Trinity University

This morning I went out to empty over 30 trays of dead grass plugs, after I received a call from my research mentor, who said that someone skinny with blond hair and a thick Texas accent would come deliver new ones around midmorning-noonish. I discovered the soil in the trays had dried and hardened, requiring some heavy lifting on my part. Well, I channeled Bianca’s super woman energy (she carries Ozarka 24 packs of water up to the dorm weekly) and lifted them outside to our compost pile. While I stood there shaking the dirt out, these nasty winged beasts that developed around 150 million years ago quietly landed on my legs, bit me, injected saliva into the wound, instantly turning my immune response upside down. The blood at the wound site stopped coagulating so I could not heal myself, just so the blood-drinker could have its fill. Yes, that’s right. I am talking about jiki-ketsu-gaki (Japanese), creatures thought to have sinned in their previous life and reincarnated with an insatiable appetite for something we find sordid; blood. The foul being goes through a quick life cycle, spawning hundreds of thousands of offspring, all carrying disease and death. They are believed to be the cause of over 700 million illnesses worldwide. Thus, we have created hundreds of products, repelling the repulsive “small fly” or in Portuguese, “mosquito.”

I counted 11 bites. Texas summers are not fun, especially in San Antonio. It is hot and humid, conditions that invite pests from the tropics. Most people stay indoors so they do not have to deal with these things. My lab on the other hand...lets just say mosquitoes are the least of our worries. Out in the field there are scorpions, rattlesnakes, and worst of all, Trombiculidae, aka the chigger. I got six bites last week and they still itch! They reside in tall grass and like to run up legs and bite where there are skin folds (eg. around the waistline, in your belly button, the back of your knees and even armpits). Why do I endure this mutilation? For the sake of science of course.

I moved in a week early to get a head start on my research. I was quite shocked Trinity even allowed us to move in so early. The maids came and cleaned our rooms and Trinity hired some people to fumigate all the rooms. Of course there were signs of previous occupancy everywhere but then again Trinity dorms are pretty nice compared to dorms from other places. They are spacious and have tons of storage. Right now they are renovating all of the freshman dorms. They make quite the ruckus in the morning and they have fenced off certain areas, making it confusing for me to decide which path to take in the morning to get to the biology building. Oh well, more for the sake of science.

It was a bit weird settling into the same old research routine but I am managing. My lab has reduced in size from 6 to 3 students but we are doing just fine. I see a lot of new research students every summer, meaning there is more funding for independent research. Dr. Lyons, my mentor, got a $205,000 grant last year so we have funding for 5 years. Trinity also receives money from the Welsh Foundation. It funds the Chemistry department. Each research student gets $3500 stipend, free room for the summer, and a one-hour class credit. It is a really wonderful plan. I have been doing it for 3 years now and I love it. Each summer my skills improve and I get to meet a lot more people in my field (yay for networking). This summer we are presenting our work at the Ecological Society of America conference in Albuquerque. We will be there for five days. I am a little scared and I have complained to Bianca about the whole thing but I think it will really help me decide if I want to do this for the rest of my life. I think I should just be glad for the opportunity (thank you USDA for funding our trip). In the meantime, I have work to do to prepare for the conference.

Oh, a minor update on my host family. My host parents went to Okinawa. They sent me a post card. I sent Misato a mother’s day card and she sent an e-mail yesterday saying she received it and was quite happy. They are all healthy and wonderful. I told them I bake all the time now because I miss those Tokyo patisseries. My creations are not like those wonderful cakes at all (which require years of training and hours to make). The baking bug has really got me so I have excess sweets sitting around in the lab all the time. Maybe the sugar is attracting those darn mosquitoes.

I baked this for Bianca. Strawberry rhubarb pie with a lattice crust. Here it is prebaked.

Raspberry lemon cupcakes with raspberry lemon icing garnished with raspberries and mint leaves from my garden. Made for my friends studying for finals.

Miniature crepes I made for breakfast with fruit leftover from other baked goods (raspberries, strawberries, apple, mineola that Bianca gave me, etc).

