金田一秀穂 に来るしていただき、ありがとうございます 浜頓別町 と、このような素晴らしい演説を行ってください。

Following a morning cup of green tea at the BOE, drove South down the coast to Synai Elementary School for a pair of classes.  Was just a gorgeous day with no snow and a brilliant cloud-less sky.

Started Synai off with a cup of tasteless, but appreciated, as it was served with affection, instant coffee from 校長 and a friendly game of dodgeball.  Perhaps I high on caffeine, or just had a case of the Mondays on Tuesday, whatever the reason, my dodgeball skills were off.  Multiple times kids made weak throws that would normally be automatic catches for me, but which bounced off my hands instead.  It was not even as if I was trying to be nice to the kids and play down to their level.  I was really trying and getting abused.

Shots didn’t stop there, as a teacher then informed me that the spelling warmup I’d selected would not be appropriate, given the kids were too young to know how to spell.  As you can see, I make knowing my students an absolute priority.

Classes were fine though, and the lunch of some sort of noodle based chicken dish was delish.

Afternoon class was at Hamatonbetsu Elementary School.  Special day, as me and the homeroom teacher were to be watched and critiqued by other adults.  In the meeting afterwards, they said I should “smile more,” and “make gestures” with my hands to illustrate the word in question.  Feedback is desperately hard to find in all walks of my life, so I valued their suggestions.

Day ended with a celebrity visit.  金田一秀穂, or Hideho Kindachi, was the celeb and he was to honor the school with a speech.  I apologized for not knowing him, and was told he was a famous teacher, who had written some dictionaries and appeared on T.V.

I was surprised when I saw him.  He was wearing a brown jacket made out of a material akin to alligator skin without a tie and had fairly wild hair, especially by Japanese teaching standards.  I enjoyed observing him and hearing him speak, even if all I could understand was that he was saying “right” and “left” a lot, and mentioned something about Beckham.

Using google translate, I managed to get an interview of him, found via his Wikipeida page, and he seems to be a bright chap,

For instance, that Princess Diana and Britney Spears “I will divorce.” And said the same thing at all. This was translated into Japanese, the discourse of Princess Diana, “I’ve decided to divorce”, in the case of Britney, “I got to be part of the” will be. This shows that the Japanese have a kind of filter that is inherent.  And the words and images to create such a bias, and this is the first word on the study should be important to know.

This is fascinating for me to consider, especially in light of my own difficulties with communication.  The filter also does not apply just to Japanese, as some phrases such as Yoroshiku onegai shimasu do not have English translations, and thus non-Japanese speakers have their own bias when they think they really understand the Japan or her people.

Regarding the less than perfect English in the interview and the Wikipedia entry, keep in mind that translations are always difficult, especially electronic ones.  I’m sure his English is impeccable.  Indeed I experienced it first hand, when at one point he walked over to me near the end of the speech.  I was happy he finally noticed me, as given I am the reigning celebrity in Hamatonbetsu, I deserved my respects.  Still though, I was slightly afraid he might ask me something in Japanese.

Thankfully he was kind enough to realize I probably had horrible Japanese, so asked me quietly as he put his hand over the mic in English,

“Where are you from?”
- Chicago
“What kind of vegetables do they have in Chicago?”
- The kind in wheelchairs.

Actually I said “tomatoes,” to which he chuckled.  I had wanted to say something witty/clever, but was so surprised by the question that I was unable to think of anything on the spot.  Over dinner tonight, Chris suggested the wheelchair response I clearly should of used.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

• Grandma asked in the comments to the last entry, “What does ’sagging my pants’ mean?”  This is something I do not have time to answer in full.  To be brief, it implies wearing your pants low enough on your waist, that, some people are very botherred by it.  I do not feel its an issue, especially consider I wear a tie virtually every day, but others disagree.  For more, last year the NY Times wrote an article on the “isssue.”