The Avengers-MKs Analogy

Do you really want to know what it's like for MKs when we haven't been in the States for a long time and then come back?

It's like, okay, we feel like we haven't changed, and we get off that plane, and--BOOM!--America hits us faster than Buster hitting the pavement as Adam and Jamie once again to prove to us that you can't believe everything you were told as a kid.

Mythbusters:  Making science cool via gigantic explosions since 2003

I mean, yeah, there's the initial fact that America has just gotten stranger over the last few years or so.  I mean, could they get any stranger than they were last time?

Then comes the first day you have to interact with other Americans.  Yes!  People who speak English!  Except for the fact that everything they talk about means absolutely nothing to you.  Michael Buble?  The Walking Dead?  Twilight?  And everyone's like, "Have you been living under a rock?"

And you're like, "No.  So...how about the nuclear crisis in North Korea?"  And everyone's like, "Who cares?"  And all you can think is how nuclear missiles in North Korea are a dozen times more important than the latest thing that came out of Jennifer Lawrence's mouth (Although, honestly, of all the things I've seen about celebrities on the Internet, that woman is the one who probably acts the most like me.)

Ah, the "I'm a five-year-old adult moment."  Classic.

Anyway, after a few months of furlough though, you begin to catch on to this whole America thing.  Maybe you still haven't seen a single episode of Grey's Anatomy, but you know when people are talking about it.  You can't participate, but at least you're not completely lost.

Then comes the day when you finally feel like you've completely got all of America figured out!  This, my friends, is where the Avengers analogy comes in.  Anyone who's seen the movie remember this scene?

Okay, so imagine it's a missions conference.  Your parents have released you to go sit at the teen table away from all the old people and pastors who love to flock to missionaries.  You're greatly relieved.  Or, you know, maybe you're at college for the first time.  There's a few other missionary kids there, and you're mostly talking with them because, let's face it, Americans are just so weird.  However, eventually, an American engages you in conversation.  You start to chat, and all of a sudden, they make a pop culture reference.
The MK you were talking with goes, "Huh?"
And you proclaim, "I got it!  I knew what they were talking about!"
And every American in hearing distance looks at you again with that, "Yes...everyone understood that reference" look.  And you are the one who gets to explain to the other MK exactly what the person fully meant when he said, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya.  Prepare to die!"  Because your moment of triumph only made you look like a dork.

And then, inevitably, three days later, you once again find yourself completely lost in a conversation because you have seriously never, ever, ever watched Indiana Jones before.

And all the Americans are looking at you like:

Which, I hadn't, until I was a freshman in college

Intergalactic Star Wars Day

Oh, yes!  The day has arrived.  The holiday that every American school child should be let off for every year, not just the years it happens to fall on Saturday or Sunday (like this year and next year.)

IT'S INTERGALACTIC STAR WARS DAY!

Get it?  Because fourth sounds like force.  Yeah, I really hope you didn't need that explanation.

I mean, in Japan, kids get off school for Intergalactic Star Wars Day.  Or, actually, they get off for a national holiday that falls on the same day, but we should just pretend Japan is actually cool enough to let all their kids off because of George Lucas's epic masterpiece.

Also, side note:  this is our first Intergalactic Star Wars Day in which the franchise is owned by the Evil Empire... Disney.  I just hope Disney isn't the movies' own Order 66.

Disney Order 66:  Execute all canon the Star Wars fans have ever known.

Ah, I still remember the first time I ever watched Star Wars.  I was seven years old.  It was the 20th Anniversary Special Edition in 1997.  Yes, this means I grew up with Greedo shooting first.

No matter what, at least he dies.

My dad sat down in the living room to watch them with us kids.  At first, nothing really tipped me off that what I was about to experience was going to be life changing.  I mean, our family had some movies that we just had to watch with the parents.  Maybe the fact Mom wasn't watching this movie with us should have tipped us off.  I mean, normally with a new movie everyone watched.  But, no, the actual case was that my mom isn't a Star Wars fan.

Anyway, we sat down in the living room to watch the video tape.  And I was BLOWN away.  Almost everything in my body instantly knew it was amazing.  My bladder didn't even tell me how badly it needed to pee until the whole film was over.  Same thing happened the next two days as I watched The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  My poor dad had to read off all those opening crawl for years until the youngest of us three kids was able to read fast enough to keep up.

