Day 45: Independence Day
Right as I opened the door to the tatami room, the dogs ran in to greet me. They are always so excited and friendly. The poodles are actually brother and sister, and they fight from time to time. They are good lap dogs though, always wanting to sit with you. I pet them for a few minutes and then jumped into the shower before breakfast. I was especially excited for school today given that it is July 4th in America. It is actually July 5th here, but no matter.
At school I prepared in the television studio. We took a keyboard from the teachers' office set that up for me to play. We had some technical difficulties with the PowerPoint. The teacher who tried to set it up could not get his computer to work. I think mine would have worked immediately, but they wanted to take care of it themselves. So for the first portion of the show we actually had to videotape the monitor of my laptop, in order to show the PowerPoint. After the morning prayer, the camera switched to me, wearing a fake beard and the patriotic tricorn hat I made. First, I wished America a happy Independence Day, and then I explained the history of the day in simple terms: America started as thirteen colonies, American was controlled by King George III of Great Britian, Americans wanted to be free, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of In
dependence, on July 4th, 1776 Jefferson presented the document to Congress, and ever since people celebrate American Independence on July 4th. I read the opening stanza from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."
After the short history, I had Afrela Sensei move through the pictures on the PowerPoint, showing celebrations of Independence Day. Meanwhile, I played the keyboard and sang My Country, 'Tis of Thee. I was hoping that the students could enjoy the wonderful sights of July 4th celebrations while I sang a patriotic song, but it didn't go as well as I had hoped. The kids producing the show kept showing me on the screen, and the PowerPoint pictures didn't show up very well on the video camera. Despite those errors, the show went alright.
Sister Beatrice came on after my presentation and explained American Independence Day in Japanese. Mr. Yukita showed up as well and took some pictures of me, some of which you see here. Overall, it was great to be able to share one of the most exciting holidays in America with the people here. It is a perfect holiday to share when living abroad, because it represents the very essence of the young nation that is America: Hope and Liberty.
This morning I did not have any English classes, so Yoko Arai arranged for me to go with her to her Karate lesson. Yoko was recently tested for her black belt, but she doesn't know if she earned it yet or not. The dojo where she practices is in the lower level of the Master's house. It is a simple place, made up of just a large room with a wooden floor.
There are some shelves in the back for the protective gear they use and some pictures of the Master and his students on the walls. Other than those things, it is an empty room. I changed into some athletic shorts and the five women taking the lesson changed into their karate kimonos. The lesson began with simple arm movements and kicks, but then got a bit more complicated. The Master helped me learn the moves and I did my best. The most fun part was actually practicing the moves on each other. Of course, we did not actually punch each other, but we tried to hit each other's clothing. For example, the Master demonstrated how to punch your opponent in close proximity, stopping his fist at one of the women's kimonos. It was amazing to watch him. When he stopped his fist, the kimono let out a loud noise, letting us know just how fast and powerful the master is. He demonstrated the correct location of the fist on my abdomen, and with a slight movement, nearly knocked the wind out of me! It was a great time, and a good workout as well. Yoko and I practice the moves on each other, which was really fun. I only asked that she not beat me up. Karate in Japan was a great cultural experience, but I think that I may be sore tomorrow.
For lunch, I sat with one of the fifth grade classrooms. They wanted to talk to me, so their teacher tried her best to translate. There was also a girl who lived in England until she was seven, so she was a great help too. Mostly, the students just wanted to ask me about my experiences in Japan. For example, they asked me if I like natto, the fermented beans. The beans smell horrible and have a strange consistency, so I told them that I do not like natto. I think they were excited to hear that I will be swimming with them in the Sea next week.
Mr. Yukita grabbed me after lunch and I helped him place an order for a catalogue that he needs. He purchased a set of DVDs with pictures on them for teaching English, but he needs a catalogue to know what pictures are on them. Without a catalogue he would have to look at all 800,000 pictures! Early this afternoon I helped with the mother's English class again. I shared with the the Independence Day presentation I used for the NDTV broadcast. After the presentation, the mothers and I discussed the holiday and made comparisons with holidays in Japan. I felt a great sense of pride in my country during the discussion. The mothers wish that the holiday for the foundation of Japan was more of an exciting celebration. Our discussion moved on to American history, holidays, and Presidents. I was shocked to learn that one of the mothers was once invited to an event in Tokyo, where she met President Jimmy Carter!! She said it was the second time she met him, and the first time she actually had a conversation with him. I have not even met an American President!\
The after school English class today was quite easy for me because we watched Monsters, Inc. on DVD. There is value to simply watching a movie though. The students can hear the flow and uses of the English phrases that they are learning. If they want to follow the story, then they have to listen to the English dialogue. After the English class I went for a quick trip downtown. I was planning on buying a wetsuit for swimming in the sea, but I couldn't find one. I did find new pair of shoes though, which I needed desperately. I tried to make it back to school for a swim, but it was raining too heavily to use the pool.
Today is Wednesday, and Mr. Arai usually eats with the family on Wednesdays. He picked me up at 6:00pm in his recently purchased BMW M5. It is a really nice car, and fast too. He said that it has 500 horsepower! That is way too much for any car in Japan to have. There are no roads long enough or straight enough to drive fast on here. Still, he showed a little bit of the car's muscle on the way home. For dinner we had sushi, some Korean style garlic pork wrapped in cabbage, and a twelve-grain rice. I ate so much that I did not need any dessert, but Yoko served us a blueberry cake that she made. When we started to eat the cake we realized it was not cooked enough. Yoko cooked it for a bit longer and then we enjoyed it. They take such great care of me here in Japan.
