too tired to think of a clever title...

hi. i am exhausted. spent the week outside on dirt fields preparing for sports day. it is TOO bright here. but at least the sun is shining right? i am working saturday and sunday this weekend for sports day at two of my schools. lots of pictures to come. oh, and our 'typhoon bbq' was a raging success. we bought a giant blue tarp and strung it up from the house to our fence and craig bbq'ed underneath. unfortunately no photos since i was busy in the kitchen...and we took it down immediately when he was done because of the strong winds. but really, 15 close friends and so much food- how could it not have been a great time? i found out today i am finally getting a new cousin!! i saw the ultrasound on a email attachment...total surprise! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

random observation from the week:
i spent three years at japanese high school watching teachers mold students into a group that thinks alike, acts alike, enjoys the same foods, etc. the favorite catch phrase being 'the nail that sticks out gets pounded back in'. now at elementary level, i watch the teachers encourage students to have their own opinion and to speak up. we have had quite a few meetings recently to decide event rules for sports day games, dance steps, etc. and the teachers always encourage students to share their opinions and to vote their choice, even if they are the only one doing so. what changes? why are we teaching students two incredibly different approaches toward personality and group interaction?

life does not get better than this. some work activities from this week:
-collecting bugs
-going for a walk to a sheep farm with some 1st graders (we fed the sheep sweet potato vines and no, i don't have the pictures yet)
-racing 4th graders at timed decimal addition worksheets
-explaining to a captive audience that bread is not the 'main' food of america
-walking down the hall each morning and being group hugged by 1st and 2nd graders all screaming 'good morning katy sensei'
-being called 'cake sensei' and 'kewpi sensei' (the katakana pronunciation of my name is very similar to cake in japanese, and kewpi is the mayonnaise character and in the mind of a child, apparently is similar too)
-making a bug toy that moves (if i figure out how to upload video to my blog i will post his movements...)
-the smiles
-feeling more welcome every day...

it's been a good week and it is not over yet...two more days of fun (can i really even call it work?)...here is one of my new favorite photos. enjoy!

p.s. no flower lesson this week.