I only noticed this thing because the school happens to be near one of my favorite restaurants. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Photo Um...It's Still Friday Where You're At Right?: Kabuto-mushi Slide
A beetle slide at one of Hondo's preschools. I don't have the pleasure of teaching at anything below elementary, but I know some ALTs who do.
I only noticed this thing because the school happens to be near one of my favorite restaurants. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
I only noticed this thing because the school happens to be near one of my favorite restaurants. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Girls Volleyball Practice
Sometimes Japan is weird by virtue of being like America. Case in point, I now expect all my kids to come to school every morning,despite being the middle of summer vacation. Why wouldn't they? They stay until 7:30PM every day when school is in session doing club activities and even come in on the weekends. Imagine my surprise, then, when I returned from my trip to America to find the school virtually empty, save for a few teachers and the tennis club. The reason, I discovered,was Bon, a holiday in which the Japanese return to their home town and clean the graves of their ancestors in veneration of the dead. While not listed as an official holiday, people often take off of work during this time.
The tennis team, which had a game on Tuesday, was still practicing on Monday, but were given the rest of the week off. I really wanted to go see their game, but I was told I'd have to take vacation time in order to go, so decided against it. As a result, when the kids returned to school today, I had no one to practice with. Rather than do nothing, I decided to ask the girls volleyball team if it would be okay to exercise with them and watch their practice. An odd choice to be sure, seeing as we have a boys volleyball team, but I've had a lot more communication with the members of the girls team and so it was easier for me to talk with them.
I'd heard from another ALT that volleyball is usually where you find your most energetic girls and that the exercise was a bit more intense. I don't know if I'd say that practicing with the volleyball team was harder, but it was most certainly different. The biggest change was the amount of time spent exercising, as opposed to practicing the sport. Only in the last hour and a half did we even go into the gym. The rest of the four hours was primarily spent jogging around the track. I believe we finished about 13 laps, as opposed to the tennis standard of 5. What's more, the volleyball team ran at the outmost rim of the field. It was quite exhausting, but not quite as fast as the tennis team tends to go and I think I hit my second wind about the 11th time around.
The rest of the exercises were actually fairly easy, focusing a lot on the legs with things such as leg swings and leg lifts. Less attention was given tothe upper body and a number of the exercises were actually done while jogging, which was definitely different. Altogether, it was a somewhat difficult but very fun experience.
What really made my day, however, was talking with the kids. Saki asked how my trip to America had gone and was my primary helper when it came to explaining what exercises we were doing. She reminds me a lot of how Tsukasa was last year, as she'll actually start conversations with me and doesn't get nervous when we talk. I asked Shoko and Kyoka if they've been listening to the CDs I made them for the upcoming English recitation contest.Kyoka said she had, but Shoko told me she couldn't find her CD player and could only listen to it in the car. I also talked at length with Sayuri, who was too exhausted after exercising to actually practice and instead sat with me along the wall. Through a mix of English and Japanese, we were able to talk about summer vacation, her favorite subject, how she met Mizuki (one of Amanda's students), and our families.
I know there are a some ALTs over here who will only speak English to their kids. There are others who never learn Japanese, or at least not enough to converse with anyone. Honestly, I try my hardest during class to refrain from using Japanese, but the most important thing, to me, is the ability to communicate with my students. I used quite a bit of Japanese today, always trying to supplement it with the corresponding English, I drew pictures and made gestures and the end result is that I got to learn a little more about my kids. I cannot adequately describe how satisfying these seemingly simple conversations are. It's truly amazing tobe able to communicate ideas across a language barrier.
In closing, I'd like to mentionthat one of my girls, Riru, was feeling very exhausted after practice, to the point where she needed help carrying her bag and even walking. I've already seen other students push themselves too hard (one even passed out during sports day) and I really hope both she and Sayuri are okay.
