Konbanwa!
The past three days have been busy as ever! On Wednesday we had our usual language class, but everyone's voice was worn out from cheering at the Olympics on Tuesday. In our Japanese Crafts class we began the making of our daruma, which are small figurines used to make wishes. We blew up small balloons, paper-mached them and left them to dry. Two students decided it would be a good idea to connect their daruma and now have the Ultimate Daruma. For recreation that evening half of us worked on the cardio machines while the other half swam around in the pool. Our evening's culture lesson dealt with Japanese art throughout time beginning in the early hundreds and ending in current times.
On Thursday, the academy headed to Washington D.C. to visit a Bonsai Arboretum. The weather was unbearably hot, but even that couldn't take away from the beauty of the bonsai. After we spent some time feeding the koi and eating lunch outdoors, we headed deeper into the city to visit the Freer Museum and Gallery. We each got paired with another student and had a scavenger hunt throughout the museum. Although some parts were difficult, the scavenger hunt allowed us to see a lot of pieces we would have otherwise looked over. After the scavenger hunt was completed, we browsed the rest of the exhibits and visited the gift shops. Families have something to look forward to when the students come home with their many gifts. On the long bus ride home students slept, ate, watched movies and listened to music. Dinner that night was a treat and we got to order in pizza. Students then got to practice their acts for our upcoming variety show.
Today was another full day for the academy. Language class was a bit out of the norm for all levels. While the advanced and intermediate students did laundry and had class in the dorm lounge, the beginner students had class for a little and then ventured out into the campus. We visited the Barnes & Noble VCU bookstore and had a few tasks to complete in Japanese. Afterwards we got a treat and went to Coldstone Creamery and enjoyed smoothies and ice cream. After our study hall, we all continued to watch the short stories in Dreams by Akira Kurosawa. During recreation today some students stayed and played a soccer game against the Chinese Language Academy, but most traveled to Kroger to get some grocery shopping done. The walk was a bit far, but the food bought was definitely worth it. Culture class this evening educated us in the world of fashion among the youth in Japan. We saw many different styles that seemed outrageous to us, but in Japan are normal and accepted.
We have a lot on our schedule this weekend and we hope you look forward to reading!
Sayoonara!
Written by Cristina
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