A Brief Translation Rant

 I am not anywhere near a Japanese language expert. I mean, I am studying Japanese on Duolingo, having taken one or two community education classes with a native-speaker. That's it.

But, there I am, doing the dishes, watching the third season of "Free!" when we get to this really poignant moment. This friend of the hero's, who has been struggling with swimming (it's a sports anime about competitive swimming), ends up having a break-through because a friend he thought lost to him (the hero) makes a big personal sacrifice in order to swim with him/compete with him. The hero looses this particular race, but the friend is turning around, towards healing. It's a BIG moment. I was already crying, because one of the things that I love about sports anime is that always, ALWAYS about The Team, and how we don't win alone, even when we compete on an individual basis. You always fight for your friends. ALWAYS.

At any rate, my rant is this.

When friend turns to hero after winning the race, he says:

Haru. Tadaima.

The translators chose to write this as: Haru, I'm back.

NO.

Tadaima is something you ONLY say TO YOUR FAMILY, when you walk in the door to YOUR HOME (when you walk into anyone else's house, you would say, "Pardon the intrusion," though literally "I am disturbing you," Ojamashimasu).

So, what his friend is saying, which is far, far more meaningful in this context is: "Haru (my family, hence NO honorifics). "I'm HOME."

It is even more important, that Haru replies: Okaaeri which is the intimate, familial form of Okaerinasai. "Welcome home."

That's how your FAMILY greets you when you return home. YOUR FAMILY. Your mom says okaeri. The butler or your auntie you haven't seen in a decade would say okaerinasai. Your BEST FUCKING FRIEND would probably say okaerinasai.

These two men not only acknowledge that this friend is home, but that they are family because they share this love of the sport.

This is so much more powerful then, "Haru, I'm back."

What the hell, Viz Media translators? TOO GAY FOR YOU??? I mean, it's the only thing I can figure. Free! is a fan favorite for all the slash, so I can only figure that someone at Viz Media said, "Oh, you can't have him say: I'm home. Too gay! Besides, those dumb English-speaking fan fic writers don't need any more fuel!" Although, I thought the second season of Free! was all about the gay subtext, but maybe there was backlash? Except the Japanese would feel this like a gut punch, like I did (which, frankly, is rare since most of the time I catch one word out of six hundred and five billion.)

/rant.

I will return to the regularly scheduled programming next blog. 

Road Tip Re-Cap, the Final Leg(s)

 A lot of our best times on road trips happen when I take a turn (either accidental or purposely) and we follow wherever it leads. 

Things looked promising when we left Lansing, Michigan for Valparaiso, Indiana (where some of our family, on Shawn's side, lives) when I missed the official turn off and ended up going through Battle Creek, Michigan. Battle Creek, it turns out, was the home (and final resting place) of none-other-than Sojourner Truth, who is most famous for her "Ain't I a Woman" speech and her role in the Underground Railway. There was a huge statue to her in the center of Battle Creek.

 
(Picture: metal, free-standing statue of Sojourner Truth giving a lecture at a podium with a tile background.)

This statue was in an amitheater and Sojourner was up on a bit of a stage and I imagine this site could be used to give all sorts of speeches or to rally. It was in a central little park, too. Very well done. Very moving. 

As we left Battle Creek, we found a bonus arboretum of "fantasy" statues. I almost didn't stop as we were driving past it because, initially, out of the corner of my eye, it looked like a forest of dead trees. Then, I realized they were all "chainsaw" art trees. I don't know a better use of your time than to make a chainsaw art of GROOT:


(Chainsaw art statue of Groot made out of a... dead tree?)

A couple of our "might be worth a detours!" after this one were definitely NOT worth the extra driving time. We followed a sign to "Rocky Gap Park," where I was hoping for a spectacular view of Lake Michigan and maybe even a gap in a rock, through which to gape, but alas, this was the entire view:


(A GREAT lake to be sure, but an otherwise uninspired lake view.)

And it, right about here, the temperatures started to climb again. This was the 4th of July, and we were also somewhat hampered by the fact that for the ONLY time (besides boarding the Badger) during this trip that we had to be anywhere by any particular time. Shawn's step-sister had graciously invited all of us to join her friends and our family at a grill-out at their house, festivities starting at 4 pm. The party turned out to be amazing fun--Karen has lovely friends--but we were a little anxious about the time and the 90+ F / 32+ C temperatures.

So, we only made one other stop, and that was to drive into the new Indiana Dunes National Park. This park is... weird and frustrating (much like we often find Indiana, frankly.) The interpretative center was within spitting distance of Valpariso, so we FOOLISHLY assumed that, you know, the interpretive center would be situated at some point very near, if not the actual trail head, for the National Park. 

No.

We we directed (when we asked for a beach and some hiking trails) to a part of the National Park called "West Beach" which was over 20 minutes away BY CAR at highway speeds (so, like, over 20 miles away). We were nearly back at the outskirts of Gary, Indiana, when we reached the area for the entrance to the park.

What the actual hell, Indiana.

I would like to be able, at this point, to tell you that is was TOTALLY worth the drive. It was decidedly NOT. Temperatures were climbing to nearly 100 F / 38 C and it was... crowded. 

This still would not have deterred Mason and I from a nature hike, BUT 2/3rds of "West Beach" was parking lots and an asphalt area for "picnicking" and another long concrete walk to an extremely narrow, deeply crowed beach you can find literally anywhere.


(Shawn's profile and an almost literal SEA of humanity).

Thank god the party at the in-laws was air-conditioned and pleasant or I might have been very depressed about how this day ended. I am, however, determined to return to the dunes of Indiana because all of the postcards make it look amazing. The nature hike we were promised included Savannah forests and rolling sand dunes. We looked at the hot, un-shaded, multiple lives of STAIRS, path leading up to the trail's head and wisely (I think) chose not to risk heat stroke. 

The rest of the trip was spent hanging out with Shawn's 91 year old step-mom, Margaret, at her house--probably for the last time. Margret herself is in AMAZING shape, but she has finally decided to make the move (at 91) into assisted living. So, we won't see that house again, very likely, unless she is very, very unlucky with the lottery (apparently, there is a wait list.)  Next year, we'll be staying in a hotel, which, at the very least, will come with wifi, which is something grandma's house lacks. IT WAS LIKE LIVING IN 1982, PEOPLE. THE HORROR.

The drive back got no photographic evidence. I think I have one "vista" shot on my camera from a scenic overlook, yet it was probably another one of the BEST detours we took. Instead of the usual route home up I-94, we took a left turn in Rockford and headed to Galena, Illinois. What a cool town! We only drove through a few streets to look at the tourist part of town, but man, oh man, was the drive there AMAZING. There were rolling hills and huge, expansive vistas and exactly what this driver needed....a break from the monotony of I-94 which I have seen more times than I can count.

We took ANOTHER wrong turn and ended up traveling up the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi through Praire-du-Chien and LaCrosse (waved in the direction of my folks as we exhaustedly continued onward) and then onward to home on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi (partly, but also intentionally because that route is pretty AND I could drive it in my sleep, which i am half convinced I did.)

Once home, we dragged in the luggage and happily slept in the company of our kitties and home.

Taidima, St. Paul.