School for (almost) all of us

A few updates.

1. Something I am thankful for -- that Katie waited until we got off the subway to throw up yesterday. We were coming back from Odori Park (the cool big one downtown) and she had said her belly was hurting all day and sure enough, we walk in the door and blech... but at least it wasn't on the crowded train car. Thankfully, it seems to have been a passing bug. But John and I had a bit of it, too, and Livie and Jack were at the tail end of their colds... so... we pulled out the second box of macaroni for dinner last night. Everyone was happy, and no one else threw up.

2. John taught his first two classes today and they went well as far as he could tell. I'll try to get him to update on some of the specifics once he gets a few more things off his plate. I think it will be a good semester for him (with some challenges, of course, but good overall).

3. We ran into one of our friends at the local park (the one we call "Seesaw park" -- for its ancient and wonderfully dangerous apparatus -- to distinguish it from the other local park which we call Victoria Park, as it is across the street from a restaurant called, you guess it, Victoria). I asked for name spellings this time -- the mom is Hiromi and her 3yo son's name is Ayumu -- and he and the kids had a great time playing. I got some pictures and will try to post them later tonight. John had to leave to teach so she and I "conversed" with her English and my dictionary... and we are hoping to see them again tomorrow. From what she seemed to be telling me, I think Jack's appeal to other kids crosses language and cultural barriers... Hiromi said Ayumu had been talking about Jack nonstop ever since we met them over the weekend, and when he saw Jack and the girls playing there today (he lives in an apartment above the park), he insisted on coming down. Of course, right after she said this, Jack knocked Katie off the seesaw through some circus maneuvers (not hurting her but prompting a loud complaint), and then (accidentially) knocked Ayumu off a few minutes later ("I kept telling him to get back, get back, but he didn't!"... sigh). I apologized profusely (one of the first things I learned to do in Japanese) but she shrugged and said "kids playing"and wasn't worried. Thankfully, she was able to fill me in on the daunting list of things the kids will need for...

4. PRESCHOOL! Wow. Well, all three kids were accepted even though they will only be going two days a week (from 10:20 -2:40 on Wednesdays and Thursdays). Kate and Liv will be in the "Melon" class, while Jack is in the "Tulip" class. They will attend Wednesdays because they can take part in the English language instruction the school has that day -- and will have lunch at school with the other kids. But oh, the things they will need for school. It made Jack's list for grade 1 seem like nothing! In addition to little wool hats and blue coats they must wear to and from school each day (provided by the school), we will need to provide special indoor shoes, a cup and cloth cup bag (both labelled), extra clothes in a cloth extra clothes bag (all labeled), chopsticks (or a spoon and fork) in a cloth utensil bag (labelled, of course), a portfolio to bring their "art" home, a bag to hold their gear, a little washcloth (labelled) and a bigger washcloth with a loop on the end (labelled), and smocks for them to wear for crafts, playing outside, and eating (labelled). We didn't fully understand the difference between the different bags or where exactly one would purchase these items, but thankfully Hiromi set us straight -- and ended up giving us one of Ayumu's extra smocks, three cloth cup bags (with apologies that she didn't have any extra clothes bags), and one large washcloth (without a loop -- she said I'd have to add that). So clearly these are universal supplies for preschool in Japan. Who knew?

5. Sleep continues to gradually get better -- today everyone slept in until 5:50 a.m.! Yay!

Tomorrow we are meeting the university president at 11 a.m. -- which is when K&O have been napping. They are invited to attend. I see no flaws in this plan. At all.

Goodnight!