November 2, 2009

Japan Exchange is happening this week! Eighteen students, English teacher Ms. Maruoka, and Vice Principal Mr. Ohnishi, are visiting our school.
We are working on the following materials in all classes, with adjustments for level of Japanese:

1. season-appropriate poetry (haiku and tanka)
Happy fall haiku by Masaoka Shiki
赤とんぼ筑波に雲もなかりけり
Red dragonflies (soar) and clouds disappear from above Mt. Tsukuba.

Rephrase for our occasion

赤とんぼシカゴに雲もなかりけり
Red dragonflies (soar) and clouds disappear from over Chicago

This celebrates the arrival of our beautiful guests, on a day of beautiful clear fall weather in Chicago.

正岡子規


Fall tanka by Yosano Akiko—与謝野晶子

金色のちひさき鳥のかたちして
銀杏ちるなり夕日のをかに

こんじき　の　ちいさい　とり　の かたち　して
いちょう　ちる　なり　ゆうひ　の　おか　に

Shapes like small golden birds
On the evening hills, falling leaves of ginko trees


2. bi-lingual readings and discussion of American fall holidays

a. Columbus Day Wikipedia
Many countries in the New World plus elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492 in the Julian calendar … as an official holiday. The day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza in many countries in the Americas, as Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, as Discovery Day in the Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional in Spain, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Uruguay and as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela. These holidays have been celebrated unofficially since the late 18th century, and officially in various countries since the early 20th century.
Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and became a federal holiday in 1934. However, people have celebrated Columbus' voyage since the colonial period. In 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of his landing in the New World. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of the event. During the 400-year anniversary in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of patriotism.
コロンブス・デー
提供: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
移動: ナビゲーション, 検索
コロンブス・デー（英語: Columbus Day。発音としてはコロンバス・デイに近い）とは、アメリカ合衆国における、祝祭日のひとつ。10月の第2月曜日となっている。1492年に、北アメリカ大陸に、クリストファー・コロンブスが到着したことを祝う。この日は、ネバダ州、ハワイ州を除くアメリカ合衆国のほとんどの州で休日となる。（但し、一部の州または市では、同じ10月第2月曜を別の祝日として休日にしている場合もある）。
また、スペインによる侵略と殺戮、略奪が始まった日として[1]、ブラジルを除く南アメリカ諸国でも同様の祝日が制定されており、Día de la Raza（ディア・デ・ラ・ラザ 民族の日）という名称などで呼ばれている。
アメリカ合衆国
はじめて、祝日として祝われた日時は、1792年10月12日。タマニー派の人々が、ニューヨークで、コロンブスが到着してから300周年を記念して祝った。その後、アメリカでは公式祝日として祝われるようになり、コロンブスの出身国イタリアでも、イタリア人によって祝われることがある。現在は、コロンブス・デイの日は、アメリカ合衆国で多くの銀行などの公共施設が定休日となり、学校も休みとなる場合がある。
インディアンにとっての「コロンブス・デー」
1911年、オナイダ族インディアンのローラ・コーネリアスや、オマハ族のラ・フレスカ姉妹ら、インディアン女性運動家たちは「アメリカインディアン協会（Society of American Indians）」を設立し、「全米インディアン・デー」を提唱した。彼女らは「コロンブス・デー」と同日にオハイオ州コロンバスで第一回決起大会を開き、「インディアンが白人のアメリカを発見した日!」とのスローガンを掲げ、この日に抗議した。
現在も反「コロンブス・デー」運動は「アメリカインディアン運動（AIM）」などに引き継がれ、毎年この日になると全米各地で抗議行進やデモが行われていて、この際多数のインディアンが逮捕されている。

b. Halloween Wikipedia

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints, but is today largely a secular celebration.
Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.
Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, [it is] more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)".[1] The name is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".[1] A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf).
The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes[2] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[3]
The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.[4][5] Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.[6] Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.



