the life of a wild woman

Thursday, September 21, 2006

questions from the kids

So I start today with a picture of my first day in Kibichuo in the newsletter. My supervisor asked me to write something for it. Of course I said. I wrote out and added some things thinking she was going to type it up all nice and neat for me. Oh no. She just photocopied it with all of the little additions in it that really don't make sense until you write it nicely. Japanese people are never going to get it. Once again- sunflower.

So my questions today were from my elementary school
-Why is your hair brown?
-Why are you tall?
-What is your favorite insect?
-What is your favorite word?
-Why are you teaching in Japan if you don't speak Japanese? I asked myself that same question.
-What is my favorite mode of transportation?
-What are the famous buildings in the US? I had to make sure I was telling them the right geographic location for each of them. My brain was cranking.
-Do you make lots of money?
-Why do you wear all of those rings?
-How much do those rings cost?
-The not so common, favorite fruit, animal, Japanese food, country. Those don't even count.

So at lunchtime today the only thing was fish. I HATE FISH. My lovely Kyoto sensei bought me a bento (box lunch) with one piece of chicken and the rest fish. I tried really hard to eat most of it. I couldn't do the humungus bits of fish on top of my rice. So my analogy is this: Do you ask a fisherman if he eats beef. My dad raises cattle so we had beef almost every meal or chicken or pork. Fish really isn't a big option in Iowa. You won't find an ocean close to Iowa.

To my surprise later in the day I had an earthquake drill. This is the closest thing I have been to an earthquake. The kids lined up out side and a big truck or a miniature semi unfolded its side and had a dining room set up. The kids sit in the chair and when the alarm goes off they quickly get under the table and get shaken around in this earthquake simulation. Did I do it? OF COURSE I DID. I hopped right in there with the children and tried my best to fold myself under the table without taking out the kids. Everything in Japan is small and so was this table. I just hope the helmet I wore will appear out of no where when there is a real earthquake.

2 Comments:

At 1:33 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i hope you know that i check your page from work like 10 time a day now so if you could start posting about that many times a day (spaced out throughout the day of course) i would be much obliged. :)

Keep on keepin on Britt!

 
At 1:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

you're lucky your kids talk to you. Mine need to have a little conference every time I ask them something.

Me: Yuka, what music do you like?
Yuka (perplexed): Music? music? (turns to friends.. whisper whisper) Ehhhhhh? (turns back to friends) (avoids eye contact) (asks everyone in the class what music she likes again)
Me: You know what.. nevermind. Sinpai shinaide.

 

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