. I think I'll take more photos tomorrow or Wed. I was also taking photos to show how much Evanston has grown in the past two years. We never used to have any tall buildings and now we're also getting a lot of commerical real estate. This huge building in the background is a new condo building and parking lot with lots of shops on the main floor. There is a huge Barnes & Noble, Pier 1, Red Door Salon, LA Fitness etc, etc. It takes up one entire city block.
More photos of the modern buildings we're now getting in Evanston.
This is the street where the Residential College is where I work. It's really pretty right now.
Here's another photo of Willard Residential College.
And another one...
And the last photo is a butterfly I managed to get a photo of as it was camouflaged amidst a bunch of leaves on the ground.

Robert's Trip to a Puppet Show

2006-10-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

This is Bunraku -- a traditional Japanese theater (puppetry). My school took a bunch of the exchange students to experience this old-style theater. It lasted for about three hours and I couldn't understand a word... I don't feel too bad about not understanding much, however. It was an interesting experience anyway. The men on stage did nothing but animate the puppet. They did not perform or say anything at all. All of the music and dialogue came from a separate crew who sat at the side of the stage. They sang and played instruments while the stage-hands moved the puppets. The men in the hoods moved the body of the puppet, while the unmasked men controlled the puppets head. Together, they were so very well syncronized and choreographed that the puppets moved like real people. Their eyebrows moved up and down as well as their mouths, and all of their mannerisms were so fluid that after a while you forgot that all of the stagehands were even there. Cool!

These were the narrators and musicians. Even though I could not understand them, their performances were so impassioned that words were not important. I actually enjoyed watching these guys more than the actual show...

I have some short movie clips of the show... Hopefully I can figure out how to upload them some time.

More photos from Robert

2006-09-27T21:22:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday, my host mother Sumiko took me on another excursion into the countryside. I met her sisters, brother, mother, and their families. I took another bike ride around the local town, and here are some of the photos that I took from that day.
*Meeting Sumiko's mother and sisters.

*The red roof picture is Sumiko's childhood house. It is on a farm where they grow a variety of vegetables.
*The Samurai-looking photo is a family picture that was hung in the shrine room of grandma's house. I am not sure who it was, but I thought it was a great picture. *You can barely see from the next photo that there are family portraits hung above the shrine.

*This hallway picture was the hall that connected the kitchen to the bathroom. The house was/is very old and in pretty bad shape, but it was cool anyway.
*The Kitchen stove...

*Right-on, [I found] Amall!

* Japanese yard ornaments...

* Lunch with the family. The young boy later helped me with my Japanese homework!

*The food was yummy!

* Working on the family farm.
* neighborhood shrines (tombs actually)

*View from the driveway of the farm.

Evanston Fall Photos

2006-09-23T11:35:00.000-05:00

Our weather has been pretty yucky for September. I really hope that October is much nicer! It's just been gray and rainy and humid here for the past weeks. And yesterday, we had a tornado pass through, with hail and gusty wind and thunder and lightning!

I just learned yesterday that our building "Tech" (in the far upper left of bottom photo and shot across the pond in the top photo) originally had more surface area than the Pentagon. I think it is the largest academic building in the world. It cost nearly $7M to build in the 1930s. And yet it only had one women's bathroom! I read that it has a working stream in the basement.

Gretchen's Role at Willard Residential College

2006-09-17T16:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of the dorm where I'm working. My (large!) office is inside. I love having the space here, though I'm not yet sure what exactly my job is. I'm assuming I'll figure that out as the quarter progresses. I'm working for Willard Residential College, built in 1938 as an all female dormitory. It was named after Frances Willard who founded the Northwestern Female College in 1871. Frances Willard was also the founder of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, a prohibitionist organization. In honor of her temperance values, Willard Hall used to throw a huge Frances Willard Party (hailed as one of the top ten college parties by Playboy Magazine in the late 80s). However, because of the rampant alcohol abuse (catch the irony?), the party was recently shut down. Part of my job might be helping the students get it going again.