The tennis team, which had a game on Tuesday, was still practicing on Monday, but were given the rest of the week off. I really wanted to go see their game, but I was told I'd have to take vacation time in order to go, so decided against it. As a result, when the kids returned to school today, I had no one to practice with. Rather than do nothing, I decided to ask the girls volleyball team if it would be okay to exercise with them and watch their practice. An odd choice to be sure, seeing as we have a boys volleyball team, but I've had a lot more communication with the members of the girls team and so it was easier for me to talk with them.
I'd heard from another ALT that volleyball is usually where you find your most energetic girls and that the exercise was a bit more intense. I don't know if I'd say that practicing with the volleyball team was harder, but it was most certainly different. The biggest change was the amount of time spent exercising, as opposed to practicing the sport. Only in the last hour and a half did we even go into the gym. The rest of the four hours was primarily spent jogging around the track. I believe we finished about 13 laps, as opposed to the tennis standard of 5. What's more, the volleyball team ran at the outmost rim of the field. It was quite exhausting, but not quite as fast as the tennis team tends to go and I think I hit my second wind about the 11th time around.
The rest of the exercises were actually fairly easy, focusing a lot on the legs with things such as leg swings and leg lifts. Less attention was given tothe upper body and a number of the exercises were actually done while jogging, which was definitely different. Altogether, it was a somewhat difficult but very fun experience.
What really made my day, however, was talking with the kids. Saki asked how my trip to America had gone and was my primary helper when it came to explaining what exercises we were doing. She reminds me a lot of how Tsukasa was last year, as she'll actually start conversations with me and doesn't get nervous when we talk. I asked Shoko and Kyoka if they've been listening to the CDs I made them for the upcoming English recitation contest.Kyoka said she had, but Shoko told me she couldn't find her CD player and could only listen to it in the car. I also talked at length with Sayuri, who was too exhausted after exercising to actually practice and instead sat with me along the wall. Through a mix of English and Japanese, we were able to talk about summer vacation, her favorite subject, how she met Mizuki (one of Amanda's students), and our families.
I know there are a some ALTs over here who will only speak English to their kids. There are others who never learn Japanese, or at least not enough to converse with anyone. Honestly, I try my hardest during class to refrain from using Japanese, but the most important thing, to me, is the ability to communicate with my students. I used quite a bit of Japanese today, always trying to supplement it with the corresponding English, I drew pictures and made gestures and the end result is that I got to learn a little more about my kids. I cannot adequately describe how satisfying these seemingly simple conversations are. It's truly amazing tobe able to communicate ideas across a language barrier.
In closing, I'd like to mentionthat one of my girls, Riru, was feeling very exhausted after practice, to the point where she needed help carrying her bag and even walking. I've already seen other students push themselves too hard (one even passed out during sports day) and I really hope both she and Sayuri are okay.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tennis Tales: Kumamoto Tournament
Last Sunday I went to a tennis tournament to watch two of my students play. Unlike the recent volleyball tournament at Ariake Junior High, this event was all the way in Kumamoto. In fact, it was the All Kumamoto Tournament for third grade junior high girls. Kanna and Yurika, the team captain, had qualified for pairs and I made the trip working under the assumption that they would be the only two going. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of my third grade tennis girls were there and even got the chance to meet some of their parents.
The tournament began at 9:00, meaning I had to leave the house around 7:00 to make it on time. The drive wasn’t too bad and it turns out the tennis courts are pretty close to the Kumamoto Driving Center, a place I’ve become intimately familiar with by now. I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare and found our team without too much trouble. I had told Kanna and Yurika on several occasions that I would be trying to make it to their game and that I was excited to watch them play, but I’m not sure if the other girls expected me to be there. Truth be told, I was quite possibly the only foreigner there and I don’t think too many ALTs make appearances at events so far away from their home towns. I got several nervous giggles as I said hello to the gawking passerbyes.
