Last Saturday, Yuki graduated from the preschool she has attended since she was 13 months old. We have attended the graduation ceremony there in years past and found it to be pretty stinking adorable. They do some sort of performance, sing songs, introduce staff, short speeches from the teachers, and do the handing of the diploma. Like everything else they do, this is done in a very Japanese way. Each child it called up to the stage, and they face the principal. They both bow deeply, then they take a step forward, receive their diploma by taking it one hand at a time, step back and bow again. I did it when I was in school for all levels and they honor that tradition. When I first saw it, I wondered if Yuki would be able to do it well, or she would crumble under pressure. I think probably from all of her Creative Drama classes and other things she had to do in front of people, she has turned into a kid who can do as practiced. Behold, her diploma receiving:
Then there was the small production of The Peach Boy, a folk tale EVERYONE in Japan knows and has done it at school at least once in their life. For this, Yuki was given the roles of the Old Woman and the Pheasant. I did not wish to pressure the child in practicing at home but out of my own curiosity, I asked on a couple of occasions how things were going and whether she felt she like showing me what she had to do. Sometimes she didn't, in which case I didn't press it, but other times she was excited to practice so I got a glimpse of her responsibilities. Yuki's class consists of 7 boys and her (out of the 7, 5 has been there since she started so they are like her brothers--she loves them and is also irritated by them constantly). They are great boys but they are also boys--they get crazy and unpredictable except for the one who played Peach Boy who is totally dependable. Obvious choice there. And since both the Old Woman and Pheasant are traditionally played by girls, Yuki played both. For whatever reason, the teacher felt that Yuki could somehow handle two things. I was shocked to find that they thought this about her (and I feel I didn't hide the shock too well) but she totally was. She knew all of her lines and cues and was able to do them more less how she was supposed to.
I'm not sure if this is terrible but Philip and I are always shocked when people say she is well behaved. We know she is a good kid and all, but she can be a pain in the ass. It doesn't always feels like she is listening or things are clicking when we tell her to behave one way(ours) over the other (hers) but I guess if you say it enough times, it does stick. I watched her performance with some level of anxiety, and felt myself exhaling when it was over (end of Dance Mom moment). I have to say the casting was brilliant. They paired up boys (one who might do what he is supposed to and one who is a total loose cannon) to play the monkeys and the dogs and the one that is most unpredictable and has some behavioral issues played one ONI (ogre) with a teacher who played another. Brilliant.
All of the high jinks of the teachers realizing the kids weren't speaking loud enough and dashing to get a microphone and failing to reach them, and kids (including Yuki) being distracted by a giant screen set up for the slide show in the middle of the play somehow made it a perfect preschool play. It was 7 minutes of suspense. A rite of passage.
This is a side note, but the costume Yuki wore as the Old Woman was made by my mother. When my brother was in kindergarten, he played an Old Man in a Japanese folk tale play (it could have been Peach Boy, but he does not remember. Most Japanese folk tales begin with a childless old couple) and my mother made him this kimono top and pants and vest. She kept them for years and gave the whole thing to this American family she knew in Tokyo who had two sons. The younger son was crazy about Ninjas and she thought he might enjoy wearing it. He did and practically lived in it. When my mother passed away last fall, the mother of this family, who coincidentally now lives in the Seattle area sent me this set of costumes hoping that it may fit Yuki. Then this past January, their son who wore it died rather suddenly and tragically at the age of 20. I didn't want to complicate things for the teachers but felt that since they were pretty simple to put on, and now really meaningful, I asked. Teachers very kindly said they would be happy to use them. So I loaned the vest to the boy who was playing Peach Boy and put the kimono top on Yuki. Since my family could not be there, I put their presence in it--really, just for myself.
It has been 4 years commuting to this school. 4 years. The first day was so stressful that, as a coping mechanism, I joined Facebook that very night. She could not walk when she started nor could she talk. We carried hundreds of diapers with her name on them to her cubby. We received several accident reports for every little scrape she got from running and playing. We have a vast archive of her art work, four sets of Mother's and Father's day gifts, a note book in which the teachers and I exchanged how she was doing everyday, and year books. We've come a long way. We didn't know what we were doing then, and while we still don't, we are far more relaxed about our lack of knowledge (is that also terrible?) Yuki can talk (boy can she ever) in two languages, knows how to make friends and interact, how to share (most of the time), care for younger kids, sing, go to the bathroom, wash hands, listen to a story, and follow directions (again, most of the time). As nostalgic as we feel about her preschool, we are also excited for her to start Kindergarten. First, because it's 7 minutes away as opposed to 30. Second, it's a great school and third, and most importantly, Yuki is excited and ready. I will get into more about our process of choosing the school in another post, but for now, we can say with confidence that we chose right and this school practically raised her thus far and helped her appreciate her two cultures. We are forever grateful.
Of course the anticlimactic thing about this is that Yuki is still there today (and no, she did not fail preschool). They extend day care through the summer after you graduate so we decided to leave her in there. Yuki is slightly confused about this, but she is rolling with it.
I mentioned that we did not have family here--but some of my coworkers/friends who have been instrumental to Yuki's growth who are practically family came and cheered. This was the village she is being raised by. All in one room. It was a big day for sure.
