Elizabeth Hahn

STUDENT INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Hahn (SILAC)

Declan: Hello. Thank you for the interview.
Elizabeth: You're welcome.
D: Where are you from?
E: The USA.
D: Which part?
E: Kentucky.
D: As in Daniel Boone? What part of Kentucky?
E: Louisville. Where the Kentucky Derby is.
D: That is a horse race?
E: Yes.
D: Is it a steeplechase where they are jumping over those thingamejigs or just a race?
E: No jumps. Its a 1-1/4 mile race.
D: Now what brings you to Japan?
E: To learn Japanese. I want to be able to talk to my Japanese friends in their language, and I'm interested in the culture, particularly kendo.
D: You are currently in SILAC?
E: In SILAC. I start March 16th for a 12 week course, and I'm shortening it to 10 weeks and finishing May 25th.
D: Shortening by 1 module?
E: Yes. I've been given the opportunity to go to Tokyo to practise kendo.

D: How long have you been doing kendo?
E: About 2 years now.
D: In Louisville?
E: Yes.
D: Is your sensei and American or a Japanese?
E: Two teachers, 1 American and 1 Japanese.
D: What do you like about kendo?
E: The second dojo.
D: The drinkies?
E: The beers we have afterwards. I really like the community of people who do kendo.
D: Are they all Louisville locals?
E: Mostly locals. Sometimes we have a few Koreans or some Japanese come in as well. Exchange students or people in Louisville on business.
D: Do you have your own equipment?
E: Yes.
D: Is it easy to obtain in Kentucky or do you buy online?
E: We drove to California. There is a website e-bogu.com and they have a warehouse store. We drove across country on a vacation and I dropped in.
D: Are there others?
E: There was one in Oregon, I think its Stroud sensei. bogubag.com I think.
D: But nothing over east?
E: All west coast places. Nothing near Kentucky that I'm aware of.

D: What level are you now?
E: Shodan level.
D: The first one?
E: I had to pass my 1 kyuu.
D: What kind of testing was involved?
E: Kirikaeshi and 2 rounds of jikeiko, and an essay.
D: An essay?
E: I had to write about 4 types of footwork, or the benefits of kirikaeshi.
D: Are there many people in the dojo?
E: It comes and goes. Sometimes there are as many as 12. Sometimes I'm the only one who shows up.
D: You versus the sensei?
E: Its frightening. And really wears you out.
D: Doesn't wearing the bogu make you really hot and uncomfortable?
E: Yes. Especially in summer. Actually year round its hot.
D: Was that easy to get used to?
E: At first I felt a little claustrophobic. You get an itchy nose that you can't scratch. You can't hear well. Its heavy on your head. Its hard to see out of. But that lasts about a month.
D: Then you get used to it?
E: Yes.
D: Sounds like good exercise too.
E: It is.
D: What about sore feet?
E: A lot of people get sore feet, even blisters, but I've had no problem. I walk around barefoot a lot. Take my shoes off at home and when I'm popping outside for something or playing with the dog, even going to see neighbours sometimes.

D: Now as I understand it you work in theater?
E: Yes.
D: What is the name, is there something we can plug?
E: Its called Stage One. stageone.org Thats where I work. Professional children's theater.
D: Doing original productions....
E: Yes. Adult actors, we're actors equity, but the target audience are children.
D: What age are the kids? Are we talking the wiggles here or older kids?
E: Elementary onwards, some high school.
D: Not early childhood or tertiary but everything in between?
E: Yes. There is some regulation from the State Board of Education, some blah blah blah I'm not really sure of. I'm a techie so I don't really know about that side of things.
D: You're a techie in the wardrobe?
E: In the costume shop. Our department designs the costumes, makes the patterns, cuts and then I sew it all together.
D: And you are the zipper specialist?
E: I am. I like doing the zippers.
D: I'm still amazed by that handbag you showed us in the bar the other week.
E: Isn't it incredible?
D: Did you make it?
E: No it was a present from my mother-in-law, she bought it somewhere. When I showed it to people they though it was a really appropriate gift. One huge long zipper.

D: Have you done much travelling in Japan while you are here?
E: Kyoto. I went to Kyoto for Golden Week.
D: What did you do in Kyoto?
E: I went to see the 8 dan and 7 dan tests. Kendo stuff.
D: Was there someone you knew getting tested?
E: 2 sensei from Ohio. Japanese and they came back to Japan for the testing. One took 8 dan and the other 7 dan. So we met in Kyoto and then just hung out. Ate nice food. Went shopping. Watched kendo. It was really nice.
D: And this is where you met the sensei for the Tokyo trip?
E: Yes. I met Ozawa-sensei in Kyoto. He is one of the sensei who instructed the sensei living in Ohio. He wrote a book that I have.
D: What is it called?
E: I think its "definitive guide to kendo", or "Kendo, the definitive guide". Something like that.
D: And then you scored the invitation?
E: Yes he invited me to train at the dojo in Tokyo so thats why I'm shortening the SILAC studies.
D: Where is the dojo?
E: I think its in Nakano-ku.
D: It all sounds pretty cool. And you get to hit people for 2 weeks.
E: And get hit. I'm a little nervous.
D: Then you fly back to the USA?
E: Yes.
D: Back to work?
E: Maybe not. Not till August. I'm off for the summer.

D: One last thing. Accommodation. Where do you live?
E: I'm in Residence U.
D: In a single?
E: Yes.
D: How is everything?
E: I like it. I've got a corner apartment so its quiet.
D: Did you bring a laptop with you?
E: I did.
D: Do you use it much?
E: I use an online dictionary when I'm studying.
D: Which one?
E: I don't know the name. Jim something.
D: Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.
E: Yes.
D: Do you write home or call?
E: I use skype a lot, and email of course.
D: How do you get to school?
E: I walk.
D: How long does it take?
E: About 20 minutes.
D: Do you cook your own food?
E: Yes. I don't eat out much. Maybe not eating well but eating a lot. Especially rice. I like the Japanese rice.

D: OK. Well thank you for the interview and good luck with the rest of the studies and with the kendo.
E: Hey aren't we going to talk about bourbon? I mean whiskey?
D: I thought that might come up.
E: Of course.
D: OK. Umm. Give me 3 recommendations for Kentucky Bourbon.
E: 3? All right. First one is, Woodford Reserve.
D: Right.
E: And second, I guess is Maker's Mark.
D: OK.
E: What else is there?
D: No equivalent of a good Bushmills? There isn't a lot of depth if you can't give me 3 recommendations....
E: You're right. There are so many bourbons but not many really really good ones.
D: That is the same with my little collection. There are at least 600 distilleries in Scotland alone, but once you choose the really good single malts the list shortens.
E: Yes.

pause

D: And the third recommendation?
E: Umm, How about Knob Creek. Or Knob's creek. Or something like that.
D: I'll look it up on the web. If I can buy these locally I'll try them out. I won't stock bourbon but promise I'll try these 3.
E: What was the name of the scotch from the little place?
D: The little place?
E: The one from way up north you gave me?
D: Scapa perhaps?
E: Thats the one. It didn't taste like socks.
D: I certainly hope not.
E: I wonder if they serve it in my local pub?
D: If you ask them to stock it they probably would.
E: My friends are going to ask me what I studied in Japan and I'll tell them I learned about Japanese and whiskey.
D: And kendo.
E: And kendo.
D: Thank you again.
E: You're welcome.

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