My mother demanded rice krispies from me before I started research. She also handed me some coconut cream powder, telling me it would taste fantastic with coconut. My mother grew up with coconuts in Vietnam so they are her favorite. So I made these coconut rice krispies with coconut cream. By far, her favorite of all things I have ever made and they only take 20 minutes.

Mango coconut sorbet inside a caramel shell. Oh caramel is so difficult to work with! I need a team of people to help me but of course no one was willing. My dad helped a bit. He eats all my baked goods and says they are good. He is also re-teaching me how to drive this summer. I feel after almost driving into his car twice (pulling out of the driveway is tricky) his driving lessons are getting longer. He likes caramel so I made this for him.

Pecan and chocolate biscottis with gyokuro tea from Itoen. Gyokuro is the highest grade of green tea. See how nice the color is. No wonder it is called "Jade Dew." Perfect snack for afternoon tea.

Baked coconut plantain chips. My mother used to bake plantains. They are quite good, very different from bananas. I wanted to make sweetened chips because I craved some so I baked some plantains and drizzled this sweet coconut syrup on top of them. Crunchy and sweet. Very tasty.

Pecan logs dusted with sugar. I am having this for afternoon tea in lab today. Trinity often serves these when there is a function (like Vespers). Bianca and I are always seeking them out. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart. They are similar to the ones Trinity makes so I am quite pleased with them.

Miniature chocolate plant cupcakes. I prepared these for our first lab meeting. Chocolate cupcakes baked inside a miniature terracotta pot. They are then frosted with dense chocolate frosting and sprinkled with crushed cookies (I scraped the cream off of oreos and crushed them to make it). I used a sprig of mint (again from the garden) to make it look like a plant. I thought it was fitting for my lab. Aren't they cute?

Sorry for these food pictures. I have promised my family (and dentist) to bake less. My roommate for the summer brought a ton of bake ware to the the room so I am finding it hard to keep my promise.

Posted by Nancy at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You’re probably wondering what in the world this entry could be about. In my absence perhaps I am become a children’s book author and will tell you the latest story. Or perhaps, the aforementioned animals were featured in one of my more mundane dreams. Well, the truth is funnier than all that. Of course, I am back home now, finals are over, things are still unpacked and I am in recovery mode and have been channeling all of my energies into creating fabulous dinners for my family. This is actually a very ambitious undertaking. No one in my family likes anything “fancy.” So the pork chops scarpariello and the saffron risotto was introduced as meat and rice, the braised beef flank steak with grilled asparagus and potato latkes was plated as beef with vegetables. Tonight’s mock coq au vin dish, known as chicken in Riesling, was something I thought they would need no translation for. Unfortunately, it too required a title demotion (chicken soup). It was my brother’s fault. He became frightened and alarmed when I announced the menu and said he would never eat chicken and weasels.
I’m still having a hard time not laughing!
As if! Only a boy would think I could touch such an animal let alone cook it.

When I toss off my headscarf and head out of the kitchen I can be found reading or swimming. And really, that’s it. It’s scary to think that this will be one of the last times in my life that I can carry on this way, so worry free. I’m even looking fearlessly towards the next year since I know what classes I’m taking, the professors that are teaching them, where I’m living and who my roommate is, I know my way around campus and won’t get too lost in San Antonio. It’ll all be so fun that I’m already feeling wistful. It’s going to be over so soon! I’ve finally figured out how to study and when I can do laundry and I know just how the year will swing past me while I’m working and stressing and I already miss Trinity. I don’t think everyone feels this way. I think it’s just because my sister will be a freshman at Incarnate Word (University across from Trinity). We’re at such different stages - she’ll be starting all the fun college stuff and I’m ending it. She’s nervous and she doesn’t know where Central Market is or how to plan her weekly outfits (she’s a bit of a fashion nut). College is something new and scary for her and it’s almost impossible to believe that not so long ago I felt the same - everything’s so simple now.

