A note to Erika

Recently my friend Erika, who is currently in Benin, Africa serving in the Peace Corps wrote a blog post telling about what attending mass is like there. I left her a comment, since I had a recent mass story I wanted to share as well. Here is my note to her:

Erika,

I totally know what you mean about having mass in the local language. Most Sundays I go to mass in Japanese at the convent here at the college (at 7:30 a.m.) Some things are just a little different and, as well as I thought I knew the mass before I left, sometimes I get confused if they are doing the Holy, Holy or the Our Father--I just haven't picked up that much Japanese yet. Luckily, I have the opportunity to go to mass in English sometimes at the Franciscan Chapel Center a train and a subway away. But most weeks, I just sit quietly and try to listen to the readings and homily, and then scurry back to my computer to look the readings up online.

Two weeks ago, the priest (new priests are always coming to the convent to serve the sisters) noticed that someone in the congregation was a.) not habited and b.) not Japanese. True there were three other lay women there for mass, but I was the only one who had no idea what he was saying. He decided it was a good idea to talk to me during his homily. He took me so much by surprise that, although I should have been able to understand and answer his question in Japanese, the sisters had to answer for me. Then he asked me another question a little more slowly and after I answered (in Japanese) he had the same reaction that all Japanese people have when they hear me speak their language the first time, "Kawai, ne?" Which roughly translates to, "That's so cute, huh!?" That was just a twinge embarrassing.

Then, at the end of his homily he proceeded to say something in English, pointing out that it was just for me, that just didn't make any sense to me why he would say it. In Japanese he said something about America, December, and Christmas (Christmas time, I'm guessing). (He may have been talking about the movie Love Actually, but I just don't put a lot of stock into that supposition.) Then he said, "There is no greater thing that to love and be loved in return," looking at me for approval. I smiled and nodded (I do this a lot) and he moved on. It was a good statement, and it was great to get a bit of the homily, but where America and Christmas came into it, I don't know.

This is a very long comment indeed (that I will probably put in my own blog also), but I thought I'd share my mass story with you as well.

UPDATE: After my mom's comment I decided to add that I have recently come to understand why Japanese people always say "Kawai" when I speak Japanese.

I was watching tv sometime last month trying to catch a new drama that was starting, but instead, on my tv, appeared Cyndi Lauper. In Tokyo. In places in Tokyo I've been. Not 80's pink hair singing for the Goonies Cyndi, but still-recording today Cyndi. Cyndi was supposed to meet these two Japanese women (a famous model or actress and the host of the talk show that this was for) for coffee. She got there early and had to wait for the other two girls (cameras rolling of course) and ordered her coffee in Japanese (she knows a tiny bit, kind of like me). My first reaction to her saying "cafe latte kudasai" was, "Awww, Kawai, ne?" I honestly said that out loud at the tv. And then I was like, oh crap. Well, it is cute when we speak Japanese. I am still not exactly sure why (although everytime she tried during the rest of the show, it was still cute) except maybe that we are making a good effort to do something difficult. In the end, I suppose it's not that strange. We think just about anything a Japanese girl does is cute, so. . .

Current Music : Whiskey in the Jar by Sean McRactagan
Current Mood: Tired, but pretty content-ish. My toes are cold.