Ofiicers' Spouses Club

I have decided to join the Officers' Spouse's Club, or the OSC for short.  Also, as a member of the OSC, I can become a member of the ILC (International Ladies' Club) which also contains 4 Japanese ladies' clubs.  I think this will be lots of fun and provide me with plenty of material for this blog.  Now that school is winding down, I'm finding lots of ways to keep myself busy.  Oh, did I mention that I've decided to become a PartyLite consultant?  Anyone want to buy candles?  OK, advertisement over...

Back to the OSC.  Last Thursday, they had a luncheon with a cultural experience.  I went as a guest of the wife of the Juneau's departing XO, Abby.  I had a blast.  We started the event with a meeting, so I got to see a few new faces.  Then, we saw an Obi tying demonstration (Obi are the sashes that go around Kimono.)  They had hired two professional dressers to come to the event.  After that, we listened to koto music by two of the spouses who are learning, their sensei and a few other players.  The koto is the flat Japanese harp that lays on the floor.  If you've seen Geisha or heard Japanese music, you know this one.  After that, lunch and cultural experiences began.

When we came in and paid for the event, we each got a card that allowed us to sign up for two craft activities that involved buying supplies.  The activities to choose from were washi paper, silk balls, and calligraphy.  I chose the washi paper and silk balls.  We could also try our hand at Ikebana and obi tying demonstrations for no charge.  Additionally, we each had the opportunity to try on a kimono and have the obi tied for us.

The silk ball station involved pressing pieces of silk fabric into patterns in Styrofoam balls.  This activity reminded me of when I was little and we were poor. We couldn't (or wouldn't) afford Christmas tree decorations, so we would press fabric into Styrofoam balls to make the ornaments.  I got a ball that already had 3 pieces of fabric in sections like a beach ball.  The other sections were pre-scored for me.  The instructor showed me how to push in the rest of the pieces, and then she added a tassel and a hanger for me.  It was really pretty and fun.  As a side note, this weekend, a similar artisan (maybe even her) had a stand outside the Exchange selling these silk balls.  I know now that this is an art and not a craft.  You should have seen the intricate patterns these balls held.  There was one with irises and another that was amazing.  It had a crane in sections of silk no bigger than my pinky tip.  It made me want to become a master silk ball decorator.  At lunch, I also bought a pin with two little ball tassels.  I plan to wear it in my hair once it's long enough to pull up.

Next, I went to the washi paper station.  Washi paper is what we call origami paper.  This is the good paper that feels like fabric.  Not the cheap, dollar store origami paper.  The instructor had pieces of paper pre-cut for us, and we each chose one that we liked.  I chose a piece with Japanese flowers on a gold background.  We marked off the paper with a pencil and then cut "teeth" along one edge.  After opening the paper and erasing the lines, we applied glue all over the paper.  Then came the fun part.  We were each given an egg that the instructor had blown out.  We applied the paper around the egg, wrapping it completely in beautiful washi paper.  After drying the glue with a hair dryer and applying and drying laquer, we each had a perfect, egg shaped, washi decoration.  I figured out how to get the dimensions for this, now I just need to learn how to blow out an egg without removing 1/2 a lung as well.

Finally, it was my turn to try on kimono.  Literally translated, kimono means something to wear.  "kiru" is the verb "to wear", with and mono means "thing".  "watashi wa kimono wo kimasu" means "I wear clothing", but it's more commonly said without the "watashi wa" at the beginning.  OK, enough grammar for today.  I know it looks complicated, but it's just a bunch of different endings for basic words.  I chose a dark purple kimono with fall colored leaves on it.  The dresser chose a white obi and green ties for me.  Estella was nice enough to take photos and I'll post those once she sends them to me.  After that, the dresser draped a wedding kimono over the regular kimono, and we got some pictures of that too.  The kimono were heavy and hot, and the obi made me feel the thinnest I've felt in several years.  It was fun, but I'm glad I don't have to drag all that around with me daily.

I had a blast, and I can't wait to see what we do next time.