Week 9

May 24, Day 56: RED DAY
In Kindergarten, we start at square 1: learning about the color red and the number 1. Next unit, we’ll focus on the color blue and, you guessed it, the number 2. Each unit has a special day when the teachers and students celebrate the focus color with clothes and activities. Today was red day and the only day I will willingly wear a tutu and red glitter on my eyelids. I coiled some red pipe cleaners to stick in my hair which blended right in. The students did show-&-tell with red toys from home, painted Lightning McQueen with red watercolor, wrote in red marker, colored with red crayons, and sang songs about the color red. I wasn’t the only one dressed head to toe in red… I had a little Mario, a little Red Riding Hood, a little red ninja, a little Minnie Mouse, and a little firefighter. SO CUTE. It was fun to see them in something besides the MeySen uniforms. Last week, we made red magnifying glasses as a craft, and today we used them on a nature walk to practice saying, “I see a red ____!” So much red packed into one day!
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May 25, Day 57:
I taught my kids the Baby Bumblebee song as a time-killer for when we line up a bit too early. Mistake. Now they won’t stop singing it. They can only remember one line, so all day long I heard “I’m mushin up my baby bumblebee” and loads of giggles. Officially taking new song requests to teach the children…
We’re starting a Family book as a class and today we worked on the ‘father’ page. I showed them an example with a photo of my dad and it made me miss him even more.

May 26, Day 58:
Today I found out I’ve been using an exacto knife upside down my whole life. I kinda hate those things. You know what I like about kindergarteners? They spend a lot of time noticing how things work. Whether it be scissors, a glue stick, or a colony of ants, they are easily fascinated and spend time getting to know the unfamiliar. While it’s completely aggravating at school when I’m trying to get the children to line up and they’re all huddled over a slug, it also makes me envious of a child’s ability to appreciate little tiny things that adults constantly overlook, dismiss, or ignore. That’s all.

May 27, Day 59:
I’m going to have to buy an umbrella soon if it continues raining like it did today. Rainy season is right around the corner, but my Oregonian pride holds me back from the use of any shield from the rain… The world spins the wrong way when my blood sugar is low. The lunch at school today was interesting (another word for not-my-favorite) and I didn’t bring any extra snacks. So, by my fifth hour past lunch, I was hungry, tired, and irritable (also known as hangry). The printer was being picky, I missed the sunset because I was in the store, I messed up the kiwi barcode at the store only to come home and discover my kiwi was half mush.
Feeling much better with food in my stomach. Going to bed early.

May 28, Day 60: Yamadera
Today I took a train to Yamadera (which means mountain temple). First time out of my prefecture since arriving in Japan! I went with two coworkers friends and we stopped for a delicious lunch by the river first. Mmmm fresh soba.You know what I like about Japanese meals? You leave feeling nourished and satisfied rather than heavy and lethargic. I’m glad we ate a big lunch though, because we climbed a mountain afterwards. After trekking up 1,015 stone steps, we made it to the summit which provided a breathtaking view. The mountains were blanketed in a shade of green I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that the temples were built over a thousand years ago. Places like this made me feel very small. Oh, by the way, I bought an umbrella at the store on the way home…
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May 29, Day 61:
Spent the day studying. lesson planning, cleaning, craft prepping, and memorizing new unit material. I guess I spent my entire fun budget yesterday.