Day 4: Yuri Gakuin

The students had off of school today while the teachers and I went to Yuri Gakuin (Lily School) in Osaka. I am happy to be included as part of the staff at Notre Dame and be able to experience the lives they lead. I had a quick breakfast because I had to wake up even earlier than usual in order to catch the subway to Osaka. Mr. Yukita picked me up at 6:40am and we went to Notre Dame so that I could change into more formal clothing. It turned out that the key Sr. Beatrice gave me for my room is actually for the school entrance. I knew I should have made sure I had the correct key before locking the room, but I guess we do not always listen to that little voice in our heads. Mr. Yukita was kind enough to find the correct key for me and we were soon on our way.

The subway ride was a first for me, and an interesting one at that. At first the subway was not crowded, but soon all the seats were full and the standing room as well. It was strange to observe the morning routine of those Mr. Yukita informed me were typical Japanese people. The passenger cars were rocking slightly and the people said nothing. Everyone's eyes were closed trying to catch up on lost sleep as they all held on to the overhead handles. The Japanese are very hard working people: up early, home late. Even the teachers at Notre Dame stay until nine, ten, or eleven o'clock at night! Clearly the fast-paced, modern world doesn't come without a price.

The Lily School for girls is not as large as Notre Dame Elementary, but its facilities are still impressive. Mr. Yukita and I first attended an open English lesson to a class of sixth grade girls. The phrase focused on during the lesson was, "Do you have any ___?" The young girls asked us several questions in this format and recorded our responses on their worksheet. The students then played a simple game of Go Fish and were not allowed to slip back into speaking Japanese. The game is actually a great way to practice questions and responses; Specifically, "Do you have any sixes?," "Yes, I do. Here you are," etc. I enjoyed the lesson and the appearance of the classroom. I am sure my professors would be happy to know that they even had a sight word wall, which is very important in a class of young students studying language.

After the open English lesson, there was an opening assembly. The speeches and teacher awards were all presented in Japanese, so it was boring for me at first. When the students finally came out, they performed several worship songs. The awesome part was that the songs, like Oh, Maria, were renditions taken from the movie Sister Act! The students were clapping, singing, and dancing. There were even two students dressed as nuns dancing around on stage! It was awesome.

One of the part-time English teachers, Chuck, and I attended a discussion of the open session class. The questions seemed to surround the types of materials that the observed teacher uses and how the program at Lily School works. Like the United States, much of the teaching in Japan is in preparation for standardized tests the students are required to take. The teacher explained that it is a challenge to design lessons which are beneficial for the range of ability levels present in the classroom, which is true for teachers everywhere. Chuck and I went to lunch together and sat in the schools large open courtyard with our bentos (Japanese lunch boxes). The lunch was half rice, but also included: tea, peas, three types of tofu, a chicken meatball, a potato ball, soy beans, a sweet bean-stuffed rice cake wrapped with a leaf, and several other mysterious Japanese items. It was not bad. Chuck left me alone for a while and the teacher across from me said, "Ryan Sensei," and then proceeded to ask me several questions which I could not understand. I think he wanted to know how long at I had been teaching at Notre Dame Elementary, but he was probably more confused when I replied, "one week." I also met several other Americans who are teaching in Japan. They have all been here at least a year, though. They were quite curious to know things about America, like what a gallon of gas costs.

The last session we attended was led by the author of the TESL book Super Kids, Aleda Krause. She is an American who has a great passion for teaching Japanese children English. She was fun to listen to and get some teaching tips from. Mrs. Krause showed us several techniques she likes to use and also some games for practicing English. I sat in the very front row, so Mrs. Krause grabbed me for one of her demonstrations. The game was designed to practice phrases like, "She wants to ____," and, "Does she want to ____?" We stood back-to-back with a picture of an activity in our hands. The object is simply to take turns asking the question until someone guesses correctly. I enjoyed being part of a presentation at a teachers convention.

Hiro, one of the gym teachers, came to get me and tell me that we were leaving. I knew he and a few other teachers were planning to take me out after the convention. Mino, Hiro, Yukari, Mr. Ayata and I all went to a sushi bar in Osaka. We started with some beer and four pieces of fresh sushi, two Sea Bream and two Abalone. I had tried Sea Bream before, and it is really good, but the Abalone was a new experience. Abalone is a shellfish and it didn't have much taste to it, just a tough texture. When I finished those there were new types already being prepared by the chef in front of us. During the meal I had all of these types of sushi: Sea Bream, Abalone, Salmon Roe (eggs), Tuna, Conger/Sea Eel, raw Scallops, some type of shrimp, salmon, and crab brains. Not only did I try many new foods, but I simply ate a lot. Honestly, most of the sushi was really good. The freshness was unbeatable. I would advise against the salmon roe and the crab brains; those are things we just shouldn't be eating. I had a great time.

The Hotta's were waiting for me when we returned to school, and I went home with them. I had almost forgotten that Mrs. Hotta's parents were coming today to visit. I went with her father and tried to help as he planted some Morning Glory plants in pots. It seems like the people here are more in touch with the land and consider it more a part of their lives than typical Americans. Every city block in this area has at least one plot of land reserved for cultivating tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, or other crops. Obviously the soil on this volcanic archipelago is richer, but Americans could still learn some things from this example. Every time Americans eat crops which are not grown locally, their "footprint" on the Earth increases. Simply put, local is better in my opinion. The fresh vegetables here make every meal delicious and healthy. Tonight's dinner was yakiniku, basically meaning "beef roast." The whole family sat at the table cooking vegetables and thin slices of beef on a large roaster in the center of the table. It reminded me a lot of my family when we used to prepare vegetables and meats and cooking them fondue style at the dinner table. Mrs. Hotta's parents don't speak any English, but they are very nice people.