learning curve

* It isn’t every day that a tall, white, blond-haired, blue-eyed woman is assumed to have Japanese citizenship. Today was the rare occasion.

* I have animal alphabet flashcards to teach vocabularly to children. “A” has been part of the lesson for four classes for three months, and not one of my kids can remember “ant.” “Octopus?” Okay. “Elephant?” No problem. “Ostrich?” Most of the time. But “ant?” Never. What’s so hard about “ant?”

* Harusame are Chinese noodles used in Japanese cooking. The kanji (??????) literally means “spring rain,” but I don’t know why; the noodles are made from bean jelly.