To those who are asking me what a residential college is? Northwestern's residential college system was developed by University faculty in the early 1970s. In 1972 the residential college system was finally established, beginning with five colleges (now eleven). Willard is one of those original five, and one of two nonthematic residential colleges at Northwestern. Northwestern's residential college system was developed in response to a report by a faculty committee that urged the formation of smaller intellectual communities within the larger University community. The original purposes of the residential colleges were threefold: first, to extend the learning environment from the classroom to extracurricular life; second, to provide relatively small supportive communities in which the students would find something of a small-college atmosphere within the University; and third, to nurture better relations between faculty and students by establishing informal connections between student members and the colleges' Fellows. Generally, the goals of the residential colleges are to enrich the intellectual, cultural, and social lives of their students.
So what is my role in the Residential College?
All residential colleges have a designated graduate student, known as the Assistant Master. These are full-time graduate students who serve as resource persons and perform various organizational and administrative tasks under the direction of the Master (a senior faculty member). My tasks include: building relationships with students and faculty, working with the Master to ensure that Faculty Fellows are actively engaged in the life of the college, attending meetings, writing reports, participating in college events, interacting and dining regularly with students and faculty. I facilitate budgetary procedures and coordinate event details for the Master, as well as advise the Willard executive board in planning and executing academic and social programs. I also oversee the use of special equipment or facilities for the college (so far that means making sure the grand piano in the common room is tuned twice a year).
Hopefully I will get my digital camera soon, and I can take some more photos of my office and the Willard facilities. I think it's a lovely old building.

Robert's Trip to the Countryside with Sumiko

2006-09-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

Sumiko took Robert on an excursion on Sunday. They stopped at a mineral springs to fill several bottles with fresh water. Then, they went to Sumiko's family in the countryside where I think Robert said she worked in the garden while Robert rode around on a bicycle. Here are some of the photos he took that day:

Of course Robert always manages to get in a few reflection shots!

Dragon at the temple (Pat asked for lots of dragon pictures, so Robert is on the look-out!)

This is Sumiko filling up large sake bottles with the fresh mineral spring water.

More Photos from Robert!

2006-09-17T13:52:00.000-05:00

I'll do my best to add some narrative based upon what Robert has said on Skype, and then he can add some when he gets a chance. It sounds like Robert is having lots of fun and making the most of his Sapporo experience. He has already made friends (Japanese, British, and American), been to traditional baths and spring waters (hot and cold), visited the countryside, etc. Here are some recent photos he sends.

These are photos of his host mother, Sumiko at her family's temple.

Photo from a field trip with classmates to visit a local elementary school.
A water gargoyle and buddha at a temple he visited with Sumiko.

More Photos from Sapporo

2006-09-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

More photos of Sapporo from Robert! Included are some funny photos of interesting usages of the English language! I'm not even sure what to make of the bathhouse sign!

DEEPPRESSO! When you need a pick-me-down!
Photos of Sapporo. The radio tower looks a lot like France's Eiffel Tower to me!

Rob's friend Dennis from Lewis & Clark.

A J. Ro purse?

Robert Knows Japanese!

2006-09-11T08:04:00.000-05:00

Just a short update to say that Robert managed to place into the third year of Japanese (Level 300), meaning that he managed to skip a whole year since he only took the first level last year. And he thought he remembered nothing! Go Bubby! He says he'll have to study a lot and learn some new vocab and Kanji, but we all know he can handle it.
His commute to school is 35 minutes. This week he only has language classes, and next week he will add two additional culture classes (could be on film, religion, business, etc). He's enjoying exploring Sapporo with new friends.

Sumiko and Yoshiro

2006-09-10T07:58:00.000-05:00

These are just a couple of snapshots of my host mother Sumiko and her son Yoshiro. The first two were taken at an informal tea ceremony and the last one was taken at Sumiko's vegetable garden.

Today I went out with "Yoshi" and met up with his mother where she was volunteering at a community event that was geared towards families with children... It was fun: we ate some snacks and toured some community centers and schools. I am tired right now, so I'll try and fill in the blanks at a later time.