*epic theme music*

Naturally, I wondered where I-III were, but I was told they didn't exist.  Like I said, it was 1997.  I figured they had to happen eventually.

Awesomeness for seven-year-olds

So, of course, as soon as I'd seen all the movies, and I was in love, and fortunately, the other missionaries we were working with at the time had a son two years older than me who also liked Star Wars, and my brother who's two years younger than me also loves Star Wars, so it's not like I was alone in this thing.  No girls were around who really, really liked Star Wars, but I didn't care.  I had people who liked Star Wars.  Naturally, my younger brother got a lightsaber.  Actually, I think for all my growing up years from 1997 on, there was only once a time span when there wasn't a single lightsaber or lightsaber knock-off in the household.

We actually owned the knock-off double blade, not the real one.

Actually, when I think about it, Star Wars was probably the first time I followed all the steps of being part of a fandom.
#1:  Become introduced.
#2:  Fall in love.
#3:  Find others that share your love.
#4:  Buy merchandise.  Or, rather, have your brother get merchandise, in my case.

This person is naturally awesome.

Only one of the most frustrating Lego structures ever.

Just as good as regular Monopoly

#5:  Have one minor fault that makes you feel slightly out of place in the fandom.

I confess!  I don't hate Jar Jar Binks, like I'm supposed to!

#6:  Have lengthy discussions about everything.
#7:  Learn lots of information about stuff that isn't in the films and feel superior by correcting others who don't know as much.

I will admit, though, I've never actually read a Star Wars book and most of my information concerning the Extended Universe comes from Wookieepedia.  Also, my friends are on average WAY bigger Star Wars fans than me and can correct me at every turn.

If this isn't considered normal behavior, then I don't know what is.

So, yeah, that's my Star Wars story.  Well, at least so far.  In two years' time, it will pick up again when Star Wars VII airs.

Do us good, Mickey!  Follow the canon.

Anyway, Happy Intergalactic Star Wars Day, and may the fourth be with you always.

Sorry, the Doctor Who reference had to happen.

500 Views!

Woo hoo!  My blog has had 500 views (actually 506 as I write this).  Time for some dancing bananas!


When I reach 1895, I plan on doing some dancing Sherlocks.  Or something like that.  And then I'll hope the counter just freezes at that, like Watson's does on the TV series.

MK Lexicon

Oh, look, I'm back to the subject of Japan.  Well, kind of sort of.  I mean, this blog is called "Ramblings of an MK," so I figure I should ramble on a bit about MKs for a while, specifically, the language we speak.

"Don't you speak a bunch of different languages?"

Yes, but at the core, we have these special keywords that draw up mutual understanding that outsiders do not immediately understand.  Here is my guide to such phrases, from the perspective of an American MK.  I can't promise it's complete, but at least it's a start:

Airport--a magical place full of stressful situations that will eventually get you where you need to go

Airport Security--people who believe a seventeen-year-old girl's gel pen collection is the latest threat to travel safety; they generally have no sense of humor

Border Crossing--more people with no sense of humor

America--a mystical land far away where apparently everything "good" on earth comes from and generally doesn't live up to expectations

Americans--an annoying group of people who feel they rule the world; that English should be spoken everywhere; and when English isn't understood, feel the appropriate response is to speak louder and slower; people who cause us to want to disown our home country; NEVER EVER be an "American"

Candy Bar--an American invention so amazing, it is treated like gold until the moment it's all consumed; everyone who can eat chocolate has a favorite, and that is usually the one they will request if given a chance

Choosing a candy bar is a very serious decision

Consulate--people who get your passport renewed

Craving--In America, we crave foreign food.  On the field, we crave American food.  Yet we always try to remain content.

Culottes--in the words of an MK guy from my mission board, "a skirt for each leg"; the worst fashion statement Cultural Fundamentalism developed; hopefully eventually going out of style

Culture Shock--the sudden realization that you're not in America anymore; sometimes there's a honeymoon period, sometimes there isn't

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."  "No joke, Dorothy!"