The first thing I told her was “Do you remember when you cried your first week of high school? Well, you’re going to cry again.” If middle school to high school was a breathtaking leap, high school to college can only be compared to falling into an alternate universe where everyone is quicker and smarter and expects you to keep up. Some do, some don’t. When I first came to Trinity on the 360 tour, my mother and I took a taxi and when the driver found out I wanted to get a degree in biochemistry he turned around (heedless of the freeway traffic) and frowned at me saying, “They’re going to chew you up and spit you out.” I don’t know what I was wearing that day, but I must have looked too young or otherwise unimpressive. I didn’t end up taking more than a year of science, but I still feel that I am proving him wrong. My major may have changed to History and Spanish, but I’m doing well and I’m happy. That’s going to be my advice for my sister when she wants to change from her business major - are you happy and are you good at it?

Gosh. It’s going to be an interesting year. I told Nancy that I already got used to the way things were when I had complete run of the room so I will have to relearn how to share. Despite having two siblings, I have never wanted to be “the example” or share my toys. But, because I value familial peace over my possessions, I have managed to look the other way when things are borrowed. Of course I overreact every now and then - before I would let my sister borrow my Harry Potter book I had her sign a contract that limited the check out to 30 days and whenever she wasn’t reading the book it had to be in a ziploc bag. Outrageous, I know. Hopefully I can behave so Nancy won’t have to find another roommate.

That’s another thing my sister and many other entering freshmen (first years, whatever) are worried about. I remember some serious trepidation. I received an email from residential life the summer before my first year saying that my roommate was named Huynh Nga. Coming from a largely hispanic community, I was bewildered by Nancy’s name. I was worried about cultural clash and worried about her interests - would we get along? What would she be like? I became resigned to living in awkward silence with a total stranger when Nancy took a month to answer the first email. I prayed a lot and hoped that whoever was assigning roommates would pick well. Now, you all know the story. Somehow, I ended up living with my best friend. I think when I realized she was a bigger Harry Potter fan than me, I knew it would all work out.

Well, I guess I should work on unpacking - I should have more to wear than this dress...

Family at Mother’s Day breakfast at Camino Real

Posted by Bianca at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Matane! (See you again!)

My plane from Narita Airport in Japan left on Saturday, April 25 at 11:30am. Thanks to the weird time differences I ended up in San Antonio at approximately 11:30am, April 25th, Saturday. My mother and siblings greeted me at the airport. They were quite happy to see me. I was happy too but I missed Tokyo so SO much more.

A few weeks before I left I tried to go to all the major spots to see before I left. My friends and I went to Tokyo Disney, Ryogoku (samurai town), Ueno Zoo, and Odaiba. I had to buy as many souvenirs as I possibly could. By the end I was so drained. So I spent the last 3 days with my host family.

At Disney.

At Ueno Zoo. This elephant was so big.

In Tokyo, on April 24th, I sat with my host parents and we talked until midnight. We talked about how much we would miss each other and how lucky we were to have met. Honestly, my host family made my experience in Tokyo. If it were not for them, I assure you I would see Tokyo from a completely different perspective. My host mother cried so I cried. Aina, my baby host sister was confused by our tears, but she got up and brought us tissues. I spent my last free weekend almost exclusively with Aina. We played games from when she woke up to before dinner. My host father had overtime work on Friday so he came home at 9:30pm. When the doorbell rang, we all ran outside to meet him. Everyone screaming “PAPA!!”

My host father is only 29 years old. He has been working for the Hitachi Company since he graduated from college. He was originally from Yokohama (and still commutes there every morning for work). He remains a loyal supporter of the Yokohama Bay Stars (a baseball team), despite their abysmal rankings. He wanted to quit his job in his early twenties to form a rock band. But he met Misato, my host mother and she convinced him that the prospects of becoming a superstar are poor. She was used to a life of luxury and there was no way she would go along with his life of frugality until he hit it big. My host mother is the youngest child of a producer in Tokyo. Her dad produces movies and her mom produces concerts. Her parents took her traveling every opportunity they had so she has literally been everywhere. Her favorite place in the world is France so she studied there in high school and then studied French literature at a college near Paris. When she came back to Tokyo she got a job at an airline, translating (she is fluent in French after all). She met Shingo, and after two years, they got married at Tokyo Disneyland. When Misato became pregnant with Aina, she quit her job and became a full-time mom. Being a mom in Japan is rough. Misato must have scheduled and attended 40 meetings with instructors from private preschools and language schools in our area while I was there. She takes Aina out when the weather is good, to play with her friends in the park and has to come home in time to make dinner for everyone.