After that excursion with my family, I went off on my own by bicycle and explored downtown Sapporo on my own. I do not live too far away from downtown -- I could probably make it there in about 15-20 mins (cycling). Anyway, I rode around for about 2 hrs. and took a few photos and then I just rode home. It felt good to just go out and see if I could get myself lost -- the challenge of finding my way back is fun! So far, I haven't gotten lost... Now, I suppose, I should be knocking on wood.

Anyway, if it wasn't so late right now, and if I had a more reliable internet signal, I would be posting more photos, but as it IS late right now, and my internet IS currently slow, I am only posting these and I will add more later... Gomenasai!

For now, Sayoonara!

Love,

I Saw Robert in Japan!

2006-09-10T01:23:00.000-05:00

Robert and I were able to talk via Skype this evening (morning his time). It was pretty amazing to have such a great connection for free. Plus, I was able to watch Robert through his webcam and see his room in his host family's home. Yay for Skype and webcams! Now I have to get one installed on my computer so Robert can also see me. Anyone else who signs up for the free Skype service will also be able to see Robert in Japan, regardless of whether you own a webcam or not. It's pretty cool.
Today Robert was going to a festival with his host mother. He promised he would take some photos so we can get them posted up on the blog.
Things are going well in Evanston. I've carted over 100 books to the Post Office for Robert as he is selling them on Half.com and Amazon while he's in Japan (only I have to do the shipping!) So far he has made enough to pay for three months of tuition. Not bad! Especially since these are all books that he found in the trash in June.
Next week the freshmen arrive at Northwestern and I will be busy with parents' receptions and new student orientations. It's still pretty quiet around town without the students here, so their arrival will be a big change. I have a French student staying with me right now while she's looking for an apartment, so I haven't been speaking much English. It's been great to practice since my French is a little rusty and I have to get it in shape for teaching in the spring!
That's all our news for now!

Meeting My Japanese Host Family

2006-09-09T12:02:00.000-05:00

I am now settled in at my new home... So far so good and I think I am going to like it here. My host mom is named Sumiko and her son is named Yoshiro aka "Yoshi." Sumiko is a peppy woman who doesn't speak much English, but she seems to be patient enough to not mind the fact that all I can really do at this point is listen, nod and occasionally understand what she is trying to tell me. Actually, so far we have managed to communicate well. I sat down with her after I unpacked and showed her my map and school schedule and we mapped out my daily commute. I am about a five minute walk to the subway (which I was able to find on my own during a walk that I took)! Later we went downtown to get my 3-month subway pass, which the school gave me about $570 for, and Sumiko worked things out with the clerk and I got a 3-month pass for about $220!!! Now I have extra food money...
How she was able to save me so much money was by purchasing a subway pass that would get me from here to school only, instead of an "all-zones" pass -- which I don't think I would use the extra $350 worth of subway passes because school will preoccupy most of my time. Basically she made sure that I am spending only what I need to spend; I would have to ride the subway at least 36 times, in all different zones, before I had gotten my money's worth. Now I will just have to ride as a "day-use" passenger -- and I dout I will ride the subway 36 times more than I really need to! She scored high on the cool chart for that maneuver, for sure.
Tonight, she and her mother (I don't remember grandma's name, as we met only briefly before dinner) cooked up a sweet tempura dinner: fish, eggplant, peppers, sweet potato, and shrimp.
We also had miso soup, some tasty rice thingy, and pickles. MMM! -- And, since I started writing to you, she brought me a plate of melon, which I will eat when this has been written.
Tomorrow, Sumiko is taking me to a local festival -- yay!
Yoshi is pretty cool as well. He is a chilled out ex-World-Cup snow-boarder (with many medals to prove it) who does speak English fairly well. I talked to him for a little while today about his experiences as a host family, and his sports achievements, but other than that he has slept a lot... He said that he stayed up late last night and got up early...
Anyway, the Skype thing is iffy right now. There is wireless at the house, but I haven't been able to find a super reliable signal yet. In fact, I will probably need to hold my computer above my head as I press the send button -- no joke! I think that in the morning I will move around the house to find out where the hot-spots are and try it out for once.
Oh yeah, this house is larger than I expected. It is a two-story single home with two bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, a traditional tatami room, den, living room, dining room, and kitchen. My bedroom is about the size of my Portland office -- but it has some bulky furnitur that takes away some of the roominess, not cramped though. I have a western bed (single size), a chair, and a tiny desk. It's perfectly comfy.
Since this post is about a mile long already, I think that I should end it now -- and I am getting sleepy.
Good night!