Deputation--all the driving around, visiting churches our families do do before going to the field

Embassy--another important place filled with important people

Field--the place the missionary family serves in

Furlough--all the driving around, visiting churches missionaries do for several weeks to a year at a time while taking a "break" from ministering

Home--(1) the land our parents are from; (2) the land we serve in; (3) the house we reside in; (4) wherever we happen to be staying for the night

Home Church--the church you theoretically attend most of the time when you're in America/the church that sends you out

Home Country--the land our parents are from

Hoard vs. Gorge--the decision an MK on what to do with his Christmas candy--should you make it last until Easter or eat it all now because you've been craving it so badly?  (If you choose to gorge, you will regret it when your sibling has a Milky Way in three months and you don't.)

Immigration--a long line you stand in to get into a country; yet another group of people who apparently have no sense of humor

Immigration Office--an important place with important people doing important stuff that they believe is very important for you to do stay in the country--as long as they're allowed to do it as slowly as they want to

Instant Connection--the feeling you get when you meet another missionary kid who's been through similar stuff as you

International Date Line--an evil little line that I still don't understand further than it causes me to lose and gain days

"It might not be here next time!"--the best way to justify buying all the Teddy Grahams the grocery store has on the shelf

Yes, sir, I'm 100% certain we want 20 bags of Teddy Grahams.

Jet Lag--the grogginess you get for a few days to a couple weeks after sending your body on the other side of the world

Ladies Missionary Fellowships--ladies who get together and sign birthday cards and also pray for the missionaries

Missionary Cupboards--a closet full of stuff for the missionaries to take and use; some smart churches also have a great stash of gift cards, which is way better than yet another set of towels, because we can spend them on what we actually need, especially with the limited space we have


Missionary Pen Pal--a kid who needs some questions answered for a church/school project; technically, a "pen pal" should write back and forth, but typically all they want is the one letter to complete the project and they're done

Mission Board--the important people who do important stuff in the States for the missionaries--honestly, I don't really remember what they do, but it seems like it has a lot to do with money and...field stuff; it also kind of defines who you are as a missionary when you say what board you're from (honestly, though, about half my MK friends aren't even from my parents' board)

Missions Songs--"Send the Light," "Jesus Saves," "Rescue the Perishing," etc.; by week eight of furlough, every missionary is about ready to scream as they hear these songs for the eighth week in a row

MK--abbreviation for missionary kid

Moochionary--portmanteau of "mooch" and "missionary"; a missionary who thinks it's okay to just mooch off the kindness of others and expect everything to be given to them (We're not all this way!  Sorry if you had one stay at your house!)

On Base--foreign military base; center of all foreign things related to the country it belongs to; American ones are full of American products; if you have someone to let you on, your mom stocks up on all those American things you wouldn't have otherwise; typically also fill the surrounding area with American-ness

Package--wonderful magical goodness of America all contained within cardboard

Passport--a magical little book that allows you into a bunch of countries

Permanent Residency--magical paperwork that apparently makes you have to do less other magical paperwork

Prayer Cards--the pictures of missionary families that MKs hate seeing around and want replaced as soon as possible after each visit because they look so young and dorky by the time each furlough rolls around

Prayer Letter--the letters the parents send out telling all the stuff they actually want to tell about the field

Re-entry Permit--a magical piece of paperwork that lets you into the short line at immigration when you go back to the field

Reverse Culture Shock--forgetting how strange a place America is; usually hits within minutes of getting off the plane; with America...there is no honeymoon period

Let's face it; as soon as we get off the plane, every American is as about weird to an MK as Lady Gaga is to every American--if only we knew who Lady Gaga was, but we don't because we haven't been around and stereotypically have no understanding of pop culture

Stateside--what an MK is when he's in America


Suitcase--You don't think I can fit fifty pounds of clothing, books, and gifts in this?  Watch me!  I wish I could still get seventy-five pounds in this!

