Ava: “I was watching a story on the news about sea lions, and the people kept saying, ‘kawaii, kawaii!’ so I assumed that ‘kawaii’ meant ‘sea lion.’ So when they called me and Sabelle ‘kawaii’ earlier today, I was really confused.” (kawaii = cute)
Katy: “Being the incredibly patient girl that I am, immediatly after writing to you I ran down the hall to meet a girl named Aki based on the laminated Japanese flag on her door. Inside there was Aki and a girl who looked confusingly like your friend Erin (you know, the girl who spent time in Japan before you.) Anyway, I walk in, am surprised by her, go, "Oh! Hey Erin, I didn't know you lived here,"
Erin: Confused look
Katy: "I'm Katy, Bi... You're not Erin, Are you?"
Erin:"..."
Katy: "Hey, Aki, you don't know me, but I saw the Japanese flag on your door and I was wondering if you could tell me what..."
Anyway, she said it was probably filled with a sweet soybean mixture before I told her about the bean thing, so I felt she was fairly reliable. She and not-Erin seemed somewhat unsure of my presence there, so I let myself out.”
Erin: “HHHHHHAAAAAAAA! I have a look alike at school who is apparently interested in Japan... I am scared.“
Billie: “Your president is the daughter of... someone important?”
Wiwid: “Yes, of our first president. She is living off her father’s name.”
Ava: “It’s the same with our president.”
Billie: “Hey, mine too.”
Adela: "I threw a very American snowball for you today. I don't know how an American snowball is different then a Japanese snowball, except that it was packed by an American in America using snow that feel over America, but I felt like it needed to be said. I can add 'American' before any word and feel like I'm being patriotic, when really I'm lying. you should try it: 'I'm in American Japan.' Thats a good way to start a war or at least sound conceded. Conceded doesn't suit you, you should really stop saying those things!"
Zahnnie: “When Nicole and I were on the beach on Cape Cod a few days ago, we found you... hold on to your seat... your very own... customized... interstellar... genuine.... lucky rock!!!”
Zahnnie: “Okay, maybe it’s not interstellar, but it’s all for you and very pretty.”
Katy: “So, I was going to write and say that you should have looked up Orion and his wife and (now) kids when you were in Okinawa, since he's in the Air force there, but then I realized a) you don't know them, b) I barely know them, and my favorite reason of all, c) Orion spends his day standing in one place with an automatic weapon watching to see if anyone passes a painted line on some asphalt, and if they do, he shoots to kill.”
Amy: “I love it when Magic Dance comes up on the CD. It’s great—you just roll your windows down, turn up the volume... it makes the day seem so much happier. And it’s scary that it’s David Bowie who’s doing that for you.”
Billie Faye C.: “One of our young friends at church married a girl whose mother is named Billie Faye, a Billie Faye lived across the street from us when our kids were small, another Billie Faye lives next door to one of my best friends (who, by the way, named her dog Billie Faye...so she could say, "This is my friend, Billie Faye, this is my neighbor, Billie Faye and this is my dog, Billie Faye) our new youth minister's grandmother is named Billie Faye....and the list goes on! I think we're gaining ground!”
Amy (after trying Japanese sweets): “I’m really beginning to sympathize with Sailor Moon.”
Billie: “I know what you could get Erik in Japan. A giant leaf.”
Amy: “That’s a great idea, but it would be impossible to pack. Oh well, I’ll just tell him that I couldn’t find any big enough. That should please his ego.”
Billie’s Mom: “Twenty-one is a very important age. After all, now you can rent a car... but not at most car rental places, because they usually want you to be twenty-five these days.”
Billie’s Dad: “Sure I know about China. I know about Chinese history. That counts, right? I’ve read Mao. What’s so funny?”
Billie: “Except that in modern China they don’t exactly follow Mao’s prescripts word for word.”
Billie’s Dad: “Well, I certainly don’t want to read Keynes. That’s boring.”
Adela: “And to be truly geeky, I think Nightcrawler’s ‘bamf’ing noise was perfect.” (And for the truly geeky quote page readers, which quote is this supposed to contrast with?)
(crossing the border)
Billie: “Wow, that’s a change. Why is Louisiana all coniferous and Mississippi deciduous?”
Billie’s Dad: “Well, that’s because Louisiana has the Delta and all the lowlands.”
Billie: “And what does Mississippi have?”
(thoughtful pause)
Billie’s Dad: “Prejudice.”
Billie: “I don’t think it’s smart for you to be sitting here in Georgia and referring to Confederate soldiers as ‘rebels.’”
Billie’s Dad: “Oh, I’m sorry. A veteran in the War of Northern Aggression.”
Billie: “This may be a stupid question, but is there chocolate in the maple walnut fudge?”
Candy Store Clerk: “No, that’s not a stupid question. A stupid question would be, ‘What’s inside your chocolate covered strawberries?’ And yet we get asked that every_single_day.”