Claire's Yochien's Halloween Party

I'm trying to get caught up on my "big" posts because we're going to Tokyo on Wednesday for Thanksgiving!

As promised, here is a slew of pictures from Claire's cute Halloween party at Kawashimo Yochien!

All of the kids could dress up or if they didn't have a costume, then the Yochien supplied one for them.  Gigi wanted to dress up in the clown costume that Grandma sent over for her.  :)

Claire's Snow White costume is being kept safe from the crafts until party time under her smock!

Then we went upstairs for the party and as it was for the Sports Day program, Claire didn't sing any of the songs, but she sure liked waving at me!!!!!!  ☺

This is Ryu's beautiful Mom, Miki, and her sweet little girl Kiera. 

Maybe Kiera and Gigi will be BFF's in Kawashimo in a few years like Ryu and Claire! ☺

They had lots of cute little games.  They would pick a few children's names out of a hat to let them participate.  Claire was picked for the first game that was, from what I could tell, a chance to throw (fabric) rotten tomatoes at a house.  ☺

Explaining the game to us....the house is on the left. 

I ran over and told Claire what the object of the game was and what she was to do.  She looked a bit overwhelmed....well, after she stopped waving, she looked overwhelmed.  She loves the wave!

She was very thoughtful but launched her tomatoes well and was proud to get her prize!

And then Sensei Ai told us a story. 

I'm sure it was a very cute plot.  ☺

And then they did a little gambling game, which pumpkin is the candy under?

Gigi crawled over to this woman and stared at her for a while.  It was so funny to me because she's usually like white on rice to me and then when she does venture away from me, she doesn't stay in one place for long!

And then the final game was one where every kid could play.  The big brothers and sisters did this one in the obstacle course at Sports Day, so it must be a fairly common Japanese game.

You have to bite the candy (actually, I think this is a donut) off of the string without using your hands.  ☺

It was a really sweet party!  After we left they changed back into their uniform and I don't think I've shared with you a picture of Claire's "winter" uniform.  She came home this day with a sweet little cover for her hat that she wore through Halloween.  "Did you make that?" I asked her and she said, "Sensei Ai made it for me."

Sensei Ai made the bag too!  Such treasures!  Claire is SO FUNNY in that she has to take her "gumbrella" to school every day, even when there's not a cloud in the sky.  She, with the help of her fabulous Sensei, keeps track of everything really well though and helps me in the morning when I pack her backpack.  "I need my red hat!  Where's my shoes?  I need my towel!"  (They don't have paper towels there so the kids bring a little towel with a hook on it and hang it up by the sink so they can dry their hands after washing them.)

Loving Yochien.........not only is she getting a great cultural experience, they are teaching her responsibility as well!

October's Pictures from Kawashimo Yochien

Claire's Yochien sent home pictures on the last day of the month.  They are just so precious!  There are many.....enjoy if you can get through all of them!  ☺

The first few are from Sports Day. 

So happy to be with her best friend Ryu!

What absolutely AMAZED me about this day is that it was so long (8:30 - 11:30) and Claire and Ryu weren't in many "events" or dances and they sat on the stage and just were happy as can be, not being naughty (3 year old naughty...you know, running around) at all, but just sitting there, talking and laughing with each other.  I was really proud of my Claire Bear!  ☺

Here was their first "race."  Or was it the second?  Any way....not the one you saw the video of.

Because that one is here.

This looks like the moment where she stops and waits for Ryu so they can cross the finish line together.  Otherwise known as "one of my favorite/proudest moments of being a Mom!"

Then here's some pictures of a "picnic" they had. In case you're getting bored....I'm going to lead with our favorite picture of all of them!

Mick said this was like a alternative band album cover from Lawrence, Kansas.  "From their latest review, ♪♫ ♪The Red Hats ♪♫ ♪ blend a loud American punk sound fused with Asian cool rhythms to provide the listener a quixotic blend of musical pleasure." ☺  

Just a pretty picture of my happy-go-lucky Claire Bear!