ハロウィン 、あるいはハロウィーン(Halloween, Hallowe'en) は、カトリックの諸聖人の日（万聖節）の前晩（10月31日）に行われる伝統行事。諸聖人の日の旧称"All Hallows"のeve（前夜祭）であることから、Halloweenと呼ばれるようになった。
ケルト人の収穫感謝祭がカトリックに取り入れられたものとされている。由来と歴史的経緯からアングロ・サクソン系諸国で主に行われる行事であって地域性が強く、教会と不可分の行事ではないため、キリスト教の広まる地域であれば必ず祝われるという訳ではない。
ケルト人の1年の終りは10月31日で、この夜は死者の霊が家族を訪ねたり、精霊や魔女が出てくると信じられていた。これらから身を守る為に仮面を被り、魔除けの焚き火を焚いていた。601年にローマ教皇グレゴリウス1世が宣教師にケルト人へキリスト教改宗の策として、「ケルト人の信仰法である木の伐採は行わずに、木の真上にはキリストの神様がいてそのために木を信仰し続けなさい。と広めなさい」と言ったのがいまのハロウィンになったきっかけでもある[要出典]。
家族の墓地にお参りし、そこで蝋燭をつけるという地方もある。墓地全体が、大きなランタンのように明々と輝く。日本のお盆の迎え火・送り火にも似ているかもしれない。ただ、これに合わせて欧米では、放火事件などが頻発する。
これに因み、31日の夜、カボチャ(本来はカブ)をくりぬいた中に蝋燭を立てて「ジャック・オー・ランタン」 を作り、魔女やお化けに仮装した子供達が「トリック・オア・トリート（Trick or treat. お菓子をくれなきゃ、いたずらするぞ）」と唱えて近くの家を1軒ずつ訪ねる。家庭では、カボチャの菓子を作り、子供たちは貰ったお菓子を持ち寄り、ハロ ウィン・パーティーを開いたりする。



c. Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, Wikipedia

Thanksgiving is presently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, and has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863. It did not become a federal holiday until 1941. Thanksgiving was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God, and is still celebrated as such by some religious families, but it is now considered a secular holiday as well. Most Americans celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday is tied to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the harsh winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts and that event has become the pre-eminent foundation story for English North America. The First Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to God and the Native Americans for helping the pilgrims survive the brutal winter. Although half of the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower died; many more would have had it not been for the native Americans teaching the pilgrims to harvest foods. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three whole days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Indians. The traditional Thanksgiving menu consists of turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and so on. We may eat these foods on modern day Thanksgiving, but the first feast did not consist of these items. On the first feast turkey was any type of fowl that the pilgrims hunted. Pumpkin pie wasn't on the menu because there were no ovens for baking, but they did have boiled pumpkin. Cranberries weren't introduced at this time. Due to the diminishing supply of flour there was no bread of any kind. The foods included in the first feast included duck, geese, venison, fish, lobster, clams, swan, berries, dried fruit, pumpkin, squash, and many more vegetables.
感謝祭（かんしゃさい、英語: Thanksgiving Day）は、アメリカ合衆国とカナダの祝日のひとつ。Thanksgivingと略称されたり、あるいは七面鳥の日（Turkey Day）と呼んだりもする。アメリカでは11月の第4木曜日、カナダでは10月の第2月曜日になっている。
現代の感謝祭では、宗教的な意味合いはかなり弱くなっており、現代アメリカ人の意識の中では、たくさんの親族や友人が集まる大規模な食事会であり、大切な家族行事のひとつと位置づけられている。特に感謝祭前日と感謝祭の後の最初の日曜日は、空港、高速道路、鉄道などの交通機関が1年の中でも有数の大混雑・大渋滞となる。
感謝祭の朝には、大統領が二羽の七面鳥を屠殺される運命から恩赦する（Turkey Pardon）という行事がホワイトハウスで行われる。ニューヨーク市の百貨店メイシーズでは、1924年から毎年（第二次世界大戦のために1942年から1944年まで中断されたことを除き）巨大な風船を用いたパレード「Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade」が恒例行事となっている．また、通常は日曜日と月曜の夜しか行われないNFLの試合が3試合（1970年以降、ダラス・カウボーイズとデトロイト・ライオンズのホームゲーム2試合が行われるのが通例だったが、2006年は、カンザスシティ・チーフスのホームゲームが57年ぶりに感謝祭の日に開催され、2007年は、インディアナポリス・コルツとアトランタ・ファルコンズの試合が開催された）行われる。
感謝祭の翌日の金曜日もBlack Fridayとして祝日扱いとなっており、感謝祭が4連休の祝日となる場合が多い,　感謝祭の前の水曜日から、5 連休の祝日の州もある。感謝祭が過ぎるとクリスマスまで約ひと月となり、クリスマスプレゼントの ショッピングが激化することから、各小売店では感謝祭をクリスマス・セールの前哨戦と位置づけ、客足をあてこんで金曜日から特別セールを行う。金曜日の セールで小売店の収支が黒字になることから感謝祭の翌日を「ブラック・フライデー」、週明けの月曜日に職場の高速回線を利用してウェブ通販でプレゼントを 購入する人が多いことから感謝祭休み明けの月曜日を「サイバー・マンデー」と呼ぶ習慣がある。感謝祭からクリスマスまでのひと月は、小売店の年間の総売上の約半分を占めるという。

