Ever since I was born, I have traveled to Japan in the summer. All of my maternal relatives live there, so it was only natural that I should visit them. My favorite spot was on the edge of the worn couch in the living room of my grandparents' house. It was there I learned that the best way to kill a roach is to use your slipper, and that Danish Cookie Tins never really contained cookies, only sewing kits. I learned Japanese from sitting in on my cousin's lessons, my grandfather who rarely ever gave praises doting on me. It was there that I sat with my grandmother, creating art from bell peppers and paint, constructing poems from meaningless words. It was here that I happily ate my grandmother's special seasonal soup, while the others looked on with expressions of concern and respect. It was there that I spent my most memorable moments, just sitting on the couch with my grandmother, half listening to what happened to her 10 years ago and half dozing off. My intellectual adventures were not profoundly enlightening nor life changing. However, they shaped who I am now. They are the reason I love the arts and continue to pursue my Japanese education. They are the reason I take naps during the afternoon, curled up in a ball, listening to music.
Coates mentioned that he would take breaks from his reading and go to the Yard to eat lunch and walk around. He also said that He learned from the wisdom of older poets. Although my intellectual adventure was not as life changing as his, we both learn from the mundane things in life that shape who we are.
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