I’ve already spoken at length about my third grade tennis girls’ English ability. As a group, they were really impressive. Tsukasa was able to explain how the games worked without relying too much on Japanese and Ayumi, Kanna, and Karumi told me how everyone came to the tournament. Naturally, I tried to speak to them as much as I could in English, but had to switch to Japanese a few times to help them. I think the parents were really impressed, asking the kids if they understood what I said to them. I spoke to the parents a little too, though I used Japanese wherever I could. They were all really nice and I was able to ask Tsukasa’s mother which kid belonged to which parent.
Kanna and Yurika were amazing! I wasn’t sure what to expect from them since I’ve spent most of my time with the first graders, who are still learning how to play. They won the first game and only had about half an hour to rest before the second. Yurika had to get bandaids put on her arm because she had dove for a low ball early in the first set. It looked pretty bad, but I don’t think it was bleeding. Though they won the first set in the second game, they ended up losing overall. I could tell that they were both pretty upset about it, but they took it really well. I think it really helped to have all their teammates there to cheer them up, too.
I asked Ayumi what they would do now, and she said they would eat and then go home. Usually this is when I would leave, but I was given a bento by Tsukasa’s mother, who told me to eat it. As far as bentos go, it was pretty good and I enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with everyone. The kids had all packed small food like onigiri in their sports bags and ate alongside me on the bleachers or nearby in the grass. After we ate, the parents told all the kids to line up for a picture together. I had tried to get a group shot earlier, but some of the kids seemed really shy, so it hadn’t turned out great. I’m really glad the parents encouraged them because I got an excellent picture of everyone with big smiles on their faces.
One final thing to note was that Asami, a girl I had never seen before, was at the tournament. I didn’t feel comfortable asking about it at the time, but found out later that she is what’s called a hikikomori, a person who chooses to stay at home most, if not all, of the time. When I talked to my JTE about her the next day at work, she typed it into her translator, which gave the nearest English word: recluse. My JTE asked if we had that in America and I told her no, and that students who tried to stay home from school too often got the attention of their truant officers. She found this really interesting.
I’ve often wondered if we had any students like this and now am even more curious as to why Asami chooses not to come to school. I know a lot of the time it has to do with bullying or an illness. Whatever the reason, I am somewhat saddened that there is a student in my area I won’t get a chance to know. During the game, she was really quiet around me and would turn her head whenever I took a picture but was smiling and talking with the other girls. She seemed like a good kid.
Even though it’s essentially more “work” for me to go to things like this, I always have a really good time. I probably won’t make such long trips a habit, but I could definitely see going again and I know that this one was a special case. More often than not my kids play their games in and around Amakusa. At the moment, I don’t have any plans to attend another tournament, but I have heard that the first grade tennis team’s first game is happening soon and that’s definitely something I’m excited about.
The tournament began at 9:00, meaning I had to leave the house around 7:00 to make it on time. The drive wasn’t too bad and it turns out the tennis courts are pretty close to the Kumamoto Driving Center, a place I’ve become intimately familiar with by now. I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare and found our team without too much trouble. I had told Kanna and Yurika on several occasions that I would be trying to make it to their game and that I was excited to watch them play, but I’m not sure if the other girls expected me to be there. Truth be told, I was quite possibly the only foreigner there and I don’t think too many ALTs make appearances at events so far away from their home towns. I got several nervous giggles as I said hello to the gawking passerbyes.
I’ve already spoken at length about my third grade tennis girls’ English ability. As a group, they were really impressive. Tsukasa was able to explain how the games worked without relying too much on Japanese and Ayumi, Kanna, and Karumi told me how everyone came to the tournament. Naturally, I tried to speak to them as much as I could in English, but had to switch to Japanese a few times to help them. I think the parents were really impressed, asking the kids if they understood what I said to them. I spoke to the parents a little too, though I used Japanese wherever I could. They were all really nice and I was able to ask Tsukasa’s mother which kid belonged to which parent.