Thank you thus far for all of your love and support in our adventure. Stay tuned for the next big chapter.
Then there was the small production of The Peach Boy, a folk tale EVERYONE in Japan knows and has done it at school at least once in their life. For this, Yuki was given the roles of the Old Woman and the Pheasant. I did not wish to pressure the child in practicing at home but out of my own curiosity, I asked on a couple of occasions how things were going and whether she felt she like showing me what she had to do. Sometimes she didn't, in which case I didn't press it, but other times she was excited to practice so I got a glimpse of her responsibilities. Yuki's class consists of 7 boys and her (out of the 7, 5 has been there since she started so they are like her brothers--she loves them and is also irritated by them constantly). They are great boys but they are also boys--they get crazy and unpredictable except for the one who played Peach Boy who is totally dependable. Obvious choice there. And since both the Old Woman and Pheasant are traditionally played by girls, Yuki played both. For whatever reason, the teacher felt that Yuki could somehow handle two things. I was shocked to find that they thought this about her (and I feel I didn't hide the shock too well) but she totally was. She knew all of her lines and cues and was able to do them more less how she was supposed to.
I'm not sure if this is terrible but Philip and I are always shocked when people say she is well behaved. We know she is a good kid and all, but she can be a pain in the ass. It doesn't always feels like she is listening or things are clicking when we tell her to behave one way(ours) over the other (hers) but I guess if you say it enough times, it does stick. I watched her performance with some level of anxiety, and felt myself exhaling when it was over (end of Dance Mom moment). I have to say the casting was brilliant. They paired up boys (one who might do what he is supposed to and one who is a total loose cannon) to play the monkeys and the dogs and the one that is most unpredictable and has some behavioral issues played one ONI (ogre) with a teacher who played another. Brilliant.
All of the high jinks of the teachers realizing the kids weren't speaking loud enough and dashing to get a microphone and failing to reach them, and kids (including Yuki) being distracted by a giant screen set up for the slide show in the middle of the play somehow made it a perfect preschool play. It was 7 minutes of suspense. A rite of passage.
This is a side note, but the costume Yuki wore as the Old Woman was made by my mother. When my brother was in kindergarten, he played an Old Man in a Japanese folk tale play (it could have been Peach Boy, but he does not remember. Most Japanese folk tales begin with a childless old couple) and my mother made him this kimono top and pants and vest. She kept them for years and gave the whole thing to this American family she knew in Tokyo who had two sons. The younger son was crazy about Ninjas and she thought he might enjoy wearing it. He did and practically lived in it. When my mother passed away last fall, the mother of this family, who coincidentally now lives in the Seattle area sent me this set of costumes hoping that it may fit Yuki. Then this past January, their son who wore it died rather suddenly and tragically at the age of 20. I didn't want to complicate things for the teachers but felt that since they were pretty simple to put on, and now really meaningful, I asked. Teachers very kindly said they would be happy to use them. So I loaned the vest to the boy who was playing Peach Boy and put the kimono top on Yuki. Since my family could not be there, I put their presence in it--really, just for myself.
Scene one: in which The Old Woman discovers a giant peach
while doing laundry in the river.
Scene two: in which the Old Woman tells her adopted son that he should take some
dumplings to go defeat the ogres. Moms are always worried about food. I am not an exception.
Scene five: in which a Pheasant (who in this version resembles the Old Woman) accompanies Peach Boy
in exchange for a delicious dumpling.
Grand finale: in which the entire cast sings a song unrelated to the context of the play
It has been 4 years commuting to this school. 4 years. The first day was so stressful that, as a coping mechanism, I joined Facebook that very night. She could not walk when she started nor could she talk. We carried hundreds of diapers with her name on them to her cubby. We received several accident reports for every little scrape she got from running and playing. We have a vast archive of her art work, four sets of Mother's and Father's day gifts, a note book in which the teachers and I exchanged how she was doing everyday, and year books. We've come a long way. We didn't know what we were doing then, and while we still don't, we are far more relaxed about our lack of knowledge (is that also terrible?) Yuki can talk (boy can she ever) in two languages, knows how to make friends and interact, how to share (most of the time), care for younger kids, sing, go to the bathroom, wash hands, listen to a story, and follow directions (again, most of the time). As nostalgic as we feel about her preschool, we are also excited for her to start Kindergarten. First, because it's 7 minutes away as opposed to 30. Second, it's a great school and third, and most importantly, Yuki is excited and ready. I will get into more about our process of choosing the school in another post, but for now, we can say with confidence that we chose right and this school practically raised her thus far and helped her appreciate her two cultures. We are forever grateful.
Class of 2012: total nut house
Of course the anticlimactic thing about this is that Yuki is still there today (and no, she did not fail preschool). They extend day care through the summer after you graduate so we decided to leave her in there. Yuki is slightly confused about this, but she is rolling with it.
I mentioned that we did not have family here--but some of my coworkers/friends who have been instrumental to Yuki's growth who are practically family came and cheered. This was the village she is being raised by. All in one room. It was a big day for sure.
Thank you thus far for all of your love and support in our adventure. Stay tuned for the next big chapter.
June 23rd, 2012
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