Japanese friends

2008: English club learning to make chocolate chip cookies.

In April 2006 when my middle son entered Japanese kindergarten at age 3 1/2 he joined a remarkable class, from my perspective that is. 

His year level was split into four classes. In his class, a group of only about 12-15 kids (my memory is already fading), two of the mothers, spoke some English. Not too long after that the three of us started up a fortnightly English club for mums of kindy kids. A club that we ran for the three years that our children spent at the kindergarten. During those years I usually saw those two ladies twice a day five days a week. It is when you spend time like that with Japanese that you make friends.

In 2007 our English Club did a bilungual puppet play on The Hungary Caterpiller for the whole kindergarten (300+ kids).

Today, five years later, I have proof. I went to one friend's house and my other friend along with another mutual friend from that first kindergarten class joined us there. Wow. My Japanese friends. We haven't been all together since they farewelled me two years ago when we left for Australia for a year.

2007: Me with my two friends on my left. I taught them how to make Apple Pies, in 30 degree heat!

You might find that a strange thing to be excited about, Don't you have heaps of friends? Actually no, not Japanese friends. It is hard to make good Japanese friends, especially when you speak Japanese as badly as I do. I am very grateful for these three ladies. 

Thankful too that they've agreed to get together every month or so. To practice their English and just to enjoy one another's company. Yay! None of them are Christians. They're not even particularly interested, as far as I can tell. But if they do become interested, I'll be around...