Kanna and Yurika were amazing! I wasn’t sure what to expect from them since I’ve spent most of my time with the first graders, who are still learning how to play. They won the first game and only had about half an hour to rest before the second. Yurika had to get bandaids put on her arm because she had dove for a low ball early in the first set. It looked pretty bad, but I don’t think it was bleeding. Though they won the first set in the second game, they ended up losing overall. I could tell that they were both pretty upset about it, but they took it really well. I think it really helped to have all their teammates there to cheer them up, too.
I asked Ayumi what they would do now, and she said they would eat and then go home. Usually this is when I would leave, but I was given a bento by Tsukasa’s mother, who told me to eat it. As far as bentos go, it was pretty good and I enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with everyone. The kids had all packed small food like onigiri in their sports bags and ate alongside me on the bleachers or nearby in the grass. After we ate, the parents told all the kids to line up for a picture together. I had tried to get a group shot earlier, but some of the kids seemed really shy, so it hadn’t turned out great. I’m really glad the parents encouraged them because I got an excellent picture of everyone with big smiles on their faces.
One final thing to note was that Asami, a girl I had never seen before, was at the tournament. I didn’t feel comfortable asking about it at the time, but found out later that she is what’s called a hikikomori, a person who chooses to stay at home most, if not all, of the time. When I talked to my JTE about her the next day at work, she typed it into her translator, which gave the nearest English word: recluse. My JTE asked if we had that in America and I told her no, and that students who tried to stay home from school too often got the attention of their truant officers. She found this really interesting.
I’ve often wondered if we had any students like this and now am even more curious as to why Asami chooses not to come to school. I know a lot of the time it has to do with bullying or an illness. Whatever the reason, I am somewhat saddened that there is a student in my area I won’t get a chance to know. During the game, she was really quiet around me and would turn her head whenever I took a picture but was smiling and talking with the other girls. She seemed like a good kid.
Even though it’s essentially more “work” for me to go to things like this, I always have a really good time. I probably won’t make such long trips a habit, but I could definitely see going again and I know that this one was a special case. More often than not my kids play their games in and around Amakusa. At the moment, I don’t have any plans to attend another tournament, but I have heard that the first grade tennis team’s first game is happening soon and that’s definitely something I’m excited about.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Photo Friday: Bathroom Poster
Enjoy this informational poster describing how your poop should look and smell. Just be glad they didn't include all five senses.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Japanese License Adventure Part II: Legality!
It occurred to me after my last post that I never explained exactly why I needed to get a Japanese license in the first place. After all, I already have a license and have been using it in Japan for just under a year now. This is actually a really important issue if you ever intend on working, and driving, in Japan, so I’ll do my best to explain what I know about it.
The Geneva Convention established, among other things, a list of countries which all agreed to honor one another’s licenses for a period of a year from the date of issue of an international driver’s permit. In America, these permits can only be received from a few authorized places. I’ve heard there are several other unauthorized groups that attempt to scam people, too, so be cautious. I got mine from AAA just before leaving for Japan. They were kind enough to post-date my permit by a few days, as I wouldn’t have to start driving immediately and wanted as much time as possible to use it. My last day would be July 29th, 2010. It’s like a time bomb, only much more boring.
The way the permit works is basically by vouching for your American license, meaning that the two have to be together at all times. This may prove troublesome if, say, you usually leave the permit in your glove box and then drive your friend’s car on a trip from a village three hours away. The size of the permit doesn’t help either, as it won’t easily fir into a pocket or wallet.