Suitcase of Stuff for Other People--everyone's got a wish list of things for the missionary going on furlough to bring back, containing items from hair dryers to deodorant to Lego; in our family, at least, all this was set in the suitcase we'd used to bring gifts back to the close friends and relatives in the States

Supporting Churches--churches that send missionaries money so you can live in a foreign country


Time Difference--the reason missionaries have gotten calls at 3 in the morning is not always because something important has happened; it's sometimes because Grandma forgot how to properly calculate the time difference (But my Grandma is awesome and doesn't do that stuff)

Third Culture Kids--children who have spent most of their formative years in a culture different from the ones their parents grew up in while usually being expected to maintain some level of connection to the parent's culture

Visa--important paperwork to let you stay in the country for a long period of time, not a credit card

"Where are you from?"--the world's most annoying question because one does not simply answer it in a few words; it usually takes about a paragraph for us to feel we've adequately answered it

That's right, Boromir meme

"You Know You're An MK When..."--MK brand humor that unites all of us; I will have to post some someday; Andy and Deborah Kerr published a book on it

So...that's all I can think of for now.  If you're an MK, Military Brat, or other Third Culture Kid, suggest some more and I'll make a Part 2!

ETA:  My mom corrected my consulate definition; in my defense, we usually visit the immigration office and the consulate at the same time, so that's why I got them confused.  I've added "immigration office" separately, and redefined consulate.  Either way, it's a bunch of bureaucrats who I wish would just learn the meaning of haste.

On Musicals

So, I finally saw Les Miserables last night...and again this morning.  Thing is, both blogs that I follow have already done extensive coverage of it, so I'm not going to just copy them and tread on their turf.  No, instead, I will discuss, in alphabetical order, my favorite musicals.

"Why in alphabetical order?  What's wrong with numerical order?"

Because it would end up in about a three-way-tie, and I'd feel bad rating one above the other.  So, here it goes, some of Katrina's absolute favoritest musicals of all time.  Well, the real life ones, at least.  The animated ones get covered when I do my favorite Disney animated features list.

Annie--Okay, first confession is that most of these made the list because I absolutely love the music, so that goes without saying.  The problem is that after you cover that, you don't really have many reasons to talk about why you like a musical.  I mean, what am I supposed to say, "I like it because of the warm fuzzies I get when Daddy Warbucks warms up to her and decides to adopt her and then also marries his secretary?"  No, duh, I'm going to be tell you this movie/musical (I have watched two film versions and two stage versions.) rocks because of "It's a Hard Knock Life," "Little Girls," "Easy Street," "Maybe," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," and "Tomorrow."  And also because Annie's an awesome redhead.  Because redheads are awesome.  I know that was circular reasoning, but oh well.

The King and I--So, one Sunday afternoon, my brothers were watching Disney Channel, and they ended up watching the animated version.  We liked it, so since we were sick enough we had to skip church that night anyway (which probably meant we were really sick), my mom had us watch the live action version.  Of course, at least one brother was aghast at the ending of the non-animated version because in the animated one he apparently lives.  But, no, I'm like, "I'm over here with the real life version with the dying and stuff."  And also the really long symbolic play-within-a-film about Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Then they also decided to include the fact that the king offers to send Abraham Lincoln bull elephants to aid in the Civil War (That part of the film is true!  Lincoln did in fact receive an offer of war elephants from the King of Siam, which he refused.).  I actually only have one favorite song, "Shall We Dance," but that's because I'm more in love with the whole theme of the movie.  I guess I can just sympathize with Anna trying to understand the Siamese culture and trying to also "fit" her English ways in.  And the King of Siam is such a hilarious character, etc., etc. etc.

Les Misérables--So, maybe I only watched this twice (last night and this morning), but I kind of already fell in love quickly, which normally happens with musicals and me.  I don't normally gradually start out "meh" and turn to "like" and then "love."  No, for me it's more of an instant "OH YES THIS IS AWESOME!" sort of thing.  I mean, the movie starts out with "Look Down," and that kind of sucks you in immediately.  I'll admit I got lost in the middle for a bit there, and thanks to Susan Boyle, "I Dreamed a Dream" kind of is boring to me, but I own it because it's a good song.  Also, I was well prepared for everyone dying at the end, but, come on, like the French would think of doing anyone else.  My favorite songs are "Look Down," "Red and Black," "On My Own," "Can You Hear the People Sing?," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."  And then of course there's that epilogue where it's like, "YES!"  And I almost cried, which, as I've stated before, is significant for me.  I mean, the French are probably the only people who can leave you nearly/actually in tears and wanting to start a revolution all at once.

