Halloween

Since today is Halloween, I had Halloween themed lessons for the ni nen seis. There was also a part about Halloween for the ichi nen seis, but they didn’t really seem to understand, and then we just played pictionary for most of the class. Anyway, for the ni nen seis we talked about what Halloween is, then we watched a movie of me carving a pumpkin (super boring). After the movie was done I brought out the pumpkin and everyone seemed pretty interested in it. Oddly enough, several students smelled it, which some of the teachers also did right after I carved it. I guess the smell of pumpkin is somewhat unusual here. Another strange reaction was to touch the jack-o-lantern very carefully, like the little candle inside would make the whole thing super hot. It was pretty amusing to watch.

Then some of the kids got chosen to demonstrate trick or treating. Apparently funny masks are about the most hilarious things in the world for grade 8s, cause everyone in the class was laughing like crazy. I think a couple of the girls probably weren’t happy about having to dress up and then stand in front of the rest of their costumeless, seated class, but it was good for them, and they got candy.

Tomorrow is the san nen sei classes, so I will get to do pretty much the same thing again. These kids tend to be the most shy, so hopefully the costume part is still well received.

Stink Bugs

So apparently cicada season is now over, but stink bug season has just begun. These have got to be the most irritating kind of bugs. They are slow moving and incredibly stupid, but if you crush them they make a really bad smell. Despite my best efforts I can’t stop them from getting into my house. They aren’t attracted to food or dirt or anything like that, so it’s not like I can clean more or be more careful about leaving anything out. They just want to be out of the cold. The really stupid thing is that even though a house is warmer, the lower humidity kills them eventually. The whole situation is super frustrating because it seems there is nothing I can really do, although I will keep trying until they die off for the winter. Just to be clear, Meghan also has them so it’s not like I am somehow attracting them myself. I have managed to confine them to the spare bedroom, which is where Taylor and Paige will be sleeping when they visit in a few weeks.

Here’s a picture:

They are about the size of a dime. Also, they sound like a lawnmower when they fly, making them even more annoying.

“Haroween Pahti”

Today was the Halloween Party at Okuganaya Elementary, and it was one of the most fun days I’ve had there yet. Last night I made finger cookies (like the one’s Nana makes, only smaller), which took me around 3 hours because I had to use my little toaster oven because that’s all I have. They actually turned out pretty well, which was a pleasant surprise. As soon as school started Takahashi sensei and I started making Apple Cider in the school kitchen. She seemed pretty interested in the ingredients, especially cloves because she had never heard of it. At one point she tried tasting the powdered cloves, which was pretty hilarious. She tried to spit it out, and then said “not good”, but couldn’t really talk because of the taste.

Then all the kids met in the gym to make Jack-o-Lanterns. Since pumpkins are very expensive, we used small squash (also called pumpkin in Japan), and just drew the faces on. After that was the “quiz rally”, which was trick or treating, but they had to answer questions in English as well. Then everyone went back to the gym for Apple Cider and candy. After the main party was done the principal and I went over to the Kindergarten building to give them some of the extra cookies. They said “sugoi!”, but then were hesitant to actually eat something that looked like a finger. Even the teachers poked at them and smelled them until finally one of the kids bit his in half and everyone knew it was alright.

Finally, just before the end of the day one of the roku nen seis (sixth graders) came to the office and said the usual “shitsurei shimasu” (it means like excuse me for entering or something). I was the only one in there, but every student says that when they enter a teacher’s room. Then she said “Drew sensei?”, which sorta caught me off guard because no one is ever looking for me. So I asked her what she needed, and she said “My father has a written a letter for you, here you go”. Now I assume her father told her how to say that, but I was still super impressed because not only did she pronounce everything perfectly, but she said it all from memory. As it turns out, her father speaks English and wants to talk with me for practice. A couple weeks ago I commented to this student that her English was very good, so she told her father (who is the reason she speaks so well).

Anyway, here are some pictures:

See the whole album

The “Who’s this?” Game

Yesterday Adachi sensei told me the first years had learned “Who’s this?”, and that I should print pictures of famous Canadians and Americans and ask them who they are as a game. It went pretty badly. These are some of the people I tried:

Tom Cruise (most students guessed eventually)

Britney Spears (some of the girls knew)

Lindsay Lohan (only one girl knew)

Avril Lavigne (most of the girls knew)

Michael Jordan (a few guessed eventually)

Bruce Willis (most could guess, but I think he endorses coffee or something here)

Arnold Schwarzenagger (most knew, but couldn’t say his name)

Black version of Michael Jackson (everyone knew)

Justin Timberlake (no one knew)

I had also printed pictures of people like Wayne Gretzky, Nelly Furtado and Jim Carrey but I didn’t even bother with them. I guess I really overestimated international culture in Japan. Everyone knew George Bush by the way, but only his last name.

Asago Quotes II

Recently I’ve heard some funny things:

“I like cars. Sometimes cars become evil. When cars are evil they are dangerous to people.”

“Thank you for translating the letters. I needed them by the end of the day. You sent them by the morning, so you were like God.”

“We participate jion Volun-teer. So we got 1000yen. We think that we will get 2000yen next year. Right and wrong.”

I have started to get letters from some of my students so hopefully the number of interesting things they write will increase. Also, the level of fear regarding me seems to be quickly decreasing. When I gave a letter back to one girl she shook my hand, which is a pretty big step I think.