So, after one year, everyone who drives using an international permit has to acquire a Japanese one. But not everyone has to go through the same process. Actually, America is one of the few countries that has to take the driving test. Foreigners from other places, like Canada and England, only go in for an eye exam and switch over their licenses. This is because either a) they have a national driving test system that meets with Japan’s approval or b) they completed a survey of their various driving test requirements and that met with Japan’s approval. America could conduct a similar survey of all 50 states’ driving test requirements and spare those living abroad the burdensome task of having to prove to the Japanese driving instructors that they can indeed drive safely. Unfortunately, I think there are too few Americans living in this country for the government to bother with it. In addition, one of the stipulations of the survey is reciprocity, meaning allowing the Japanese living in America to switch over their licenses in the same way. Though this is only fair and logical, I fear there are less progressive areas of the nation in which the stereotype of the foreigner who doesn’t know how to drive is still alive and well.
It took me four tries. FOUR TRIES! That’s four two hour trips into the city, four lectures in Japanese and broken English about every mistake I’d made (and yes, they did this even on the time I passed), and four days completely devoid of my kids or teaching, but I finally did it. This little piece of plastic represents an investment of well over $100 and a lot of hard work and guts. I’m just glad it’s over.
The Geneva Convention established, among other things, a list of countries which all agreed to honor one another’s licenses for a period of a year from the date of issue of an international driver’s permit. In America, these permits can only be received from a few authorized places. I’ve heard there are several other unauthorized groups that attempt to scam people, too, so be cautious. I got mine from AAA just before leaving for Japan. They were kind enough to post-date my permit by a few days, as I wouldn’t have to start driving immediately and wanted as much time as possible to use it. My last day would be July 29th, 2010. It’s like a time bomb, only much more boring.
The way the permit works is basically by vouching for your American license, meaning that the two have to be together at all times. This may prove troublesome if, say, you usually leave the permit in your glove box and then drive your friend’s car on a trip from a village three hours away. The size of the permit doesn’t help either, as it won’t easily fir into a pocket or wallet.
So, after one year, everyone who drives using an international permit has to acquire a Japanese one. But not everyone has to go through the same process. Actually, America is one of the few countries that has to take the driving test. Foreigners from other places, like Canada and England, only go in for an eye exam and switch over their licenses. This is because either a) they have a national driving test system that meets with Japan’s approval or b) they completed a survey of their various driving test requirements and that met with Japan’s approval. America could conduct a similar survey of all 50 states’ driving test requirements and spare those living abroad the burdensome task of having to prove to the Japanese driving instructors that they can indeed drive safely. Unfortunately, I think there are too few Americans living in this country for the government to bother with it. In addition, one of the stipulations of the survey is reciprocity, meaning allowing the Japanese living in America to switch over their licenses in the same way. Though this is only fair and logical, I fear there are less progressive areas of the nation in which the stereotype of the foreigner who doesn’t know how to drive is still alive and well.
It took me four tries. FOUR TRIES! That’s four two hour trips into the city, four lectures in Japanese and broken English about every mistake I’d made (and yes, they did this even on the time I passed), and four days completely devoid of my kids or teaching, but I finally did it. This little piece of plastic represents an investment of well over $100 and a lot of hard work and guts. I’m just glad it’s over.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Photo Friday: One Piece Display
In lieu of an actual entry, please enjoy this picture of the Going Merry display at our local Tsutaya.
In Japan, One Piece is being re-released in season box sets. For those who complain of high prices for anime DVDs in America, you should know that these box sets retail for about $150 each ($120 if you pre-order) and contain around 11 episodes.
In Japan, One Piece is being re-released in season box sets. For those who complain of high prices for anime DVDs in America, you should know that these box sets retail for about $150 each ($120 if you pre-order) and contain around 11 episodes.
Cheers
It’s nice to know that what you do on a day-to-day basis means something to someone. Recently, I’ve had a series of interactions with my kids that truly make me feel like I make an impact in their lives. I thought I’d share and maybe this can serve as a bit of a pick me up from my rather disheartening introspection entry.
