Author Archives: Jeff Newman

Tradition – Hellertown, Pennsylvania

Jillian Yorston – The Wassergass Road

I was told this story of a road in the back country of the small rural town in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. There were not many attractions or places that the high school kids could go to that were nearby. So, on most occasions, “fun times” resorted to their own imaginations and wild antics to keep the inhabitants of Hellertown busy.

Although living in a small town, the kids of Hellertown were no different in the ways they amused themselves than kids of other places. They wanted to do adult things. It is in kids’ nature to want to be able to do adult or illegal things, and not have to take responsibility for their actions. This is basic human nature. Doing something you are not supposed to manufactures an immediate adrenaline rush. This rush makes anyone feel like they can do anything and not get caught. Luckily for Jillian, sometimes this is the case.

Jill told me stories of her adventures that she had with her friends in Hellertown. Hellertown’s high school population was notorious for smoking pot. Smoking pot was the normal thing to do on weekends, and sometimes even during the week. The kids would never get caught because the adults did not know of their smoking. And even if they had inklings to what was going on. They never realized how much smoking was actually being done. The kids would be very cautious on where they smoked and made sure to hide any remnants of the weed. Jill also told me a special name they gave to smoking in a car. Everyone I know has always called this act of smoking in a car, “Hotboxing.” Jill said that where she was from, it was called “Clambaking.” Closing all the windows, turning off the A/C, and lighting up made the experience much better than smoking in an open and ventilated room. “Clambaking,” was the preferred method to smoke weed for two reasons. The obvious “better high” they would experience and the fact that they would not get caught by their parents. “Clambaking,” allowed Jill and her friends to be free of their parents and just “chill.” Jill’s adventures did not only stop at “Clambaking,” but in reality only began there.

Since smoking weed in a parked car might get boring sometimes, Jill and her friends were known to drive around while smoking and make the experience much more exhilarating. While driving around seamlessly was fun at times, the best way was to go to “The Gass.” “The Gass,” short for the Wassergass Road was located in the back roads of Hellertown where there were not many drivers on the road. This was convenient so that there would be no accidents and also so there would be a less chance of someone getting hurt. Jill was adamant in telling me that “The Gass,” was the place to be while you were stoned and wanted to drive around. “The Gass,” consisted of several windy and long roads that all led back to Hellertown. So no matter how high the driver or passengers were, they could always find their way back home. “Being able to turn the music all the way up, dance in the car, and not have a care in the world for a few hours has been one of the most exhilarating things I have ever gotten the chance to do.” (Yorston) “The Gass,” is the most cherished road to the high school kids from Hellertown, and one where they have had many fun memories that will last forever.

Contemporary Legend – Fallbrook, California

Keenan McCollom/Jeff Newman – Legend of Matt Parker

Before the regular season started, Keenan and I took a class known as 6th period baseball, however, otherwise known to the student body as, “Gardening 101.” At Fallbrook High School, we had the nicest best maintained field in all of San Diego County. It was not because it was a new facility. It was not because we had a good landscaping crew. It was actually because the players worked on it for hours each day. Coach Parker, head coach of the varsity team from 2000-2007, had us spend at least 1 hour every day, raking, shoveling, watering, clipping, brushing, and weeding the field to perfection. This was not a “normal perfect” either. In his words, which Keenan remembered very clearly, “Clean this place, not like it’s your house, but like it’s my house. I do not want a speck of anything, anywhere.” And he was dead serious. Coach Parker was the toughest coach in all of San Diego County. He was emotionally draining and just unpleasant. He would put you down if you failed, and not allow for any mistakes. So, if anything out of line, you would be running until you could not stand any longer. We were all petrified of him as players. The amazing part was we were not the only ones who were scared of him. The entire male student body was. The stories that circulated of the things he did to us were brutal on the best of days. Everyone feared the name Matt Parker.

Coach Parker was our slave master. He owned our lives from the moment we arrived at school, till the day we left for summer. We have many memories of cleaning that field for hours on end. Four years of garden work does something to a kid. We weren’t sure exactly what it was… but at least it did not kill us. The worst memory we have about cleaning the field were the taunts and insults that we received from the students passing us by. They knew we had no choice, but yet continued to make fun of us. It was known throughout all the 3000 kids in our student body that the baseball guys worked on that field for hours and hours. Looking back on the years we wasted on that field, all Keenan said to me was. “Man, Parker was a douche bag.” Albeit true, Parker believed that what he was making us do was character building He believed that this work improved our moral fiber and helped prepare us for the future. While he might have point, the things he made us do while we working were just nasty.

