These past two weeks, I was with the one-year-olds, the babies, and the five-year-olds. It is very nice to be back volunteering at the nursery school. The babies are so cute! This is my first time being with the new group of babies. One little girl was particularly attached to me. She liked how I comforted her when she cried. The teachers in the baby class tried to converse with me, and they were very kind. It was difficult to talk, but it was much better than when I first came to Japan. It’s the small victories.
The TV in the one-year-olds’ classroom was used for the first time since I arrived. The teachers put on an adorable show that had many music videos. They had it on to keep the children occupied while taking turns measuring and weighing them. Some children were excited about the show and danced to the songs; others couldn’t care less that the TV was on.
One day, I went to the five-year-olds’ classroom during the babies’ naptime. It was great to see them again, and they were excited that I visited them. We played lots of card games and arm wrestled. I will miss the kids at the nursery school so much when I leave.
The next day, the five-year-olds did a tea ceremony in the gym. After I finished music therapy with the babies, I went to the gym to join them. They sat in two columns facing each other and took turns being servers and being served. They would first bring over a tray with a bean paste dessert on it and bow, then, when the dessert was finished, they’d bring a bowl of hot matcha and bow again. The gym was decorated, and classical Japanese music was playing. It was very fun and sweet! It is cool to see the kids learn about the ancient traditions of Japan. The following week, the five-year-olds got another exciting opportunity. They got to play with the children who attend the school for disabled children next door. They all played together, included them very well, and were kind! Many of the parents of the disabled kids remembered me from when I did music therapy with them. I am happy I made a lasting impression. The kids also had the opportunity to learn how to make umeboshi. They pressed and juiced a plant I cannot remember the name of, and learned about how umeboshi is made. Afterwards, they all took turns practicing traffic light rules. One child would hold the sign for the traffic light, one would hold the walk signs, and the other would pretend to be drivers and pedestrians. It tested their knowledge of how the lights correspond with each other, and who has the right of way.
The nursery school also held a large birthday celebration for the children who have June birthdays (they do an event like this every month). All the kids gathered in the gym to celebrate their friends’ birthdays, and multiple kids’ parents showed up. They sang songs for each other, and the birthday kids went up in state to be recognized and get asked a question like “what is your favorite dessert?”
These five-year-olds are exceptionally smart. They got very excited over a bee that was outside the window. Each kid ran to look at it, and they were all debating whether or not it was a bee, wasp, yellowjacket, or hornet. Then they ran to grab a big book about bugs, and they analyzed the different kinds of bees and bee-like insects to determine what bug it was. I was impressed.
I got to have fun phone calls with my cousin Isabel and my best friend Emma while I walked to the nursery school and took my lunch break. It is always refreshing to catch up with my favorite people! I also called my mom during lunch one day to help me get started on job applications. Sadly, it’s getting to the time where I need to look for a job back home.
The rainy season has officially started; it rained every day for a week! As much as I love the sunshine, the way the rain is on the windows in my room makes for a very cozy atmosphere.
Music therapy with the babies went great! They loved all the instruments, but they did put all of them in their mouths, so everything has to be thoroughly disinfected. Their favorite was the egg shakers. They responded very well to the rattling of the egg shakers and had a blast shaking them around. We worked on following directions, fine motor skills, concepts such as high, low, fast, slow, and counting, as well as vocalizations. I tried to find a Japanese equivalent to the song “Tap Your Sticks” by Hap Palmer, but came up short. It is alright, though, the babies still loved using the rhythm sticks.
I have been getting sad that I have to go back to America soon. Everything I was missing so much about America, I do not miss anymore. Being with my family reminded me of everything different about America, and I realized how many things I will leave behind in Japan. I’m going to miss how quiet and peaceful Toyohashi is. I’ll miss being a two-minute walk from the nearest grocery store. United Planet prepped me that I would experience culture shock going back home, but I was not sure if that would happen to me. Now I realize it’s real, and it will take me a while to readjust to America.
On the weekend, I got to call my best friends Emma and Allie, and we all caught up! I also learned that my friend Megan and I were invited to our mutual friend’s wedding back in America. She is going to stay with me the weekend of the wedding! It is so nice to have a friend that I get to continue my friendship with back in America. Hiro took me to Cococurry since I had not tried it yet. I got a level 8, which was a bit too spicy. Afterwards, we went to the batting cages and did karaoke! The following weekend, I did not do much. I relaxed and had a nice, long phone call with my family and friends, and worked on job applications.