Robert's First Email from Japan

2006-09-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I haven't written/called... It's been a busy time since we arrived.
Our flights went well and we arrived at about 10pm. We got up at 7am the next morning and had breakfast and did our placement exams that morning... it was a pain!!! I think that I did just ok, but I just dont know... Ill find out on Monday.

I hope that I can test out skype soon, but I need to go and buy a plug adapter before I can try it (the outlets here are two prong...).

Sorry I didn't write last night -- we went out for dinner and then we stayed up and hung out with some new Japanese friends. I had a good time, but didn't go to bed until about 1am. I stayed up reading our schedules and train maps etc. I think my commute will be easy, but I think it will take more than the 30mins that I was originally told. I met a local who lives near me and he said that it will probably be at least a 45min trip. Oh well.

Anyway, I am now awaiting my meeting with my host family. They are coming at about 1pm -- I really hope that they can at least communicate in some english... I am a bit nervous about fumbling in my nihongo.

I haven't had an opportunity to try skype or my own computer yet. The facility that we are in doesn't have wireless and I do not have an ethernet cable, so I am using the lobby laptop. Sorry. Also, I am not sure if I will have internet at my family's place -- another Lewis & Clark classmate said that his family has none... I hope that mine does.

We went out and explored a little of the area this am -- there's more here than at LC, and it's within walking distance, so I am happy about that. According to what I can tell by the map of Sapporo I got yesterday, it looks like I am going to be living right near the larger Hokkaido University and that should mean that I will have plenty to do near home... Yay!

We start school on Monday and will only have our language classes for the first week, then we will get a three day weekend and begin our full schedule on the following Tuesday. The electives sound interesting -- I am thinking of taking a Shinto/Chritian comparative class and a Japanese film class that explores the influences of social roles as portrayed by film. Cool!

Wedding Dress Photos

2006-08-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

These are the photos that Robin sent me of the dress. One of them is the Maggie Sottero website photo, I believe.

I've posted some photos of my wedding dress and shoes since I've been asked many times what it looks like. The dress is a Maggie Sottero "Bianca" in light gold. The shoes match the light gold fabric. I was really lucky to buy this dress from a wonderful woman in Mississippi who ended up using a different Sottero dress for her own wedding this past July. She also sold me the matching shoes and full crinoline, so I have nearly everything! It made things so less stressful. I can't believe it worked out so well, purchasing sight unseen on the Internet!

2006-08-18T02:57:00.000-05:00

I am learning how to keep a blog so that Robert and I will be able to post entries and upload photos in the fall. Here is a photo of our apartment in Mountain Park (in Southwest Portland). They are in the process of redoing the siding and putting in new windows, so hopefully it will be much prettier on the outside in a few weeks! We both will be leaving Portland on September 6th, and Robert will be in Sapporo, Japan for study abroad while I will be Assistant Master for Willard Residential College at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Robert just found out his Japanese host family consists of a mother and father (in their 50s), 86 year-old grandmother, and a 31 year-old son (who likes snowboarding)! Sounds perfect for Robert! Now we just have to think of some great host gifts for Robert to bring to them.
We'll also be using this blog to post details and plans for our June 2007 wedding in Sacramento. I finally have my dress and am in the process of figuring out the colors (with my bridesmaids' help).
Keep checking as we get the hang of this!