We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up. Garden work for four months, and then we would get to play baseball. We all knew this, yet we all still signed up for the class. Playing ball was worth the hell we had to endure. At least we thought so. Keenan still remembers our sophomore year when Parker made us have a “Weed-Picking” competition. While this was okay in concept, the losing teams who picked the least amount of weeds in the time allotted would have to run miles around the track as punishment. Retrospectively, we can’t do much but laugh, but I remember the hatred I felt toward Parker during these ridiculous schemes that he would concoct. We hated it, but anyone watching us must have had the time of their life. 25 kids scrambling for weeds and then the losers having to run; Parker must have had many nice nights at home chuckling at how brilliant he thought he must have been. Parker is no longer the coach, but his legacy as a slave driver will forever live on through the stories that we continue to keep alive.

The legend of Matt Parker changed when a life-altering event occurred the summer after our senior year. He was coaching a travel ball team in Arizona and he brought his wife and one year old daughter with him. His wife and daughter decided to get a head start on the return trip home to California. In a tragic car accident, Mrs. Parker and Kierah Parker were killed. The memories the baseball team had of Matt Parker the tyrant and dictator immediately took a backseat. Coach Parker was not the nicest man, but no one deserves this kind of punishment. Parker quit coaching after this and his legendary name with him. The only memories of his coaching days remain with his players. And we are the last ones who are able to continue to keep the legend of Matt Parker alive because no new stories will ever be created.

RIP: Kari and Kierah Parker

Annotation:

Naiman, Joe. “Car Wash Fundraiser Held for Parker Family.” Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News 26 July 2007, 30 ed., sec. 11.

Nicknames – China

Grandfather:

??                ??                  ??            ??                  (Chinese Characters)

Gnu        e         xin            gu             bo               bei             (Chinese in English)

My                     heart                 liver            baby                 (Transliteration)

My precious baby                                                                    (Translation)

Grandmother:

???        ??                        (Chinese Characters)

Xiao          de    de                      (Chinese in English)

Little         (articles)                    (Transliteration)

Little                                          (Translation)

Rosemarie – Nicknames

Rosemarie told me that it is traditional Chinese culture for grandparents to give nicknames to their grandchildren. The names sometimes stand for something cultural, but sometimes they have no significance at all. For instance, the name Rosemarie inherited from her grandmother does not mean anything. Xiao translates to “little,” however “de de” is only added for fun. Technically, “de de,” are only articles. Nicknames are not required to have any symbolic meaning and thus can be used merely to distinguish between different people.  “Xiao” referred to the fact Rosemarie was small and adorable when she was young. Rosemarie also said that her grandmother gave her the nickname purely for the fact that it was cute and fun to say.

On the completely opposite side of the spectrum, her grandfather gave her a nickname that did have symbolic significance. Although “My precious baby,” is nothing out of the ordinary. The “liver” in the literal translation kind of is. Why would a grandfather put the word “liver” in the nickname for her granddaughter? The liver is a symbol for an essential organ. So, the grandfather insinuated that he could not live without his daughter because he could not live without a liver. An actual translation would be more along the lines of “My precious baby.” The connotation behind the name is the phrase “I love you, and I need you as much as I would need an organ.” The nickname signifies how much Rosemarie’s grandfather cared for her and wished to be with her as much as possible. This nicknaming tradition is very common in many Chinese families around the country and not only centralized in the Shanghai region.

Rosemarie is still called these names even though she now lives in America. Her grandfather called her the same name until he passed away a few years ago.  The names were not relegated to any specific holiday or special time and were used casually on a daily basis.

At first, Rosemarie’s grandmother refused to write down the Chinese characters because she did not want to be included in a research study. But after she was notified that her name would remain anonymous and it was only going to be archived and used for educational purposes she decided that it would be okay for her to help out with the collection item. I believe that the reason for the hesitance is the fact that Rosemarie comes from a prosperous family and they did not want to be responsible for any legal liability in the future.