It all began with cleaning time at the middle school last Friday. I chose to help class 2-A and was very surprised when one of the girls, Kyoka, said, “Eric-sensei, I’m going to play a volleyball game tomorrow.” I was shocked not only because she told me this completely unprompted but because it was really good English. I asked her where and when her tournament was. Turns out it was at the school starting at 9, though I had to ask the volleyball coach about the time and the schedule. The schedule said it was a tournament for girls age 14 or younger, so only first and second grade students would be playing. I decided rather quickly that I would go. It was clear that Kyoka was excited and I had a feeling she may have told me because she wanted me to come.
Going to the tournament was a lot of fun and a really great experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to see my kids outside of class and even meet their parents, though I was a bit too nervous to say anything to them. Sadly, neither of my schools two teams managed to win a set and I had to stand by awkwardly as Sayuri cried after the first game, not knowing what I could do to console her. Fortunately, Kyoka managed to stay positive and cheer her up a bit. I got a lot of great pictures including a group shot of one of the teams that has quickly become one of my favorites.
The first two games ended around noon and there was a timeslot where neither of the teams was playing, so I excused myself to go and get Amanda so she could watch the last game with me. We arrived with plenty of time and Amanda introduced herself to my kids. This was the first time she had ever been at my school and naturally she was a big hit with my kids. I think they felt really special to be the first ones to meet her. We sat with my kids and clapped our hands along with their cheers. I even attempted to join in at the few parts I knew to the delight of Shoko, who was sitting next to me. After the game, the students all gathered outside to eat their bentos (box lunches) and Amanda and I excused ourselves and said our goodbyes. Honestly, at the time I didn’t think our appearance at the tournament had made that big of an impression, but I would soon discover how wrong I was.
Monday rolled around and for the first time in a while I was at the middle school for the whole day (curse you driving test!) In the afternoon, I was asked to help my JTE enter grades into journals for each student in her class, 2-A. We talked about the volleyball tournament and I asked some questions about the girls. I learned about a few of the disagreements between them, but learned a lot of nice things too, like the fact that Shoko is incredibly bright and wants to be a doctor. I mentioned it would be nice to have a doctor who could speak English well.
After we were finished, I went with my JTE to her homeroom class. I had been debating whether or not to talk to one of my students about the cheers they had done during the game. I decided that Shoko was probably my best bet, as she seemed the most comfortable speaking and listening to English. After class, I talked to her, and tried to explain that I had felt a little left out on Saturday during the cheers and that I wanted to learn them. I didn’t have anything to write on at the time, but she tried to explain one to me, writing letters on her desk with her finger as she talked. I was surprised to find the cheer was in English and wrote it down after class.
Tuesday was filled with even more surprises for me. I arrived, as I always do, at cleaning time and headed up to 2-A again. Normally I would try to spread out my appearances in the same classroom, but I really wanted to talk to Shoko and ask her if I had written the cheer correctly. While I wasn’t able to talk to her at that time, I did run into a number of the volleyball girls, who gathered around me with big smiles on their faces. Riru and Reimi tried to say what they were all thinking, “Eric-sensei…last Saturday…fiancee Amanda…volleyball look.” I nodded and gently corrected their English. Riru continued, “Amanda is beautiful.” It was really sweet. I told them that Amanda had said I had adorable children. They all repeated “Adorable, adorable,” trying to figure out what it could mean, so I took out my phone, which has an English to Japanese dictionary and showed them. They all nodded and said thank you. It was a really great moment.
Turns out our little appearance at the tournament was the topic of conversation for a number of the students, several of them writing about it in their daily journals. I also learned that Shoko had written about teaching me cheers, in English no less. These girls could have written about anything they wanted and they chose to write about my involvement in their lives. Knowing this made me feel really happy. I was able to talk to Shoko briefly after school and confirm that I had written the cheer correctly. Her smile upon seeing that I had it written in my notebook was priceless. It’s a moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget. For those who are interested:
A-R-I-A-K-E
Go, go
Let’s go, Ari-chu
It all began with cleaning time at the middle school last Friday. I chose to help class 2-A and was very surprised when one of the girls, Kyoka, said, “Eric-sensei, I’m going to play a volleyball game tomorrow.” I was shocked not only because she told me this completely unprompted but because it was really good English. I asked her where and when her tournament was. Turns out it was at the school starting at 9, though I had to ask the volleyball coach about the time and the schedule. The schedule said it was a tournament for girls age 14 or younger, so only first and second grade students would be playing. I decided rather quickly that I would go. It was clear that Kyoka was excited and I had a feeling she may have told me because she wanted me to come.
