Super what?

My twelve year old came home a bit confused yesterday. He'd spent his entire PE lesson watching Super Bowl live. If you don't know what this is you're certainly not an American! It is the grand final of American Football. A once-a-year event that occurs on the first Sunday of February (except if you live on the other side of the dateline and it is on Monday morning). And it seems to stop the nation. Kind-of like Melbourne on AFL Grand Final day or even the Melbourne Cup. And the tentacles go across the world, to wherever Americans live. 


My son guessed that there were only a handful of the 44 students in his class who knew what was going on. They don't learn American Football at CAJ. My son has never been to the US, and that goes for a number of other kids in the class. Most of the rest haven't spent much time there. Few have imbibed the fervour that devours the nation on Super Bowl Sunday. The big question I'm left with is, Was it a good use of a PE lesson?


Sigh . . . such is the life of an non-American international. 


I sat with a couple of Aussies at basketball on Saturday. We talked about how our kids celebrated Australia Day. How making a big deal about it was a natural thing for people who are so much in a minority here in Japan and even at school. And we encourage it. It is about helping them find their identity, knowing that being Australian is part of who they are, even if they aren't growing up there.