Weekend update
Hello Everyone,
It's friday night here in Tokyo which means it is 8:00 a.m. Friday morning back home. The weather has been beautiful. The skies have been clear and the temperatures are in the 70's. This is normal for October. Unfortunately it looks like its going to rain this weekend.
Our first week of meetings has come to an end. Today's session was about the special education system in Japan. Lots of things to tell you when I get back but basically we all share many of the same concerns and problems. And an interesting note, Japan schools are just as programmed to "teach to the test" as we are but the pressure comes directly from the parents. They want to make sure their child passes the tests to get into the best schools, to get the best jobs, to make lots of money. A big concern for children is that they grow up not knowing how to be functional members of society and they they don't have a chance to just be children. They also have a huge problem with children not coming to school. Many teenagers can't take all the pressures and are dropping out of school. Like I said, we share many of the same issues.
This weekend is "free time". Tomorrow I will be going to church if I can navigate the subway system. So far that has gone well. I was able to get us home tonight from a visit to a section of the city known as Ginza, similar to Times Square. Last night I went to Tokyo Tower. From the top you have a panaramic view of Tokyo. When you get up there you can appreciate how large this city is with a population of over 11 million people!
On Monday morning my group of 20 will depart for our host city of Tijimi which is located in central Japan. It is famous for pottery. We will be taking the bullet train which we are really excited about. We will be in our host city for over a week. During this time we will visit schools and tour the local industries. Next weekend we will stay with a family. Mine is a family of four with two daughters ages 13 and 11. We are all looking forward to seeing another part of Japan.
So tonight I am enjoying a rare moment of "down" time. Everyone is off doing lots of exciting things. I am happy to enjoy a Sabbath rest. It a time to think of you all at home. You are in my prayers.
It's friday night here in Tokyo which means it is 8:00 a.m. Friday morning back home. The weather has been beautiful. The skies have been clear and the temperatures are in the 70's. This is normal for October. Unfortunately it looks like its going to rain this weekend.
Our first week of meetings has come to an end. Today's session was about the special education system in Japan. Lots of things to tell you when I get back but basically we all share many of the same concerns and problems. And an interesting note, Japan schools are just as programmed to "teach to the test" as we are but the pressure comes directly from the parents. They want to make sure their child passes the tests to get into the best schools, to get the best jobs, to make lots of money. A big concern for children is that they grow up not knowing how to be functional members of society and they they don't have a chance to just be children. They also have a huge problem with children not coming to school. Many teenagers can't take all the pressures and are dropping out of school. Like I said, we share many of the same issues.
This weekend is "free time". Tomorrow I will be going to church if I can navigate the subway system. So far that has gone well. I was able to get us home tonight from a visit to a section of the city known as Ginza, similar to Times Square. Last night I went to Tokyo Tower. From the top you have a panaramic view of Tokyo. When you get up there you can appreciate how large this city is with a population of over 11 million people!
On Monday morning my group of 20 will depart for our host city of Tijimi which is located in central Japan. It is famous for pottery. We will be taking the bullet train which we are really excited about. We will be in our host city for over a week. During this time we will visit schools and tour the local industries. Next weekend we will stay with a family. Mine is a family of four with two daughters ages 13 and 11. We are all looking forward to seeing another part of Japan.
So tonight I am enjoying a rare moment of "down" time. Everyone is off doing lots of exciting things. I am happy to enjoy a Sabbath rest. It a time to think of you all at home. You are in my prayers.
Special Moment of the Day:
On a walk early this morning along a river I saw a homeless man banging on a railing. I went over to see what he was doing and I saw that he had attracted a swarm of huge carp and a turtle. He went to his cart of belongings and unwrapped a bagel which he fed to the fish. He had about three bagels that he shared. He let me take his picture and he liked that it was a digital camera. Japan has many homeless people but we were told it is not an acceptable subject to discuss with the Japanese as they are embarassed to talk about it.
Love,
Barbara
Luv U BAD
posted by Barbara | 12:43 PM
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