This has been tough to do – trying to keep everyone updated. Internet access has been erratic, so I’ve been keeping a journal of sorts on the laptop.
Here’s the latest entry:
June 20 – Iizuka
The staff had a traditional Japanese breakfast at the hotel
– fish, rice, miso soup, raw egg, and natto (fermented beans made into a paste
and put on the rice). We pretty much stayed to the fish, soup, and rice. We
then transferred to the high school, where we met up with the OSU students.
Their first comments about their home stays: “We got there, and there was more
food”; “Complete and total culture shock.”
At 9:00, the students visited English classes, where they
were taught origami. It quickly turned into USA v. Japan in an airplane flying
contest. No reports were made as to who won. Meanwhile, the staff and a few
students (Alyssa Aamodt, Angelina Boesch, David Meeker) walked over to the
kindergarten down the street. It is more like what we call a preschool. They
have rooms for 0-1, 2-3, 4, and 5 year-olds. I’m sure you saw the adorable
pictures. David Servias even gave an impromptu concert to the Panda Room. I’ll
post that video as well. We met one of the English teachers, Taro, who told us
he had seen our concert commercial on TV. We had a commercial!!!
After the school visits, both Iizuka and OSU students loaded
the small school coaches and headed to Cosmos Hall. We used the time in close
quarters to share pictures from our phones – including a shot of Hatanaka-san
asleep on a band trip J
The OSU party dropped their things in our assigned dressing rooms, and then
loaded the coaches for lunch. They took us to the Aeon shopping center. At this
point, McDonald’s and KFC were a welcome sight for some stomachs. Students also
made sure to purchase fans since many places were without air conditioning. It
turned out to be a wise purchase.
Our rehearsal began at 4pm and went until 9pm,
with a break for dinner provided by Iizuka parents. It was very warm on stage
especially since the air conditioning was turned off. Our students were
troopers and had a great rehearsal – the first one since June 14th.
During that time, the two bands rehearsed their combined pieces, and some OSU
students were recruited as dancers. Finally, Iizuka finished their final
rehearsal at 9:30pm, and the staff said goodbye as the students left with their
home stay families.
June 20 – Iizuka
The staff had a traditional Japanese breakfast at the hotel – fish, rice, miso soup, raw egg, and natto (fermented beans made into a paste and put on the rice). We pretty much stayed to the fish, soup, and rice. We then transferred to the high school, where we met up with the OSU students. Their first comments about their home stays: “We got there, and there was more food”; “Complete and total culture shock.”
At 9:00, the students visited English classes, where they were taught origami. It quickly turned into USA v. Japan in an airplane flying contest. No reports were made as to who won. Meanwhile, the staff and a few students (Alyssa Aamodt, Angelina Boesch, David Meeker) walked over to the kindergarten down the street. It is more like what we call a preschool. They have rooms for 0-1, 2-3, 4, and 5 year-olds. I’m sure you saw the adorable pictures. David Servias even gave an impromptu concert to the Panda Room. I’ll post that video as well. We met one of the English teachers, Taro, who told us he had seen our concert commercial on TV. We had a commercial!!!
After the school visits, both Iizuka and OSU students loaded the small school coaches and headed to Cosmos Hall. We used the time in close quarters to share pictures from our phones – including a shot of Hatanaka-san asleep on a band trip J The OSU party dropped their things in our assigned dressing rooms, and then loaded the coaches for lunch. They took us to the Aeon shopping center. At this point, McDonald’s and KFC were a welcome sight for some stomachs. Students also made sure to purchase fans since many places were without air conditioning. It turned out to be a wise purchase.
Our rehearsal began at 4pm and went until 9pm, with a break for dinner provided by Iizuka parents. It was very warm on stage especially since the air conditioning was turned off. Our students were troopers and had a great rehearsal – the first one since June 14th. During that time, the two bands rehearsed their combined pieces, and some OSU students were recruited as dancers. Finally, Iizuka finished their final rehearsal at 9:30pm, and the staff said goodbye as the students left with their home stay families.
