"Tori" no Olympics

I'm sure most of you will remember Canada's very disappointing showing at the last summer Olympics in Athens. I think we might have only gotten about 12 medals in the whole 3 weeks of competition. But the tables have turned, it's snow season, Canada season... and we're doing pretty good in Italy so far (knock knock.)

On the other hand, the Japan team which came in fifth in medal standings at Athens currently has a medal count of zero. It's in all the headlines in the papers, and on the news every night.

In the opening week the Olympics were on every night at 7pm and then again live from 10pm with big hype commentation for each of the some 100 plus athletes representing Japan. However when I went to watch last night, there was nothing on. Instead it was team Japan Soccer, and an hour long special presentation about bird olympics.

You see, in Japanese "tori" means bird and "no" can mean "of," so "Olympics of the birds." The show featured pet owners who had trained their birds to do certain olympic maneuvers such as flips, skating, curling etc. I'm sorry I don't have a video clip to go with. So please cheer for Japan a little if you can so that I can watch regular Olympics again.

Interview Practice

Right now, at school, my 14 and 15 year old students are practicing how to bow correctly. It’s part of their interview practice, which has been going on for almost a month now. That’s right, students are learning the particularities of opening a door correctly, entering a room correctly, sitting down correctly, and of course most importantly.. bowing correctly!

Students have to take a written exam and in most cases pass an interview, to enter high school. High school starts from grade 10 and the 240 some odd students currently in the 9th grade, will go their separate ways to approximately 50 different high schools next year. This is normal, and if you’re thinking to yourself, are there really 50 high schools within reasonable proximity to these students current location, the answer is of course NO. 45 minute plus commutes are the norm.

It turns out high schools are ranked. Ranked on the percentage of their graduates that enter top universities (which are in turn ranked; on percentage of graduates that get jobs in top corporations.) As you may see, this ranking system has made it such that the interviews these 14 year old students will be taking are VERY important for the rest of their lives!

Personally I have a problem with this system, and as such am currently writing a Masters thesis on the very subject. (Unfortunately by “writing,” I mean lying around the house unable to write.) I’ll keep you updated on society in Japan as it progresses, so stay tuned.

Where I Come From... AND Fruit!

Where I come from, you would get SMACKED for leaving the door open in the winter. But they’re at it again! Those nutty administrators. Like you wouldn’t believe, the staff room doors which open to the parking lot, were propped wide open for 20 minutes today! “Getting fresh air” someone told me. It felt fresher than the sushi I ate last night, that’s for sure.
Oh yeah and to really get a crosswind going, they opened both doors to the hallway and the outside hallway windows adjacent to those doors. Katrina was looking like a warm spring breeze! It was like a mini winter wonderland, without the wonder.

And another thing. For a country that eats most things raw, I find it amazing how they can be so picky about their fruit. I am looked at in disgust by Itsuki whenever I eat a grape without peeling it first. Not just grapes, apples, pears, bananas, oranges… the list goes on! (you realize I’m joking about the bananas and oranges right?) I haven't been here that long!