The scenery:
The temple:
Perhaps her room? She really needs to put some description on these photos!
Thursday, June 26
This morning, it seems like half of the students are still super energetic and half of them are very tired.... We will make sure to have the tired ones rest today. Yesterday was another busy but fun day. We visited a local middle school. Our students do their presentations and they did a great job. It was more challenging because the young students didn`t know much English at all, but our students Japanese skills have improved tremendously so they managed to communicate well. We had school lunch at the middle school. It was a cultural experience too because there is no 'lunch lady' in Japan. Students serve each other and eat in their classroom together. Our students went to different classrooms in pairs and enjoyed eating with their students and seeing how the students operate lunch time. Our students all helped with putting away the empty bowls, etc. When we finished lunch and getting ready to leave in one of the conference rooms, the middle school students were looking in the door and screaming just to take a look at our students. There were so many of them and some were riding the shoulders of their classmates so that they could see! It was very interesting to see our students reactions too ... total surprise and shock! They are not used to fame!
After the middle school, we went to a local Zen temple to experience the meditation. The priest (monk?) gave us a tour of the temple grounds and gave us a little history lesson. I was sweating trying to translate religious words and phrases ... but like I tell my students all the time, 'a lie told confidently sounds more believable than a truth told timidly' ... so ... I ... tried ... to ... speak ... with ... confidence. The priest was very cool and the temple was gorgeous. It was interesting to see very old traditional instruments and decorations and at the same time they had digital clock and things too. Students sat and did two 10-minute meditations. We heard birds chirping and wind blowing and we felt like we were part of the nature. We were not supposed to 'chase our thoughts' so we sat quietly in emptiness. Many students thought that it was very relaxing.
When we got back to school, our gym uniforms were delivered. It looks cool! Students were excited. Then they all went their own ways. ... Elaine went with her sister to a hair salon, had a good dinner with the family and met her host brother's friends (their names are not Ian - all of her real brother Bradley`s friends are Ians back home ... they are my students too).
Today we are going to a Japanese language class held by a local lady. There are people from other countries, mostly from Asia, so there is a language class. We are going to join them. Then we are taking a relaxing walk in a forest preserve with famous pine trees. We don't know much about it, we will tell you tomorrow!
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