What a day!

Today was our Field trip to the Japanese Elementary school, so on the bus, I prepared my group to be on their best behavior. Once we left the gate of the base, they were now ambassadors. That seemed to go right in and out of the ears of second grade boys. Second grade boys- now that is a different breed. The volume levels are turned up to the maximum volume, anything they eat or chew is always done with their mouths open, and every thing they say is done is some distorted voice, accompanied by sounds from their mouths that produce so much spray that you feel like you've gotten a second shower.

We arrived at the school and had to take off our outdoor shoes and put on different ones (most kids had crocs or mocs of some sort). We were escorted into the gym where they welcomed us with an applause. Both school (Sullivans and the Japanese) sang their school songs. We were then put into a group with about four Japanese students to take us on a tour of the school. None of these children spoke any English. This did not seem to be a problem. The kids seemed to mix well and had enough body language to act like the best of friends. Hiroki, a nine year old boy, was Patrick's friend for the day. Hiroki was your typical boy. I thought maybe that these kids would be much better behaved and quieter than ours. This was not the case. Hiroki taught Patrick how to flip his eyelid inside out- this being done while they were suppose to be listening to the teacher speak.

The school was organized, clean, and the facilities seemed very new. There were not any walls to separate classrooms (just some sort of wooden screen)- it was very open. One things that was neat was the fact that the children have a garden where they grow fruits and vegetables, which are then used for their lunches at the school.

I was not a huge fan of the lunch they served- Yakisoba and fried squid. I like yakisoba, but this was different and very cafeteria style. The Japanese kids slurped it down and ran for seconds. Our kids picked and poked and complained how starved they were after lunch. They served Mikans (clementines) in a bowl for dessert. Patrick ate his and then asked, "What are we having for dessert?" Of course, when we got home, I fed him an entire lunch and some Halloween candy. What a sucker I am.

It was really a great experience. However, I learned that it doesn't matter where you are raised- second grade boys are second grade boys, whether you live in Japan or the United States.