While I was at Kendo practice yesterday, I was asked whether I would be attending the zenzaikai today. I’m afraid my reaction was “huh?”. It was only later that I remembered I actually received an email about this much much earlier. This is the perfect example of how I’m absent-minded and need to pay more attention to my surroundings (or life in general).
Apparently, the zenzaikai is for the new year, as a way of saying that we will 頑張る (work hard) for the year. It sounds fun, and I also used my attendance as a way of getting a few of the kids to let go of my iPad.
So today, I rushed off after Church and was only five minutes late! Because I got a little lost, but Google sensei knows all and thanks to Google Maps, I managed to make it there. For some reason though, when I arrived, the main reaction went something like this.
Me: Konnichiwa!
Person I’m speaking too: … … Chin-san?!?!
And the primary school kids (the girls) I practice with went all kawaii on me, which goes to show that even kids younger than me find me adorable. I think I really project the “little kid” aura.
Do I look that different?
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| Left: How I look today. Right: How I normally look at Kendo practice. |
Side note: When did I become such a selfie taking person? Must. Learn. Control.
Side note 2: Because I haven’t asked permission from the kids and their parents, I’m not uploading any of the photos with their faces in them. The photos I’m sharing today, well, I’ve tried to make sure no faces were shown. Hence the small number – I took a lot of people photos today.
Instead of sitting at the adult table, I opted to sit with the kids because:
a. They’re adorable
b. They really are adorable
c. I practice with them.
Lunch was basically karaage, fries, takoyaki and butajiru. Oh, and for dessert, grilled mochi in anko soup!
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| Does anyone know how to turn a photo 90 degrees? |
The mochi was grilled outside the hall/lunch area:
After lunch, it was time for games, so I went around taking photos! And of course, my iPad was very popular. At one time, I saw three groups: the middle schoolers playing cards, a bunch of primary school and younger kids playing a game and the rest of the kids huddled around my iPad.
Sometime later, they started arm-wrestling contests. If you beat a teacher, you could choose a prize. Watching that was actually a lot of fun.
Sadly, I had to leave before it ended because I needed to study. For some reason, I concentrate best during the day, and with my exams coming, I need to use as much daylight as possible. <- That sentence makes me sound like a plant.
It was really fun there. I got to talk with the kids I practice with for quite a lot and they’re all really cute. Normally, only a few brave kids will come up to talk to me, but ever since my brother came, I’ve been talking with them a lot more.
今年も剣道頑張ろう！