At school I prepared in the television studio. We took a keyboard from the teachers' office set that up for me to play. We had some technical difficulties with the PowerPoint. The teacher who tried to set it up could not get his computer to work. I think mine would have worked immediately, but they wanted to take care of it themselves. So for the first portion of the show we actually had to videotape the monitor of my laptop, in order to show the PowerPoint. After the morning prayer, the camera switched to me, wearing a fake beard and the patriotic tricorn hat I made. First, I wished America a happy Independence Day, and then I explained the history of the day in simple terms: America started as thirteen colonies, American was controlled by King George III of Great Britian, Americans wanted to be free, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of In
dependence, on July 4th, 1776 Jefferson presented the document to Congress, and ever since people celebrate American Independence on July 4th. I read the opening stanza from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."After the short history, I had Afrela Sensei move through the pictures on the PowerPoint, showing celebrations of Independence Day. Meanwhile, I played the keyboard and sang My Country, 'Tis of Thee. I was hoping that the students could enjoy the wonderful sights of July 4th celebrations while I sang a patriotic song, but it didn't go as well as I had hoped. The kids producing the show kept showing me on the screen, and the PowerPoint pictures didn't show up very well on the video camera. Despite those errors, the show went alright.
Sister Beatrice came on after my presentation and explained American Independence Day in Japanese. Mr. Yukita showed up as well and took some pictures of me, some of which you see here. Overall, it was great to be able to share one of the most exciting holidays in America with the people here. It is a perfect holiday to share when living abroad, because it represents the very essence of the young nation that is America: Hope and Liberty.This morning I did not have any English classes, so Yoko Arai arranged for me to go with her to her Karate lesson. Yoko was recently tested for her black belt, but she doesn't know if she earned it yet or not. The dojo where she practices is in the lower level of the Master's house. It is a simple place, made up of just a large room with a wooden floor.
There are some shelves in the back for the protective gear they use and some pictures of the Master and his students on the walls. Other than those things, it is an empty room. I changed into some athletic shorts and the five women taking the lesson changed into their karate kimonos. The lesson began with simple arm movements and kicks, but then got a bit more complicated. The Master helped me learn the moves and I did my best. The most fun part was actually practicing the moves on each other. Of course, we did not actually punch each other, but we tried to hit each other's clothing. For example, the Master demonstrated how to punch your opponent in close proximity, stopping his fist at one of the women's kimonos. It was amazing to watch him. When he stopped his fist, the kimono let out a loud noise, letting us know just how fast and powerful the master is. He demonstrated the correct location of the fist on my abdomen, and with a slight movement, nearly knocked the wind out of me! It was a great time, and a good workout as well. Yoko and I practice the moves on each other, which was really fun. I only asked that she not beat me up. Karate in Japan was a great cultural experience, but I think that I may be sore tomorrow.For lunch, I sat with one of the fifth grade classrooms. They wanted to talk to me, so their teacher tried her best to translate. There was also a girl who lived in England until she was seven, so she was a great help too. Mostly, the students just wanted to ask me about my experiences in Japan. For example, they asked me if I like natto, the fermented beans. The beans smell horrible and have a strange consistency, so I told them that I do not like natto. I think they were excited to hear that I will be swimming with them in the Sea next week.
Mr. Yukita grabbed me after lunch and I helped him place an order for a catalogue that he needs. He purchased a set of DVDs with pictures on them for teaching English, but he needs a catalogue to know what pictures are on them. Without a catalogue he would have to look at all 800,000 pictures! Early this afternoon I helped with the mother's English class again. I shared with the the Independence Day presentation I used for the NDTV broadcast. After the presentation, the mothers and I discussed the holiday and made comparisons with holidays in Japan. I felt a great sense of pride in my country during the discussion. The mothers wish that the holiday for the foundation of Japan was more of an exciting celebration. Our discussion moved on to American history, holidays, and Presidents. I was shocked to learn that one of the mothers was once invited to an event in Tokyo, where she met President Jimmy Carter!! She said it was the second time she met him, and the first time she actually had a conversation with him. I have not even met an American President!\
The after school English class today was quite easy for me because we watched Monsters, Inc. on DVD. There is value to simply watching a movie though. The students can hear the flow and uses of the English phrases that they are learning. If they want to follow the story, then they have to listen to the English dialogue. After the English class I went for a quick trip downtown. I was planning on buying a wetsuit for swimming in the sea, but I couldn't find one. I did find new pair of shoes though, which I needed desperately. I tried to make it back to school for a swim, but it was raining too heavily to use the pool.
Today is Wednesday, and Mr. Arai usually eats with the family on Wednesdays. He picked me up at 6:00pm in his recently purchased BMW M5. It is a really nice car, and fast too. He said that it has 500 horsepower! That is way too much for any car in Japan to have. There are no roads long enough or straight enough to drive fast on here. Still, he showed a little bit of the car's muscle on the way home. For dinner we had sushi, some Korean style garlic pork wrapped in cabbage, and a twelve-grain rice. I ate so much that I did not need any dessert, but Yoko served us a blueberry cake that she made. When we started to eat the cake we realized it was not cooked enough. Yoko cooked it for a bit longer and then we enjoyed it. They take such great care of me here in Japan.
posted by Ryan Harkins at 9:03 a.m.
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