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digitalrukiI'm writing this in the computer lab at school, because my computer, while in working order enough to connect to the internet, is still b-broke so I can't watch videos or listen to music with it, which is boring boring boring. So I'm watching Community and updating blogs here.
My phone-email game is going very well!! I'm so excited when I get new messages from you all. I've saved everyone to my address book so if I find something nice I'll send it out to everyone.
This afternoon I went and volunteered at an elementary school aftercare. There where about 10 kids, first to third grade, and five of us volunteers to help the teachers. I was really excited to meet and play with the kids, but also really nervous because I didn't know any Japanese!! I mean, I guess I know some now, but I don't use it at all really, and I'm so nervous! So the day leading up to today i was very nervous. But everything turned out fine. No, okay guys,. really. It was a for-real Japanese elementary school, with the the shoe cubbies and the sinks and the big courtyard. I was TOTALLY GEEKING OUT but I tried to contain myself. The kids were very nice. I had worked out a strategy for playing with them. I got a piece of paper and started drawing, and eventually drew a couple girls to me. One girl, Yuuna, would build things with building blocks and have me draw them, and then I would draw her in as a giant monster and me in as a little person yelling "OOOOOOH". I would say, "II desu ka?" (is this ok?) after i drew something, and she would say, very solomnly, "Sou desu" (that's right). Then when we went outside she had me hold her hand. It was maybe a little bit of a cop-out that I attached myself to one student, but i can't help it, I LOVE HOLDING HANDS WITH SMALL CHILDREN. Yuuna-chan, thank you for being so nice to me. She was very patient. I wouldn't understand when she would give me an order, so we would have to figure it out together with hand motions*. We all flew kites in the courtyard. It was mega fun.
I got big into the Haiti earthquake aftermath today. I'm doing a piece on the orphans, and I've just been absorbing the situation over there all day. It's terrible. It's really terrible, and I think a lot of artists I know online are participating in auctions and fundraisers, things like that. Which is wonderful. I didn't even hear about what had happened until the weekend, when I saw a report about in on the Japanese news. and even then I didn't connect the dots until later. It was around the time they were getting the first reports in about other cities around Port au Prince, that many have been completely demolished. There's a whole world in there that we don't even know about. There's no telling just how much damage has been caused. I was looking at map of the fault lines that surround Haiti, and there's this one little one that cuts right through Port au Prince. It was like an arrow or a knife cutting through it. Or a flatline. I hope that Haitians can receive the aid they need. My piece on the orphans will be a kind of editorial illustration but I think it's going to be more personal. My heart aches for them.
*speaking of, on Sunday night's there' this show in Japanese TV about sign language. It's basically a sign language educational program, with two hosts and then some actors who put on skits. The skits themselves are entertaining, plus at the end the hosts go over what new signs have been introduced. I thought it was really cool.
My phone-email game is going very well!! I'm so excited when I get new messages from you all. I've saved everyone to my address book so if I find something nice I'll send it out to everyone.
This afternoon I went and volunteered at an elementary school aftercare. There where about 10 kids, first to third grade, and five of us volunteers to help the teachers. I was really excited to meet and play with the kids, but also really nervous because I didn't know any Japanese!! I mean, I guess I know some now, but I don't use it at all really, and I'm so nervous! So the day leading up to today i was very nervous. But everything turned out fine. No, okay guys,. really. It was a for-real Japanese elementary school, with the the shoe cubbies and the sinks and the big courtyard. I was TOTALLY GEEKING OUT but I tried to contain myself. The kids were very nice. I had worked out a strategy for playing with them. I got a piece of paper and started drawing, and eventually drew a couple girls to me. One girl, Yuuna, would build things with building blocks and have me draw them, and then I would draw her in as a giant monster and me in as a little person yelling "OOOOOOH". I would say, "II desu ka?" (is this ok?) after i drew something, and she would say, very solomnly, "Sou desu" (that's right). Then when we went outside she had me hold her hand. It was maybe a little bit of a cop-out that I attached myself to one student, but i can't help it, I LOVE HOLDING HANDS WITH SMALL CHILDREN. Yuuna-chan, thank you for being so nice to me. She was very patient. I wouldn't understand when she would give me an order, so we would have to figure it out together with hand motions*. We all flew kites in the courtyard. It was mega fun.
I got big into the Haiti earthquake aftermath today. I'm doing a piece on the orphans, and I've just been absorbing the situation over there all day. It's terrible. It's really terrible, and I think a lot of artists I know online are participating in auctions and fundraisers, things like that. Which is wonderful. I didn't even hear about what had happened until the weekend, when I saw a report about in on the Japanese news. and even then I didn't connect the dots until later. It was around the time they were getting the first reports in about other cities around Port au Prince, that many have been completely demolished. There's a whole world in there that we don't even know about. There's no telling just how much damage has been caused. I was looking at map of the fault lines that surround Haiti, and there's this one little one that cuts right through Port au Prince. It was like an arrow or a knife cutting through it. Or a flatline. I hope that Haitians can receive the aid they need. My piece on the orphans will be a kind of editorial illustration but I think it's going to be more personal. My heart aches for them.
*speaking of, on Sunday night's there' this show in Japanese TV about sign language. It's basically a sign language educational program, with two hosts and then some actors who put on skits. The skits themselves are entertaining, plus at the end the hosts go over what new signs have been introduced. I thought it was really cool.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-20 03:30 pm (UTC)YOU ARE IN JAPAN {{boggles}} How exceptionally beautiful and adventurous! I love hearing about your days and your place and your learningz! ♥♥♥
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 01:19 pm (UTC)I hope you're doing well, you and Marci (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIRTHDAY COMRADE!!!)! And whinnie too! *international hug!*