Cooking with Girls

Inter-culturalization.

Japanese girls learning to make Mexican food from a couple of Americans.

Among the few things I remember from the whirlwind that was the Tokyo orientation upon my arrival here in Japan is how much the supreme potentates harped on "Inter-culturalization". Couldn't really picture it then but I can't picture a better example.

Almost all high schools in Japan fall under the jurisdiction of the prefectural government (or the state government back in USA). All junior high and elementary schools fall under the city's jurisdiction. As in all things in life there are always special exceptions. In the Matsue BOE's case its the all girls high school. They have two ALT's there where as every other school only has one and in most cases that one ALT visits at least one other school, kindergartens, elementary's...etc.

The reason they have two ALT's is because in addition the regular English curriculum taught there, about 25% of the girls are in an intensive English program. I don't know what all goes into this program, but I do know that the first year girls get an "english camp" at a facility about 40 minutes outside of Matsue across the lake from Shinji. For this camp other ALT's are tapped to develop fun workshops where the girls are taught new and different stuff all in English.

This year the girls went a paper making workshop, a workshop where they made their own newspaper, a trivia workshop (think jeopardy) and then......drum roll please...............Mexican Cooking! This was the brain child of both Nick Crooks and I. During somewhere around week two Nick surprised us all and made some homemade tortillas at one of the barbeque's we had. With that and my expertise in guacamole and fajitas we went to town.

We made real simple recipes for the girls to follow, covered different cooking verb's, taught them a little Spanish (I know..at an english camp) and at the end of 90 minutes let them eat their spoils. With Latin music in the background and impromptu salsa lessons from wither one of us at any time I can only hope the girls had fun and learned a little.

Besides that, students and ALT's both got to go ice skating the first day, learn some "Australian" folk dances and goof around for the better part of two day's. Frisbee throwing was taught, a little Filipino stick jumping too.....just an all around fun couple of days....and then I got to go to Tsuwano, completely exhausted.

I'm gonna go ahead and expand on ice-skating cause it was so much fun. I haven't tried ice skating since some roller rink in Lubbock thought they'd corner the market and flooded a tool shed and then tried to freeze handing out 20 year old skates at five bucks a head. This was back when I was in Junior High. Once I threw on the pads and skates last Thursday it felt like roller blading again and I couldn't help but think back when I was 16 playing hockey with josh and kate.

Anyways, the last thing I'll say about the camp was how much fun the girls were. I don't know if it was because there were no boys, there was no homework, they didn't have to wear a uniform or what but all 30 or so of them were just a delight to work with.

I learned later that the all girls high school exists because x-years ago the girls felt societal pressure by the men in class and at home to just become housewives and that was it. Not these gals....although some told me that was what they wanted, I met other who couldn't wait to study abroad, become musicians and almost all looked forward to going to University. Pics speak louder than words.....enjoy.