Picnic time!

One of the really interesting things to me is the location of the Yochien.  You park in a parking lot about a block or two away from the school and then go down the road and then up through a winding little path (album cover) beside regular houses and then there is this small farmland (where the kids here are going to their daily tending of the crops....HA! Just making sure you're reading!), a temple and then the school.  Living in Japan is so interesting!!!! ☺

Such lush playgrounds here in Japan!

Ending this series with another beautiful picture of my Claire Bear!

Here's some random classroom shots.

They do crafts and crafts and crafts!  Regrettably, we'll be in Tokyo for their "Craft Show" to retrieve all of her beautiful work officially, but Sensei Ai has assured me that I will still be able to get my grubby paws on it.  ☺

Claire with Ryu, of course, her BFF.  Claire has always had boys among her BFF repertoire.  Started out with Mikey, her first nanny's son and then it was Nathan, at Lamb of God, her first daycare and now Ryu!  He gets on the bus the stop after her and his Mom, Miki, told me they always sit together in the mornings.  I see her sitting with him in the afternoon. 

I think this is perhaps the English Education that we pay an extra 400 yen (about $5) a month for.  Claire looks fired up, doesn't she?

A failed experiment in piggy tails.

And then the last picture series is of the Halloween party they had at school.  Don't worry!  I have another whole blog post about this planned!  ☺

Claire and Ryu?  Who knew?

I'm actually not sure who this is, but she assisted the Senseis during the Halloween party.  I'm guessing a Year 2 or 3 Mom.  She may be American but she's got the Japanese PEACE down!  ☺

The bags were made by Sensei Ai as well and they are positively adorable.  But is anybody else noticing that Claire is doing a perfect "Hook 'em Horns!" on one hand and the "Peace" sign on the other?  She CRACKS me up!!!!!

And here's her new expanded class with the fabulous Sensei Ai and Claire doing "Hook 'em Horns" and "Peace!" 

And then, presumably, this is the Buddhist Temple that they got to monthly....perhaps.  (Aren't you appalled with how little I really know?)

We're proud that she's learning so much about the Japanese culture! 

Another month of loving Kawashimo!!!!!  

Thank you Sensei Ai for the great care you are giving my Claire Bear! 

Halloween Night

I wish I had more pictures, but a variety of things kept me from snapping away.  Poor little Gigi has had a fever of 102 - 104 over the past few days and was in no mood for her lamb costume.  Audrey was going to be a pirate, but tried it on and decided it was too small so she went as a gymnast (which was super cute!) and headed out the door with her friend Shaina (candy corn witch) before I got a picture of her.  Olivia wore Audrey's pirate costume since there were going to be no sheep/lambies to accompany her.  And Claire was Snow White as planned.

Claire's Sensei Ai and Sensei Chisano came to spend the holiday with us and we were so happy to have them!

They walked around with us and then stayed for dinner.

Claire was sooooooooooooooo pleased with the Trick 'r Treat concept.  She ran up to each house with sheer glee and at one house wished the Mom a "Happy Halloween!"

We were walking with Brianna from her Yochien and then Claire saw Ashlynn (devil) from her Yochien and couldn't wait to show her....she had candy in her bag!  Can you believe it?  You go up, say "Trick 'r Treat" and they give you candy!!!!!

The onslaught of children at 5:00 was like none other I have seen.  And I've seen some Trick 'r Treating in my day!  Everyone brings their Japanese friends on base and they have passes from 4:30 - 7:30.  What a fantastic American holiday!!!!!!  The Japanese kids were as pleased and polite as Claire!  Everyone carefully said "Trick or Treat" at the door.  Very sweet!!!!

The fire truck showed up around 6:30 or so and gave out full size candy bars.  WOW!  