Me, Aina, Misato-san near a play area by Tokyo Tower.

When I came to live with them her cooking skills dramatically improved because she had to make so many new dishes. I am the first long-term stay study abroad student they have hosted. They have hosted four other students before me. It is quite rare to find host parents in Japan because of the Japanese belief in keeping outsiders outside of the home. I was so afraid that my Japanese skills would stop me from getting into the home stay program but I got in. And then I was paired with the most incredible host family possible. The first and only thing I could say to them for the first 30 minutes was, “hajimemashite” or “nice to meet you.” I repeated it a good 8 times. When we finally got settled in the car (after I cleverly insisted that my host father drive when he was telling me to sit on the left side of the car…yes Japanese people drive on the right…it still confuses me), my host parents asked if I was tired and if I needed to contact my parents in America. They helped me get settled from the start. They bought sweets for me, kept a lookout for anything related to my favorite Korean boy band on TV, and frequently conversed with me. My Japanese greatly improved within the first month so that by the end, I understood everything they said and responded only in Japanese. My high grade in Japanese class is all thanks to my host mother checking over my homework every night and practicing with me. My host mother always asked about my classes and encouraged me to work hard. She cleaned the floor when I spilled paint after a long painting session in the room. She listened when I complained about painting. She magically made all the stains on my clothes disappear whether it was from my oil paints or a chocolate crepe. When I got sick, she took my temperature and prepared tea in a thermos for me so it would stay hot throughout the night. She cheered me on when I had to take this strange powdery green medicine for my stomach. Even though she was exhausted from playing with Aina all day, she realized I did not want to go to the new patisserie on my own so she walked there with me. While we waited for dinner, she often prepared cookies and tea and we would gossip about the neighborhood mamas and discuss the drama going on at school. She never complained about how long my showers were until the mansion repair people came asking if the water pipes were broken (their water bill had somehow tripled since January). Of course my host father did not complain either but he does not usually deal with the bills so I am not sure if he knew. My host father and I always talked about video games and music. Although he does not like my Korean boy band, he often plays their music for me. He shows me cool videos and helps me plan for any trips I am thinking about (he is totally meticulous about that stuff). He drives me everywhere and tells me which places have the best food. Although he does not like sweets so much he eats all the cakes I buy (even this super decadent pure chocolate rose “cake”).

A rose cake from Printemps in Ginza. It took us 3 days to finish our individual cakes!

So I miss my host parents a lot but I miss my host sister the most. Aina-chan is the cutest toddler in the world. She makes me laugh all the time. When she hears the doorbell ring she comes running to the door to greet me. When I come home early from school we always sit in the kitchen and share cheese and crackers. We watch her favorite cartoons and dance to them on Friday afternoons. When I study she likes to go into my room and lay on my futon. I am going to miss playing with her and talking to her (even though she hardly makes any sense).

Having crackers and tea.

Looking at fish...

At the members lounge in Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi.

My host mother said she wants me to think of them as my second family and should I ever need a place to stay, I am always welcome. I will definitely come back to Japan and I will continue to write letters and send pictures to my second family. I learned a lot while I was studying abroad and I gained some incredible experiences. To be honest I was quite afraid of going to Tokyo. I was anxious at the airport but from the moment I saw the streets lights in Shinjuku, I felt quite at home. I was never homesick and I was never lonely. I made a lot of friends and I visited a lot of new places. I tried a bunch of weird things (fish on a stick…raw squid…you get the picture). I got lost and I found my way home countless times. So now I feel braver and more independent. I want to try more things and I feel quite open to having new adventures. I was such a recluse before. Of all the things I did in college, this is by far the best. Studying abroad as an amazing experience and I hope that incoming students consider it during their stay at Trinity. Don’t let fears about cost or class credits dissuade you! Just go for it. I am a double major in two completely different subjects (biology and art history) and I went to Tokyo (one of the most expensive cities in the world) and I completed my study abroad without any problems. I anticipate that I will graduate on time and my loans didn’t increase or anything. Just decide where you want to go and what is best for you. The only hard part is having to leave when you get there.

Taking a stroll at Grandberry Mall.

I miss them.

Posted by Nancy at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)