shiitake noses

Today after school ended [a typhoon was going to pass through central Japan, so the students got to leave at noon], a couple of my freshman students decided to pay a visit to the office that I�m in and ham it up.

I have learned a lot about Japanese and the Japanese from these two and their friends� visits to the office, but today�s lesson was the best of all: how to make nose-mushrooms.

welling with pride

Since the beginning of September, I had been coaching a second year student.

I wasn�t coaching Ayumi in sports, but in the art of public speaking. We met virtually everyday for an hour, going over the speech again and again.

Last Sunday Ayumi competed in the speech contest that she had worked so hard to prepare for.

She got third place.

Third place AND A 1 MONTH TRIP TO ANY PLACE IN EUROPE NEXT SUMMER!

I am welling with pride. . .and I can�t help but feel like some sort of young, fairy godmother that has helped Cinderella [Ayumi] escape from the negative reputation fog that clouds Fuwa High School.

[Fuwa is a small school and regularly ranks at the bottom of academic standings in Gifu Prefecture.]

Here is a picture of Ayumi, The Girl Who Stuck It To The Students Of Better Reputed Schools�

And here is a picture of Ayumi and her frumpy coach. [Mom and Dad, I do dress much better than that�Ayumi came after I had just changed clothes so that I could use the school�s training room.]