For our dinner I made an old standby recipe of Creamy White Chili and had a salad and guacamole and chips.  They were a bit scared of the guacamole, but loved the soup!  Chisano's favorite thing is Dr Pepper so I had that on hand and Ai's favorite is Ranch dressing so I had a new bottle for the night.  Chisano wasn't driving though and when I offered her Dr Pepper/beer/wine, she asked for a wine cooler.  I sent Mick to the store to get some, but before we left we asked her what flavor and she said, "American flavor!"  :)  He bought some Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade and Smirnoff Green Apple.  I shared her fruitiness for the night and then we sent them home with a mixed six pack, the Dr. Pepper and the bottle of Ranch!  :)

Their English is really great and I wish I knew Japanese.  They are soooooooooooo sweet and we want to have them over again and again.  Claire was so sad at the end because she thought they were going to have a sleepover!  :)

At one point we got out the globe and shared where we had traveled in our lives.  Both Ai and Chisano have traveled a great deal.  They both have been all over Asia, Chisano has been to Australia, and they both have been to Tampa/Orlando.  I asked if they would come visit us in Omaha someday!  ☺

It was a really nice Halloween!  Thank you for coming Ai and Chisano and thank you for the wonderful care  you give my little Claire Bear!!!!!!

Such a busy day and night, I hadn't even had a chance to put make up on.  But I wanted a picture with these wonderful ladies!!!!  Chisano has the cat ear headband and Ai is in the white shirt.  xo

Sports Day for Claire-chan

On October 3rd, Claire's Yochien celebrated their Sports Day.  The second Monday of October is the National Sports Day.  In Japanese it is called Taiiku-no-hi.  It was established to commemorate the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo and it is a day to foster healthy minds and bodies through physical activity.

Claire's event was held at the Kawashimo Elementary School.  We got there at 8:30 and it was from 9:00 - 12:00.  Unfortunately, it was raining so it was held indoors in the gymnasium, but it was very, very nice!  Mick's Saint of a secretary, Miss Mina-san, drove from her home an hour away to go to it with us, since Mick was out of town.  She would sit with the big kids and play with Gigi when I wanted to go get a picture of Claire or when it was my turn to participate in an event.

I ♥ Miss Mina-san! She even participated in the Grandparents' event!  

The entrance portion was very impressive!  You would have thought the drummers and cymbal crashers were a high school marching band, not kindergarteners.

The younger classes filed in after the drum march, lined up and sang some songs.

Claire's the cute little blonde on the right without a hat.  I brought the fedora, not the red play cap.

Claire didn't sing or dance much...well...really, if I'm to be truthful....not at all. 

She and her best bud, Ryu (pronounced Rye-oo), in front of her, are the youngest kids at the Yochien.  Ryu's Mom is Japanese, so I'm hypothesizing that he can understand a bit more than Claire and Claire hasn't caught on for lack of sheer repetition yet.  She has only been there a month!

She was happy when she was dancing with Sensei Ai 

or me (there were a few parent participation events). 

And I must say, that when I was out there dancing with her....it IS awfully overwhelming to be looking around, trying to follow, while listening to the Japanese music.  I'm very proud of my Claire Bear!

She was proud of marching around with Ryu though!

The best moment of the whole Sports Day (I'm probably a teense bit biased, but there was a collective "AHHHH!" from the crowd) was Ryu and Claire's "obstacle course" event.  The bigger kids' class had a pretty elaborate obstacle course and the bigger brothers and sisters a more complicated one still.  Claire and Ryu's event consisted of them running to the center of the gym and picking up a paper mache craft and then running to the finish line.  And while ALL of the rest of the kids were completely focused on trying to break the finish line tape first, our little Claire Bear, well....watch!

You're a SWEET little girl, Claire and SUCH a good friend!!!!!! (Oh and sorry about the frog in my throat!)

All in all, it was a super fun and very cultural day!  

Thank you Miss Mina-san for coming with us 

and thank you Kawashimo Yochien 

for such a wonderful production!!!!!! 

The Letter From Yochien

Life in Japan is a confusing adventure at times!!!!!!