Festival – Japan

(Original Kanji)

(Japanese in English)

(English Translation)

Mikoshi at Kamakura – 2007

Seiko Takeshita – Summer Festival

During the summer time in Japan, every town holds a festival known as mat-tsu-ri. Mat-tsu-ri translates directly to “festival,” and it is one of the biggest celebrations that the Japanese hold every year. The sizes of the festivals vary from location to location. The smaller towns and villages hold smaller versions of the mat-tsu-ri festival while big cities hold extravagant and opulent festivals where thousands and thousands of people attend. People come to the festivals to relax and have fun. There is lots of food, games, and attractions for everyone to do. Seiko said the main food that is eaten is cotton candy and chocolate-covered bananas. At some of the biggest locales, fireworks are even set off at the end of the festival. The mat-tsu-ri festival is the biggest cultural event that occurs during the summer, and is something that every Japanese person looks forward too.

At these festivals, there are traditional garments that are worn by the women who attend. They are called Yukata’s, and are a variation of another traditional garment known as the kimono. This robe was frequently worn by many women in ancient Japan but is no longer seen in common culture. The mat-tsu-ri festival is one of the only times of the year when it is customary to wear this traditional clothing.

Another tradition regularly seen at the mat-tsu-ri festival is the inclusion of the very old transportation carriage known as a mikoshi. It was once used as a royal family transportation device so they could safely be carried within the festival. Now the mikoshi is no longer used as transportation but merely as a symbol representing the mat-tsu-ri festival and honoring ancient Japanese culture. (Picture of a mikoshi can be found at the beginning of this essay.) Among the other activities that are performed at the festival, Seiko said she remembers playing with bouncy balls and water balloons quite frequently when she attended. There is also a cultural Japanese dance known as the bon-odo-ri that people would take part in. The crowd could join in and have a fun time with their friends and family.

The mat-tsu-ri festival is great example of a traditional cultural event which unites the Japanese and allows them to gather together in their respected locations and enjoy themselves. There are many festivals similar to this all around the world which vies to achieve the same unifying goal. The purpose of festivals is to bring people together who might not originally have met and promote communion among the people attending.  Ultimately the principle of a festival is to have a good time. And from Seiko’s description of the festival, it’s clear that she always has a wonderful experience.

Annotation:

Journal Article:

Roemer, Michael K. “Ritual Participation and Social Support in a Major Japanese Festival.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 46 (2007): 185-200.

Folk Game – Japan

(Original Kanji)

(Japanese in English)

(English Translation)

Seiko Takeshita – Fish Scoop

During the mat-tsu-ri festival in the summer time, there is one game in particular that is played every all the time. The game is called kin-gyo-sukui, or fish scoop. The objective of the game is to catch as many gold fish as possible from a tub of water before your paper fish-scooper breaks. Any fish you catch you are allowed to take home with you in a plastic bag. However, if you choose not to take the fish home, you can place them back in the tub for other players to try and catch. The ultimate goal of the game is entertain small children with little critters and keep them happy by giving them fish to take home.

The games’ origin began during the Edo period, approximately 1700 A.D. The game has always predominantly been played during the summer festival. The average cost to play the game in Japan is 100 to 200 yen. (1 to 2 dollars American.) The game is also mainly targeted at young children, but anyone is allowed to play. Seiko clearly remembered how she used to play this game when she was a child but her mom never let her keep the fish. She was always saddened by this. To this day; Seiki still plays the game whenever she has the chance to during the summer.

Since 1995, this children’s game has been promoted to new heights. Every year in August there is a national competition for fish scooping. This tournament highlights how much the Japanese like to compete and play games, even when the game is something as miniscule as seeing how many gold fish one can scoop into a paper cup. On top of the national competition, the game has also migrated to other countries. For example, I can clearly remember playing this game when I was in pre-school. I grew up in San Diego County, in a little rural town about 20 minutes from the ocean. At my pre-school, we would occasionally have carnivals where there would be lots of little games we could play. Ironically, this was always my favorite game at the carnivals because I cannot remember any of the others that I played, but I clearly remember playing this one.

Intrinsically, I think the game signifies little children getting older and being able to take care of a pet. At the ripe age of seven or eight, a child yearns to be responsible for something. For girls this might be Barbie dolls, and for boys it might be GI Joes. But for some they desire for a pet. That age is a little too young to have a dog or a cat, but it is perfect for a gold fish. They learn responsibility because they have to feed it, take care of it, and clean its living environment. They also learn how to deal with loss because gold fish do not tend to live that long and the children must experience what it feels like to lose something dear to them. This is important because in the future, these children need to learn to endure the loss of things they care for and still be able to continue their life. Who knew that a gold fish could be so important?