Teddy Roosevelt, who used to ride the Dakota prairies, used to promote “the strenuous life.” I tend to think he’d approve of my sojourns in Minot once a year, because they feel pretty strenuous. I get to spend very little time alone, have to relate to people, and fight with swords three times a day. Not to mention the setting up and tearing down of our camp that bookend the event.
On the other hand, Roosevelt despised “hyphenated Americans,” so he’d probably have hated Hostfest altogether.
It makes me laugh–and wince–every time I think of it. There I stood, with blood pouring down my face, feeling my hand swell up to match the exact contours of my battle glove, deciding that I definitely couldn’t do another bout. So what did I tell the audience? I did my little safety speech, about how we’re carefully trained to avoid anyone getting hurt.
My injury did get me out of helping to tear the camp down, so it wasn’t a total loss. Instead one of our members drove me to the emergency room, where I sat watching “Harry Potter and the Chamber Pot of Secrets” on the communal TV until I got in to be X-rayed. As previously reported, it was just a broken blood vessel. Slightly painful and a nuisance, but no biggy. (By the way, I don’t think I have the flu. I seem to have a bad cold.)
Afterwards, Ragnar came and drove me home. He told me he had a sore place on his side, and thought I might have broken one of his ribs.
I said, “Gee, if I broke your rib, and you didn‘t break my hand, that makes me…”
“The winner!” he said.
We both laughed.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I bet that hurts.”
“Oh man,” Ragnar replied, “it sure does.”
I have been doing a lot of reading about ethnic identity. I think society is changing regarding hyphenated Americans. Marilyn Halter wrote a book in 2000 called Shopping for Identity, the marketing of ethnicity, in which she talks about big business wanting to tap the hyphenated market.
Another change is the establishment of the heritage language center at UCLA. Researchers are now gaining more notice by showing that maintaining your heritage language is advantageous to the individual, the family anb the nation. Olga Kagan is the director of this federally funded center.
I think I saw you on the final day of Hostfest, but did not notice the lip wound. Maybe it was already beginning to heal.
Your stories about live-steel combat might be welcomed at Viking magazine. Have you considered writing an article for them about it?
All the best,
The Swedish dancer with the red-vested kids in Minot.
No, haven’t thought of that. I think I’d have to wait for a happier ending than I have to report just now.
Valorie: Researchers are now gaining more notice by showing that maintaining your heritage language is advantageous to the individual, the family anb the nation.
Ori: Which only goes to show you how slow researchers are to catch on. Jews have had two languages (a Jewish dialect and the language of the country) for ages. It hasn’t hurt us any.
It’s a problem when immigrants don’t assimilate. It’s a problem if their children don’t speak English at a native speaker level. Beyond that, our nation is better off with more skills. I bet you the military would love to have more speakers of Arabic and Afghani languages.
When I lived in South Texas, I was told that in “the old days” anyone who seriously intended to do business in San Antonio needed to speak three languages fluently: English, Spanish, and German.