 

 

Yochien Reassurance

So my little Claire Bear has been dragging her feet once in a while in the mornings before Yochien and I got a bit nervous.  Mick probably will not confirm or deny a freak-out in the realm of "I don't know what she thinks!  She probably doesn't understand they're speaking a different language and just wonders if she has gone into Absurdo world!"  So I digress.....I took her one morning and asked Ai Sensei "Is Claire doing okay?" and then mimed tears running down my cheeks.  Ai ran and got Chisano, another Sensei in an older class who speaks English pretty well, and I told her that Claire has cried a few times before the bus.

The next morning, when the bus came, the Sensei (a different one takes her turn on the bus each morning) hopped out of the bus and gave me a letter.  All written in Japanese.  I call Mick in a panic, immediately going all the way to "I fear they are telling me she's not assimilating and we need to withdraw her, but I need to get Gigi to daycare and get logged into my online class, but I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THIS SAYS NOW!"  (I try to keep positive at all times, but hey...I'm human and I have been sending my 3 year old out in the big country of Japan for a month without really knowing what's going on.)  So, God Bless Mick, he jumped in my cute Mazda Miata and came home to take the letter back to his Saint of a secretary, Miss Mina-san to translate it for me.  (Mick accidentally took the letter with him to the States....did I mention he's gone for 10 days?  I will post a scanned copy of the letter in a later post.)

Miss Mina-san calls me ten minutes later and tells me that this long letter is all about how great Claire is doing and how she plays so nicely and has fun and smiles and while they know she has cried a few times, once she gets to Yochien, she is so happy!  And it can take a few months for kids to adjust and to please not worry.  Or something like that. 

And then they sent pictures home that afternoon.  And I love Sensei Ai.  And Sensei Chisano too.  The next morning I took two large bottles of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing for Sensei Ai and two 12 packs of Dr. Pepper for Sensei Chisano because my good friend Kristen, who sent her kids to this Yochien four years ago, tipped me off that those were the American things they loved.  And bowed deeply and said "Arrigato Gozaimas" and mimed taking a picture.  Okay, here are the pictures.

Claire has loved these pictures to crinkles and tells me this is her favorite one.  ☺

This one CRACKS ME UP because Japanese people pose with the 'Peace" sign in the pictures and you can see her friend Ryu doing that and Claire giving the "Hook 'em Horns!"  Is she her Daddy's girl or what????

They have two different hats they wear each day.  A summer or winter beret that they wear, from what I can tell, from the bus to the school in the morning and then the school to the bus in the afternoon.  ("Why?")  Then they wear their little caps (different color for each class....Claire's is red, obviously) when they go outside to play.  When Claire sees this picture she says, "That's me playing in the sand!"

Just my cute girl, but isn't it the SWEETEST that they took all of these pictures on the day I was worrying and then sent them home the next day?

I was talking with the CO's wife of the MAG and she told me her son went to Kawashimo last year.  She said that she didn't know what he did, but he just came home happy and with his face dirty every day.  She said she went to the open house or something in January and was ASTOUNDED by all they accomplish there every day.  These kids are BUSY, doing crafts, playing and learning! 

There are only 2-3 kids in Claire's class, depending on the day.  I thought Ryu, shown here, was pure Japanese because his nametag was only in Hiranga, but I met his Mom and Dad at Sports Day (such a long post needed about Sports Day....another day) and his Mom is Japanese, but his Dad is a Marine from Miami.  Claire and Ryu are BEST friends! 

See?  ☺  This one is my FAVORITE!  She loves Ryu!

Claire and Ryu doing crafts

I love this picture for so many reasons.  Click on it and blow it up.  Ryu, of course, is such a good friend.  But then the shoes!  Look at all of those orderly shoes behind them!  The Senseis don't do that.  That's the kids, putting them in so perfectly!  But finally, Claire's beautiful eyes!  She has these crazy light blue eyes with this dark blue rim around them.  She's sooooooooooo pretty!!!!!!!!!

I saved the best for last!  LOVE this one!  Rya and Sensei Ai doing the "Peace" sign and Claire doing the "Hook 'em Horns!"  ☺

THANK YOU KAWASHIMO!