Tests tests tests

OK ok. I admit it. I am procrastinating.... on studying for yet another test. Is it just me, or does it seem like life is all about tests? I'm serious. Especially since I've been to Japan. There's the daily life skills tests [not an actual test ;) ], the Japanese Language Proficiency tests and ever present kanji tests, violin songs to be mastered and taiko drum levels to be passed, and now I am studying for the GMAT test that I will take in October. I really am in a country of test takers. What is all this testing for? Will it make me a better Japanese speaker, violin player, taiko drummer and b-school student? I don't know. But I know if I pass these tests, everyone else will think so. And....that's what matters....right?

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! I made guacamole burgers for a Canadian and a South African. They stamped me with a seal of approval, because as a maker of good hamburgers, I must be American. How much do you know about America?

1) How many flags are flown over Washington DC on July 4th?
2) How many stripes are on the flag and what do they represent?
3) How many people are in the US now?
4) What two famous forefathers died on Independence Day?
5) How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?
6) When was the Declaration of Independence actually passed?
7) Who sewed the first American flag?
8) How many millions of hot dogs are eaten on the 4th of July?
9) How many millions of people lived in America in 1776?
10) When was the first Independence Day actually celebrated?


1)1200 2)13 original colonies 3) 306 million 4)Thomas Jefferson and John Adams 5)56 6) July 2nd 7)Betsy Ross 8)155 million 9)2.5 million 10)July 4, 1777

What is up with Colorado?

What is up with Colorado? I love my state and all but I feel like all I hear about are crazy people. I guess that’s all that there is in the news. But we certainly have our share of people that are well known in the world.
1. A guy who went to Afghanistan to shoot Osama Bin Laden
2. A woman who tried to be a terrorist
3. The Air Balloon Hoax
4. The shoe bomber
5. The church murders
6. Jon Benet murder
7. Columbine shootings
8. Approving marijuana$43 million slot machine mistake

Waste of Time?

The kids here live at school, I am not kidding, they might as well sleep here. You know all the time kids spend at school, even on Saturdays, right? Well, I can attest that half the things they do, I would consider a waste of time. Moral classes, constant school-wide meetings, chorus and sports contests that take weeks of practice on school days. School is like summer camp with subjects. The teachers are expected to entertain the kids almost every waking hour. When they go home, there is no time to do anything except attend cram school for a few hours, eat dinner at 9 pm with the family and maybe study. No wonder there is low crime and no kids wandering around thinking of stupid things to do. They are together almost every waking hour being “productive”. I think they are in school way too much, BUT if they weren’t in school they would just be latchkey kids because their parents are work WAY too much. So, in the end perhaps it’s better for them to be at school playing, than at home doing God-knows-what.

Moral Classes

Jen always says, “Japan is giving me morals.” I have to agree with her, people are so upright here; it puts America to shame, I am sorry to say. My conclusion is all those moral classes the kids have to take that seem ridiculous, must actually work. I had the chance to observe a moral class one day, when my school hosted an annual all county “teachers come and observe our school” type day. One girl stood up and wrote an essay about how she grew up, how this made her the tough girl that she is, and how she felt about her class where she had no friends. She talked about how people bullied her and how upset it made her for people to call her names. Afterwards the class was dead silent, for about 10-15 minutes while the kids stared at their desks and all of the 30 or so observant teachers watched them and waited. Finally, the class leader stood up and said, I don’t feel that way towards you, and neither does anyone else I think. Finally, 10 long minutes of waiting, 2 more kids stand up, and finally I felt the kids all staring at one particular girl. As a Westerner, I felt like the silence was deafening and would have done almost anything to just end the long minutes of silence, like make them write or ask questions or something, ANYTHING. Standing for 30 minutes of silence would test ANYONE’S patience. But everyone was silent and waiting patiently sent the kids a message that we were just going to wait until they were ready. Many girls were crying. It took the ENTIRE 50 minute class to resolve an issue, but the teachers were patient enough to just sit there and wait for the kids to speak. I was shocked when the bully girl finally stood up and talked. The two girls became best friends after that. I was glad that I got to observe the powerful way that Japanese style moral classes can work.