Going to the tournament was a lot of fun and a really great experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to see my kids outside of class and even meet their parents, though I was a bit too nervous to say anything to them. Sadly, neither of my schools two teams managed to win a set and I had to stand by awkwardly as Sayuri cried after the first game, not knowing what I could do to console her. Fortunately, Kyoka managed to stay positive and cheer her up a bit. I got a lot of great pictures including a group shot of one of the teams that has quickly become one of my favorites.
The first two games ended around noon and there was a timeslot where neither of the teams was playing, so I excused myself to go and get Amanda so she could watch the last game with me. We arrived with plenty of time and Amanda introduced herself to my kids. This was the first time she had ever been at my school and naturally she was a big hit with my kids. I think they felt really special to be the first ones to meet her. We sat with my kids and clapped our hands along with their cheers. I even attempted to join in at the few parts I knew to the delight of Shoko, who was sitting next to me. After the game, the students all gathered outside to eat their bentos (box lunches) and Amanda and I excused ourselves and said our goodbyes. Honestly, at the time I didn’t think our appearance at the tournament had made that big of an impression, but I would soon discover how wrong I was.
Monday rolled around and for the first time in a while I was at the middle school for the whole day (curse you driving test!) In the afternoon, I was asked to help my JTE enter grades into journals for each student in her class, 2-A. We talked about the volleyball tournament and I asked some questions about the girls. I learned about a few of the disagreements between them, but learned a lot of nice things too, like the fact that Shoko is incredibly bright and wants to be a doctor. I mentioned it would be nice to have a doctor who could speak English well.
After we were finished, I went with my JTE to her homeroom class. I had been debating whether or not to talk to one of my students about the cheers they had done during the game. I decided that Shoko was probably my best bet, as she seemed the most comfortable speaking and listening to English. After class, I talked to her, and tried to explain that I had felt a little left out on Saturday during the cheers and that I wanted to learn them. I didn’t have anything to write on at the time, but she tried to explain one to me, writing letters on her desk with her finger as she talked. I was surprised to find the cheer was in English and wrote it down after class.
Tuesday was filled with even more surprises for me. I arrived, as I always do, at cleaning time and headed up to 2-A again. Normally I would try to spread out my appearances in the same classroom, but I really wanted to talk to Shoko and ask her if I had written the cheer correctly. While I wasn’t able to talk to her at that time, I did run into a number of the volleyball girls, who gathered around me with big smiles on their faces. Riru and Reimi tried to say what they were all thinking, “Eric-sensei…last Saturday…fiancee Amanda…volleyball look.” I nodded and gently corrected their English. Riru continued, “Amanda is beautiful.” It was really sweet. I told them that Amanda had said I had adorable children. They all repeated “Adorable, adorable,” trying to figure out what it could mean, so I took out my phone, which has an English to Japanese dictionary and showed them. They all nodded and said thank you. It was a really great moment.
Turns out our little appearance at the tournament was the topic of conversation for a number of the students, several of them writing about it in their daily journals. I also learned that Shoko had written about teaching me cheers, in English no less. These girls could have written about anything they wanted and they chose to write about my involvement in their lives. Knowing this made me feel really happy. I was able to talk to Shoko briefly after school and confirm that I had written the cheer correctly. Her smile upon seeing that I had it written in my notebook was priceless. It’s a moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget. For those who are interested:
A-R-I-A-K-E
Go, go
Let’s go, Ari-chu
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