Head, shoulders, knees, and crap

Since the school year is ending here in Japan, I have very few classes and luckily I was sent to the nearby Elementary school for 3 days last week. The previous Friday, I received some lesson plans from the teachers at the school. It was very kind of the teachers to make these plans, but of course the errors are surely worth some recognition.
As I read, I giggled over funny little spelling mistakes, until I came to the song I was supposed to sing with the 1st and 3rd graders. I grew up with the version “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,” so I was thoroughly confused at what could have possible been mistaken with “crap.” As with all lessons to elementary students, you use lots of gestures and visuals. I was scared. I even asked a few friends what else it could have possible meant. Maybe it was a cruel joke by a previous ALT? But, oh I couldn’t wait for class Monday morning!
So after my self-introduction, their introductions, an ABC song (which also wasn’t the version I learned, so all the kids looked at me as if I was stupid when I couldn’t sing my ABC’s – rightfully so!), and reviewing the body parts, we got to sing “Head, shoulders, knees, and crap.” And then I realized – oh, clap! Hee hee! Probably the funniest l-r mistake I have ever seen. And if you don’t have “Head, shoulders, knees, and crap” stuck in your head for the next 3 days, you are missing out!
But, seriously, I had the best time at the elementary school. The teachers, staff, and especially the students were so friendly and happy. And oddly enough, my favorite classes were the 1st graders. I had so much fun with them. They were the cutest kids ever! Maybe I can be a tad more open about teaching positions I’m willing to take at my next school. Wherever that may be!
The pictures are with the 3rd graders. I figured they would be ok to post since they are all wearing masks. At the elementary schools, the students put on smocks, bonnets, and face masks to serve lunch to their classmates. I was lucky enough to join them, and this lunch was my favorite! If anyone can tell me how to make those beans, I would love the recipe. They had a crunchy and sweet coating and were delicious. I wish I could’ve had a little more.

Hinamatsuri

On their way to pick up their son in China, my dad and Georgie had a short layover in Japan, which they extended for a few days. They happened to be here on March 3rd, which in Japan is Girl’s Day. It is called Hinamatsuri, which means doll’s festival. Near one on my schools in Kada, there is a famous shrine dedicated to dolls and figurines (I had a post about it a while ago). Many people come to this shrine, Awashimajinja, to pray for the health of their children and watch the ceremony. It is believed that when girls play with their dolls, their soul is connected to it, so you can’t just throw it away. So many people give their childhood dolls to this shrine for the ceremony. There is also a ceremony for used sewing needles, but on a different day.
The priest started off by saying a prayer and swishing a horse-hair-looking thing about his head. Then some young women who work at the shrine held up individual dolls for all of us to admire before they loaded each one into a small wooden boat. The boats were then carried, by women only, to the ocean nearby. The boats were set down on the dock and the priest said another swishy prayer. The shrine ladies scattered paper cranes into the ocean where the water touched the dock, and the boats were set afloat. A group of pre-school girls sang a song and waved goodbye to the dolls as they floated away on the tiny boats.
When I first heard of this ceremony last year, I imagined the sea floor full of sunken boats surrounded by millions of dolls. Quite scary. But we were told that the boats are led out toward one of the islands off the coast, collected, and the dolls burned.
My friend, Akemi, came out with us, and even though she is older than me, she had never been to this festival. We all enjoyed being together on this special day. And for everybody who has visited me, Kada has been their favorite city in Japan. I guess because of it’s quaintness and personality. It seems like what “old” Japan would have been like. On our walk back to the train station, we passed a small shop selling agepan (fried bread). It was like a malasada (Portuguese donut) filled with anko (azuki beans). I must have been in Japan too long because it was delicious! I usually don’t care for azuki beans. But I guess everything tastes better deep-fried right?

Next Year

My how quickly your life changes sometimes! A few weeks ago, I was ready to head back to San Diego and resume my teaching career. But right before my trip to Taiwan, I received an email offering me the chance to take another year off and returning for the school year ‘09/’10. With lots of thinking and not much planning, I have decided to take a 3rd year leave of absence. During this year, I have decided to live in Hawaii. I will be close to lots of family, including my aging grandparents and my new brother. What I hope to get from this year is some valuable family time together. I want to help out with my grandparents, teach my brother English, and live in the place I’ve always considered my second home.
There are still many hurdles with finding an apartment, a job, and getting my kitties through quarantine, but I think it will be a good move for me. I am very excited, but also very busy planning. It will take a lot of work to move again. Wish me luck!

New Brother

About a year ago, my dad and step-mom made the big decision to adopt a child. After looking into many different program in both international and domestic adoption, they decided on “The Waiting Child” program in China. Because of their age, their options were limited, but they seem to have found a great match in a little boy from China. His name is Silei. When he comes to the US, his full name will be David Silei Frazier. He will be three years old in May. Now, dad and Georgie are in China picking him up and getting his paperwork all ready for him to move to Hawaii. He has a cleft lip and cleft palate, which will both need surgery. He seems a bit small in pictures, but they will have to wait and see when he gets to the US, how his health is. I am very excited to have a brother for the very first time! Now, I’m old enough to appreciate him, and not just try to beat him up. I look forward to meeting him soon and having him a part of our family.

Dynaland

Wow, I am really behind on my blogs! So back in February, I went to Dynaland Ski Resort with one of my adult English students and her husband. We took an overnight bus and arrived early Sunday morning. It was snowing quite a bit, and was very beautiful. I tried to snowboard. I mostly sat in the snow after falling. And they were kind enough to lend me their snowboard, which I promptly broke two of the straps on. They said it is an old board, but of course I felt horrible!
My student, Sachiko, wasn’t too sure on the snowboard either, but she did well. Her husband has been skiing since he was 7 years old, so he did great. He would go up and down the slopes and would help pick me up as he passed. So I usually sat around waiting for him to ski by. The board is slippery!
Snowboarding is really fun, but difficult. Luckily no one was nearby listening to me as I would start to go faster and get scared. Or if they did, they would wonder who I kept telling “no” to. I guess I was talking to the snowboard, telling it not to go so fast. When it didn’t listen, I would just fall down. Maybe not the best strategy, but it worked.
The season is pretty much finished, so I am glad I got to go one more time before leaving Japan.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

We had a 3-day weekend a few weeks ago, so I asked a few friends, Akemi and Chise, if they wanted to go anywhere for a short trip. We decided to go to Kyoto for the day and explore some places I hadn’t been yet. First, we went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It is famous for it’s thousands and thousands of torii’s (the tall red things). Here, the torii’s form long walkways and each one has a name carved into it. Akemi said that people or companies make a wish, and if it comes true, they place a torii there. The entire hike to go through them all is a bit long, so we went through the ones at the beginning and prayed at a few small shrines. The area is very peaceful and beautiful. A bamboo forest surrounds the walkways and trails, so it is shaded and quite cool. Plus on Saturday, we had snow (even in Wakayama!), so there were still small patches on the ground and roofs. I enjoyed the walk.
After a delicious Japanese lunch, we headed to the Ginkakuji, the Silver Temple. Unlike the Golden Temple, it is not made of silver. The small temple is not much to look at, but the surrounding grounds are beautiful.
Nearby is the Philosopher’s walk, which during spring, is under a canopy of cherry blossoms. It takes about one hour to walk the entire trail, so we just saw part of it. But I can imagine how beautiful it would be in full bloom.
Although the crowds are a hassle, it was a beautiful day.