Friends from Osaka, Japan
Our Japanese Friends
by
Abigail and Jared
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/9/3/1893488/822746.jpg?364)
Have you ever seen someone that looks like they’re from far far away and long long ago? Well we have! They came from a different continent and their culture has been alive for a long long time. They live on the continent of Asia. They were even dressed in kimonos and they were giggling like crazy. Can you guess who they were? They were our exchange students from Shoin, Japan.
We greeted them in the cafeteria with a giant sign that said “Konnichiwa.” That means “Good Afternoon” in Japanese. We hung other signs that said friend, peace, and dream in Japanese calligraphy. The girls read the signs and were so excited, but a little shy. Most of the girls spoke only Japanese, but a few of them tried to speak to us in English. The students ate their first cafeteria lunch with all the third graders, and were amazed by this new experience.
When we came back to the classroom after lunch, they were setting up a keyboard so they could sing some songs for us. They sang two songs in Japanese. They also taught us many common Japanese phrases, like “Watashi wa ____,” which means “My name is____”. Now we feel so multi-lingual!!! We watched an incredible video of their Japanese schools. Can you believe in Japan that the students have to clean the classrooms and the bathrooms too?
Finally, they put some special paper on our desks called origami paper and they taught us how to fold it to make different things. We made some interesting cats, fish, hats, and jet airplanes together. It was so much fun to learn about their schools, their language and their culture.
Now we are worried about the major earthquake and tsunami that struck their country after their visit to us. The good news is that after hearing from their teacher, we know that their homes and families are safe, as they live in the southern part of Japan. We are so thankful for the news that our new friends are OK!
We greeted them in the cafeteria with a giant sign that said “Konnichiwa.” That means “Good Afternoon” in Japanese. We hung other signs that said friend, peace, and dream in Japanese calligraphy. The girls read the signs and were so excited, but a little shy. Most of the girls spoke only Japanese, but a few of them tried to speak to us in English. The students ate their first cafeteria lunch with all the third graders, and were amazed by this new experience.
When we came back to the classroom after lunch, they were setting up a keyboard so they could sing some songs for us. They sang two songs in Japanese. They also taught us many common Japanese phrases, like “Watashi wa ____,” which means “My name is____”. Now we feel so multi-lingual!!! We watched an incredible video of their Japanese schools. Can you believe in Japan that the students have to clean the classrooms and the bathrooms too?
Finally, they put some special paper on our desks called origami paper and they taught us how to fold it to make different things. We made some interesting cats, fish, hats, and jet airplanes together. It was so much fun to learn about their schools, their language and their culture.
Now we are worried about the major earthquake and tsunami that struck their country after their visit to us. The good news is that after hearing from their teacher, we know that their homes and families are safe, as they live in the southern part of Japan. We are so thankful for the news that our new friends are OK!