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| This is a fun game to use with a group of about 15 students maximum. It
depends on how well they know their numbers. I seat the students in a circle.
We then count off and each student gets a number. We then start clapping
our hands and snapping our fingers in rhythm together. The rhythm should
gradually get faster as the students get better with their numbers. There
are four beats. The first beat, slap both your open palms on your legs.
The second beat, clap your hands. The third beat, snap with your right
hand. The fourth beat, snap with your left. Repeat this until the students
feel comfortable with it. The game is started with a leader. The group
starts the rhythm together and the leader on the third beat/snap first
says his/her own number, and then on the fourth beat says another number.
For example, if I were number two, on the third beat I would say three,
and then.....say seven on the fourth. Then, without breaking the rhythm,
the person who is number seven, on the next third beat would say first
their own number, seven, and then another number, and so on and so on until
someone breaks the rhythm. Everyone slaps, claps and snaps while the numbers
get called even if the number called isn't their own. It's fun to see how
fast the group can go without breaking the rhythm or the pattern. It's
difficult to explain, but very easy once it gets going. Maybe this is old
hat to a lot of you, but it's always a good game to have in one's pocket. --- Larelle Bewley |
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| One thing that I've noticed in the two years that I've spent at my school
is that most of the students are two different people in and out of the
classroom. My students are usually quiet in the classroom. Sometimes it
seems like that they don't like me or they aren't interested in learning
English or talking to me. But as soon as that bell rings and we're out
of the room they open up and attack me with a barrage of Japanese. I'm
not fluent (yet) but I can understand a bit of what their saying or asking
me so I'm okay. Most of the time they're interested in my life in Japan
or about America. But since their English levels are kinda low they just
speak to me in Japanese. I answer them in English as much as possible,
but of course some things they just don't understand so I throw in a little
Japanese when absolutely necessary. I waited a couple of years before studying Japanese when I first came here. Let me tell you that was a big mistake. Maryland has Japanese classes all the time that you really need to take while your here in Japan Knowing some Japanese really helps me at school when I'm out of the teacher's room alone. My favorite part of the day is the 10 minutes in between classes when the students are themselves and we have a chance to talk one on one. The JETs are usually busy getting ready for classes so they can't be your interpreter all day. Also you shouldn't rely on them too much because sometimes they're wrong. You might think that you're only here for a short time so you don't need Japanese or maybe you think it's too hard to learn. But once you learn a little you can easily improve just by being around the students and teachers. Teaching here in Yokosuka is really a wonderful chance to learn about Japanese people and culture. You can learn so much more about your students and vice versa if you could understand a little Japanese. It also comes in handy when they talk about you in front of your face. Once you say a couple lines in Japanese they'll straighten up and show you a little more respect. Of course all of them won't, but for the most part it works. So get out there and learn the language. It makes life in Japan a lot more enjoyable. Ganbatte kudasai! --- Sean Sullivan |
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| With the holidays just around the corner, I thought that it would be timely
to include information on some of the symbols and traditions of Christmas
in this gazette. Just as I am curious about the Japanese symbols and traditions
of their holidays, I think that they might be interested in knowing about
this "holy day". To all of you, "Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year", "Meri Kurisumasu to Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu",
or as we say in Hawaii, "Mele Kalikimaka e Haole Makahiki Hou!" Ella Shinsato The Date of Christmas We all know that Christmas is the day to recognize the birth of Jesus Christ, but the date of December 25th was chosen as the official birthday celebration as Christ's Mass so that it would compeete with a rival pagan celebration. Christmas was slow to catch on in America. The early colonists considered it a pagan ritual. The celebration of Chistmas was even banned by law in Massachusetts in colonial days. Mistletoe and Holly Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They would use it to decorate their homes and believed that it had special healing powers. Scandinavians thought of the mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony. They associated mistletoe with their goddess of love, Frigga. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe probably was derived from this belief. The early church banned the use of mistletoe in Christmas celebrations because of its pagan origins. Holly was therefore used as a substitute for Christmas greenery. Poinsettias Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They were named after America's first ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Poinsett. He brought the plants to America in 1828. The Mexicans thought the plants were symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem. Thus, the poinsettia became associated with the Christmas season. The actual flower of the poinsettia is small and yellow. The surrrounding large, bright red leaves are often mistaken for petals. The Christmas Tree The Christmas tree originated in Germany in the 16th Times New Roman. It was common for German people to decorate their fir trees both inside and out, with apples, roses, and colored paper. This custom migrated to England in the 17th Times New Roman when Prince Albert decorated the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle. Chistmas trees found their way to America in the 1800's, brought in by the Pennsylvania Germans. Xmas This abbreviation for Christmas is of Greek origin, The word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. During the 16th Times New Roman, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name, "X" in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a shorthand form of the word. Although the early Christians understood that X stood for Christ's name, later Christians who did not understand the Greek language mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect. The Candy Cane In the late 1800's a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He incorporated several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice through the candy cane. The white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Christ. The three stipes represent the Holy Trinity. The bold red stripe represents the blood Jesus she for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff because Jesus is the shepherd of man. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter "J" representing Jesus' name. Santa Claus The orignial Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the 4th Times New Roman. From an early age, he devoted his life to Christianity. He is noted for his love of children and his generosity. The Dutch kept the legend of St. Nicholas alive. They spelled St. Nicholas as Sint Nikolaas, which became corrupted to Sinterklaas, and finally in Anglican, to Santa Claus. Stockings The tradition comes from a Christmas story of St. Nicholas. In the 1800's, a father could not afford a dowry for his three daughters who were to be married. St. Nicholas heard of the misfortune and secretly threw three bags of gold coins down their chimney. It is said that the coins landed in the girls' stockings that were hanging near the fireplace to dry. Later, children in Holland would leave out their wooden shoes in hopes that St. Nicholas would fill them with goodies. --- Eleanor Shinsato |