Newsies--So, the reason I checked this movie out from the library was 1) because people at college kept telling me it was awesome and 2) because I was checking out Batman Begins from the library but The Dark Knight wasn't in.  I didn't know about the whole Christian Bale being in both thing.  And as soon as I watched the movie, I was instantly in some sort of love thing with it.  It had cute guys, inspired you to do something you probably actually didn't want to do, and had really catchy music.  Bonus:  The director/choreographer was Kenny Ortega, and since I was young enough at the time to like High School Musical, it made it pretty cool.  Anyway, nowadays, I like to pretend High School Musical was never a part of my life.  But Newsies is, and it is awesome.  I couldn't get the songs out of my head, so I got the CD for my birthday, and basically almost every song that Medda didn't sing was my favorite.  This means my favorites are "Carrying the Banner," "Santa Fe," "The World Will Know," "Seize the Day," "King of New York," and "Once and For All."  And, yes, the historicalness of it all is very skewed, but if a musical doesn't mess with history, something's wrong with the musical.  Because sadly, real people don't just break out into song and dance on the streets.  Even though I really wish we did.  Which is why Improv Everywhere are my heroes (watch their YouTube videos; awesome stuff).

The Phantom of the Opera--I mean, come on, why wouldn't you love the film that's based on the longest running Broadway play ever?  Okay, my friend Micah has some reasons, and I do see his points, but let's cover a couple things here:  awesome organ music (DUH-DUH-DUH-DUUUH!), underground lair with water entrance, and a falling chandelier.  Remind me again how this movie isn't cool?  Okay, yeah, there's that really lame swordfight, I'll give Micah that, and, yes, Christine should've been smart enough to figure out the fact that the Phantom isn't her dead father, but, come on, doesn't the music outweigh those minor details.  "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Masquerade" are definitely my two favorites.  Come on, "The Phantom of the Opera" song is so epic, it in itself cancels out all bad arguments.  In fact, next time someone tells me they don't like this movie, I'm just going to blast the title song over their talking to show how much I care. :P

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers--Okay, I didn't see this movie until college.  And as soon as I saw it, I loved it.  I mean, how many movies start with a guy coming to town being like, "I'm getting a woman" and then all six of his brothers are simultaneously like, "We want women!"  And then there's men singing and dancing and an avalanche and the kidnapping and everyone happily gets married in a shotgun wedding ceremony over a baby that actually was the spawn of the married couple.  Favorite Songs:  "Bless Your Beautiful Hide," "Goin' Courtin'," and "Sobbin' Women."  And also the barn dance-off.  And, come on, someone invented a hick, lumberjack musical.  It's like they took two theoretically conflicting concepts and combined them into one of the most epic musicals of all time.

The Sound of Music--So, this was probably the first real musical I saw.  I mean, not that Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King aren't real musicals, but it was the first live action musical I saw.  I was maybe six at the time, and at first I kind of fell in love with the absolutely pointless goat puppet show, but overall I loved this film.  I mean, even when you're six, you simply understand something about this film is awesome.  Maybe it's the way it opens, the dancing, the singing, the everything.  And when you're little, you don't quite understand everything.  In fact, after the wedding, most of what you see doesn't make much sense to you aside from the music festival.  And then eventually you grow up, and you learn more about history, and you watch History Channel specials, and you read the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, and your first time watching it in over a year when you're sixteen (Probably the first time watching it since I read the book), you cry because you finally understand what the Nazis are about.  You finally understand how they're leaving Austria forever.  Maybe Rodgers and Hammerstein condensed some things, and maybe it is, in the words of Maria von Trapp, "a nice story but not my story," but it's still powerful.  Because I started on this journey so young, my favorite songs have changed over time, but as an adult, my favorites are "The Sound of Music," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things," and "Climb Every Mountain."  In the past, "Do-Re-Mi;" So Long, Farewell;" and "The Lonely Goatherd" have also been favorites.

Anyway, that wraps up my top seven live action musicals.  I think they're pretty awesome, and if you haven't seen any of them, GO TO YOUR LIBRARY AND CHECK THEM OUT!

Also, this isn't saying I don't like any other musicals.  There's some I haven't seen yet, and I haven't seen The Fiddler on the Roof for such a long time, and even then only once, I can't remember how favorite it is.  The Phantom of the Opera had that same problem for a while.  This is probably an indication I need to go check out Fiddler again, because I know it is pretty stinking cool.