Elementary School Visit
One part of my job is to help run workshops at Japanese elementary schools, where we teach about different cultures. Last week was my first time participating and I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but it was a lot of fun!
There were about 100 3rd and 4th graders that gathered in the school gym for the workshop to listen to several presentations and participate in group activities and games. All the Hippo members running the workshop wore different types of traditional dress from around the world and taught the kids words in different languages. I always thought that Japanese children were really shy compared to American kids, which was true for most of the Japanese kids I had met when they were with their parents, but it turns out that as a group they are not shy at all! I realized this when I found myself at one point surrounded by lots of little voices saying “Su-chan!” (my Japanese nickname) as I was being physically pushed backward by a crowd of about 40 kids who all wanted to be in my group for one of the games.
I gave a short and very basic presentation about the U.S. and Wisconsin in my very limited Japanese but with big pictures to illustrate my points, so the kids were able to understand, and of course they didn't care if my Japanese grammar was correct or not. They got really excited about the photo of my parent's house, which is in the country with lots of space and trees around, and asked me several times if I was rich. (My parent's house is a pretty average sized American home, but compared to the apartments in Tokyo, it seems huge.) I tried to explain to them while space is very limited, and therefore expensive, in Tokyo, there is a lot of space in the country in Wisconsin, so having a big house does not necessarily mean you are rich.
It was interesting to hear the questions that they asked and what they were the most interested in, or what they already knew and what they didn't. I also played an American folk song for them with my guitar, which they loved. I really can't play guitar that well, just a few basic chords to accomany songs, but the 3rd and 4th graders thought it was awesome; kids are such a great audience! A lot of their questions focused on my guitar:
How do you feel when you play the guitar?
How long have you been playing the guitar?
How many hours each day do you play guitar?
Can I touch it?
They also asked things like:
Are the traffic lights the same colors in America as they are in Japan?
Are McDonald's the same in America as in Japan?
What kind of food do you eat in America?
Are you rich? (again)
I had a little entourage of girls who were in one of my groups where we had to hold hands, and after the game they just kept following me around holding my hand with these huge smiles whenever I looked at them. They were so cute! One of them brought me a piece of paper and a pen and asked if I would sign if for her, so I did, which of course was soon followed by ALL of them running up to me with little scraps of paper in their hands asking for my autograph. I felt like such a celebrity!
There were about 100 3rd and 4th graders that gathered in the school gym for the workshop to listen to several presentations and participate in group activities and games. All the Hippo members running the workshop wore different types of traditional dress from around the world and taught the kids words in different languages. I always thought that Japanese children were really shy compared to American kids, which was true for most of the Japanese kids I had met when they were with their parents, but it turns out that as a group they are not shy at all! I realized this when I found myself at one point surrounded by lots of little voices saying “Su-chan!” (my Japanese nickname) as I was being physically pushed backward by a crowd of about 40 kids who all wanted to be in my group for one of the games.
I gave a short and very basic presentation about the U.S. and Wisconsin in my very limited Japanese but with big pictures to illustrate my points, so the kids were able to understand, and of course they didn't care if my Japanese grammar was correct or not. They got really excited about the photo of my parent's house, which is in the country with lots of space and trees around, and asked me several times if I was rich. (My parent's house is a pretty average sized American home, but compared to the apartments in Tokyo, it seems huge.) I tried to explain to them while space is very limited, and therefore expensive, in Tokyo, there is a lot of space in the country in Wisconsin, so having a big house does not necessarily mean you are rich.
It was interesting to hear the questions that they asked and what they were the most interested in, or what they already knew and what they didn't. I also played an American folk song for them with my guitar, which they loved. I really can't play guitar that well, just a few basic chords to accomany songs, but the 3rd and 4th graders thought it was awesome; kids are such a great audience! A lot of their questions focused on my guitar:
How do you feel when you play the guitar?
How long have you been playing the guitar?
How many hours each day do you play guitar?
Can I touch it?
They also asked things like:
Are the traffic lights the same colors in America as they are in Japan?
Are McDonald's the same in America as in Japan?
What kind of food do you eat in America?
Are you rich? (again)
I had a little entourage of girls who were in one of my groups where we had to hold hands, and after the game they just kept following me around holding my hand with these huge smiles whenever I looked at them. They were so cute! One of them brought me a piece of paper and a pen and asked if I would sign if for her, so I did, which of course was soon followed by ALL of them running up to me with little scraps of paper in their hands asking for my autograph. I felt like such a celebrity!
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