At my Friday class with my Japanese grandmothers we discussed the Tokyo Marathon. (Side note: to pronounce Tokyo like a local say Toke-yo. Not Toke-e-o). They were so excited that Dave and I were running and we excited to hear all about it.
Hisako-san told me she watched the TV broadcast looking for me. I said you didn’t see me because I was in costume. I showed them my favorite picture from the day.
We all laughed at my Hello Kitty costume. They were all eager to hear about the marathon. They asked so many questions And they were so proud of Dave and I for running and also for finishing.
I shared with them how much we enjoyed the experience. I told them the Tokyo Marathon was a “World Class” event. In true Japanese fashion, they were very thankful we enjoyed it so much. During my description of the marathon, I gave them a couple big vocabulary words. The words included: participate, supported, organized, spectators, recognize, and nutrition. I was spelling a lot during class today!
We spent the first hour talking about me and the marathon. That is not usual. Normally, each student reads something she wrote in English and I assist with grammar and sentence structure. It was very different talking all about me. Their interest felt genuine. I will make the comparison yet again, it was as though my grandmothers were asking me all about the race. So sweet and dear.
Once we reached a break in the conversation, Yasuko stepped out of the room and came back with daffodils for me!
We discussed in a previous class that daffodils were my favorite flower. They were so proud of Dave and me for running they wanted to congratulate us! What a thoughtful and kind present. I felt pretty special because they wanted to hear all about our experience and were so proud of us.
Today, I had the chance to reflect on how fortunate we are to meet so many kind and thoughtful people through our journey in life. We sacrifice a lot being away from our family and friends. Simultaneously, having the opportunity to meet new people and make new friendships helps ease the pain of being away.
I know I’ve said this before, it still remains true. I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience another country and culture. We are fortune to have so many friends and our family who care about how we are doing. Thank you for reading. We miss you. We love you and we think about you always. Xoxo
PS. Sorry, that got a little heavy for a Friday… so, on that note… Kanpie!