Were it not for the kindness of so many people - the head teacher, the kindergarten teacher, and so many mommies - I might do something preposterous like take Patrick to school tomorrow when everyone knows it's a national holiday, or show up for regular 2:00 pick-up on Friday when dismissal is at 11:45, or completely miss his first field trip - an excursion to a sweet potato farm on Tuesday. No, so far I haven't made any of these gaffes, saved only by handouts passed to me at dismissal with English notations nestled among the katakana, or elaborate drawings with lots of labels to explain the weekly schedule, or moms shyly approaching and explaining something in tentative English, apologizing the whole time about their poor skills. (Poor skills?! They haven't heard my Japanese!!) Oh, I couldn't be more grateful for these little buoys tossed our way...they're truly what is keeping us afloat.
And that is how I have come to find myself on a treasure-hunt of sorts to prepare for Tuesday's outing to the fields for "Sweet Potatoes Digging". This is probably the U.S. equivalent to visiting pumpkin patches in the fall with required items perhaps limited to some rain boots and a permission slip. But no fewer than three people have stopped to try and explain the finer nuances of our excursion - one mom even taking it upon herself to retype in English the 12-item 'what to bring' handout. Thank goodness for that! Even with the translation, I am sometimes at a loss as to what I might be searching for or where it might be found. Sumimasen, (excuse me) but where do I find a leisure sheet?! But a leisure sheet I did find, and our picnic will be that much more comfortable thanks to this small but important victory.
Off to the potato fields! :-)
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| Just an example of one of the buoys sent our way. Cute, huh? |
And to think of how unprepared I have been for past visits to potato fields!
ReplyDeleteIt was serious business and now we are many pounds richer in sweet potatoes!
DeleteI love the drawing!!! Especially washing the indoor shoes... Maybe we should adopt this practice here and my house would be cleaner.. Also, I love that they bring their toothbrush?!?!
DeleteIt's such a fastidious and tidy lifestyle. We are trying our hardest to fit in! :-)
DeleteWow, thank you so much for sharing that picture with us. What an act of service the author of that note performed! I have so many questions: a tooth brush? Do they brush teeth at school after lunch? And towel handkerchiefs-- are the kids carrying handkerchiefs on a daily basis? It all sounds so refined and hygienic! :) We had sweet potatoes in our soup tonight; if Patrick comes home with some and you need a good recipe, let me know. ;)
ReplyDeletemuch love from us all!
I agree! We have referred to that little drawing on countless occasions and I've been so grateful to have it. Yes, the kids brush their teeth after lunch, and at some point during the day there is gargling with water, hence the need for the plastic cup! The bathrooms have neither paper towels nor toilet paper, so the kids use the pockets of their smocks to carry their own supplies. It is not uncommon for a Japanese restroom not to have paper towels...many people carry a small hand towel with them.
DeleteP.S. Yes, I will take your recipe! Please!!! We were overly successful in our harvest!
DeleteFascinating! And so much to figure out!! Thanks for the explanation. I'm glad the harvest was successful and will email the recipe. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm impressed with that drawing. It's a work of art! :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it adorable? Not to mention extremely helpful!
ReplyDelete