To: Crecente
From: Ashcraft
RE: Rock Band Practice

So the packing has started! Mrs. Bashcraft spent half the day packing her suitcase. (I still need to pack mine.) At least one fourth of her suitcase is instant ramen and udon. I told her she could get that in America, and she said it's just easier if she brings her own. She does like the food in Texas, but starts craving noodles after a few days. They're not so healthy, but I guess they remind her of Japan.

We got new suitcases. All of us. Matching, too. Mrs. Bashcraft decided she'd put our initials on it. Since I am an America, I have a middle name, which is "Eugene." (Yeah, I know.) Thanks to dual citizenship, Mini-Bash is also an American and has a middle name: "Atom." (Named after Astro Boy!) That leaves Mrs. Bashcraft, who is neither an American nor has a middle name. (By law, Japanese people can only have first and last names. From what I understand, this has to do with how the government groups families and the readability of names.) So all the suitcases have three initials on them but hers. All my life I've thought most people pretty much hate (and hide) their middle names, but here she was actually wishing she had her own. When I saw her suitcase after dinner, I noticed a big "C" between her first and last initial. She had decided to give herself a middle name — "Catherine."

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