Kyoto coming!

Hey there,

This isn't an exciting adventure-filled post like last time, it's just more of a 'this is what we're up to...' post.  Actually it's to procrastinate my Japanese study!  So now we're being honest...

Yesterday I was at Tode, my visit school.  The teacher of my third class had asked me to prepare something on NZ nature (he mentioned something about flowers, but I mentally edited his comment to something NZ can work with!).  He said how he was interested in how much we look after nature and that he wanted to me to tell the kids about it, so I said ok.  I had no idea how long he wanted me to talk for, but I printed off some pics from Cathedral Cove (beautiful beach and marine reserve, good for diving), Tongariro National Park (representing the North Island mountains and tourist hotspot for the Crossing), Kaikoura (need I spell it out?  Whales as tourism, not food!), Nelson Lakes (yes, because I reallyreally wanted to show off the pictures of our 8 day hike when we were 14!  Great pictures of me, mountains and nothing else!  Shows the beauty of the Southern Alps) and Codfish Island/Whenua Hou (the tiny island beside Stewart Island where I worked for a summer looking after the incredibly rare kakapo.  That's a bird for non-Kiwis.  Kiwi is also a bird, but I mean the people.  If you follow...  That was my example of an island sanctuary not accessible to the public.  The students seemed a bit disappointed they couldn't pat a kakapo themselves, so I told them about Sirocco and his facebook page - maybe the lure of kakapo will get my students to study English and visit NZ!). 

Anyhoo, I had no idea how long I was supposed to talk for, but on the day he said 15 minutes.  I agreed that was fine, but by the time the teacher was translating my talking, the students took ages pouring over the pictures, I taught a bit of NZ geography and the students asked questions which the teacher translated, before translating my answers back, it took the whole hour.  I felt bad for hijacking the class, but it was really fun and the students were keen.  They learnt important new words like whale and seal.  The teacher kept asking questions about what happens to you if you kill a seal, so I explained you would probably get a fine and possibly jail time.  Then every new animal he clarified that you would also get jail time for killing one ("Yes, yes you would.  Yes, you also would.  Yup, you still would.  Don't do it.  No, we don't have native goats so you won't get in jail for that.").  Everyone also had some confusion about the kakapo - "what happens if you touch one?", "you can't, they're on a small island and you're not allowed on the island", "but what if you DO", "you... you just can't!  You can't get on the island!"  I draw the island, with 'kakapo' inside and 'you' outside.  "You can't go on the island."  "Oh, you go to jail if you go on the island?"  "Yes...  err...  yes you do." 

If this sounds familiar, yup, it's the same teacher.  I should rename this blog 'Charly's adventures with Kagawa-sensei'.  Don't get me wrong, nice guy, and it's cool he asks questions - better than being quiet and having the wrong idea, or worse, not caring.  He has some really enthusiastic kids in his class so when the cultural assumptions aren't making things too confusing, it's a good time had by all! 

In other news...  Jeff made a game to play with his kids.  But, on a whim, he took the game to our adult English class last night.  It may have been made for ten year olds, but it was a HIT with the oldies!  The 'warm-up game' took all hour (no-one seemed to want to stop) and they were giggling away by the end.  They even asked to go a round overtime, which they never do.  Funny times! 

On Friday Steve arrives from NZ and we meet him in Kyoto - super exciting!  It will be our first time there so we have spent lots of time discussing the best way to carry our new camera around! 

I have class soon, so I should get my stuff organised.  Hope you're all well, wherever you're reading this from.

Cheers,
Charly