October 29, 2009 Schedule for Nov. 1-7 (as of noon Oct. 29)

Japan Exchange Schedule for November 1 – 7, 2009
(as of noon. Oct 29)



Nov. 1, 2009
Sunday
16:07 Osaka group arrives at O'Hare airport(NW7350)
Chartered bus to Walter Payton College Prep—
hosts pick up Osaka group at Payton
Osaka group arrival Walter Payton by bus -- met by Payton host families in parking lot of school around 5 p.m.
Sensei’s cell phone: 七七三の八三三の七八二三
Nora M. cell phone: 　三一二の三三九の七二八七
Mike S. cell phone: 　七七三の四五八の〇八七六
Karen Y. cell phone: 　七七三の二〇九の六三三五

Nov. 2, 2009
Monday
all guest students attend classes with host students
Guest students and teachers will receive Payton I.D.’s
breakfast in room 110 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Osaka guests return to homestay homes after school

Nov. 3, 2009
Tuesday
all guest students attend classes with host students, except for 8th period/4th block
during 8th period/4th block, guests go to cafeteria for activities
(activities: art, poetry, charades, film, journal writing)
3 to 4 "Meet and Greet" event sponsored by Asian American Club
5 to 7 open house party at Thieling home (Ray is a sophomore in Japanese 2 class)
Mr. and Mrs. Thieling 312-337-3832
1822 N. Orleans, Apt. 2
Chicago 60614

Nov. 4, 2009
Wednesday
field trip including all Osaka guests and Payton host students and teachers
coach bus to Mus of Sci and Ind., U. of Chicago, Millenium Park, etc.
depart Payton 8:30 and return to Payton 4:30

Nov. 5, 2009
Thursday
all guest students attend Payton
cultural presentations in Japanese language classes by Japanese guest students
Chicago's City of Osaka Office personnel will join us
last evening of exchange is dedicated to guest time with hosts

Nov. 6, 2009
Friday
a non-attendance day for Payton students -- teacher meetings at Payton
Payton students will bring guests and their luggage to school by 8:15
Osaka guests and Payton teachers will visit Consulate General of Japan and Japan Information Center
Visit to Chicago Sister Cities downtown
lunch as a group
bus picks up Osaka guests at 3:00 for trip to hotel

Nov. 7, 2009
Saturday
Osaka guests return to Japan
09:08 Depart Chicago for Minneapolis(NW2183)
12:40 Depart Minneapolis for Narita(NW321)
[will arrive Sun. Nov. 8th 21:20 Osaka group arrives at Kansai airport(NW-327)]

Parent Meeting for Japan Exchange October 14, 2009

日本　日本　Payton Japan Exchange Meeting　日本　日本
大阪　大阪　Incoming Group from Osaka　大阪　大阪
October 14, 2009---Wednesday
6:00 p.m.---Room 110
Notes

Representatives of the following families attended:

Cambron, Chan, De Avila, Forman, Futris, Goldberg, Hernandez, Lake, Mascarenas, Minor, Molasky, Perez, Reischl, Tenorio, Yamasaki, Zhuang,

1. handed out hosting list (corrections and some parents)
2. hand out info on incoming Osaka guests
3. schedule as of today:

a. Sun. Nov. 1st 14:40 Depart Minneapolis for Chicago(NW7350)
16:07 Arrive at O'Hare airport(NW7350)
Chartered bus to Walter Payton College Prep—
hosts pick up Osaka group at Payton

b. Mon. Nov. 2nd - Thr. Nov. 5th Stay at Walter Payton College Prep

(Tuesday – meet and greet with Asian-American Club?)

c. Wed. Nov. 4th, field trip (guests and hosts) to Museum of Science and Industry, (Museum of Science and Industry ： 773-684-1414) plus drive-through of U. of Chicago campus, Millenium Park Hancock Tower Watertower Place

d. Thurs., Nov. 5th Osaka group makes cultural presentations in Japanese classes

e. Fri. Nov. 6th Deliver guests and luggage to Osaka in the a.m. -- Osaka group only, official City of Chicago activities during the daytime, then Osaka group moves to the hotel (schedule has been cut short by one day – budget decision on the Osaka school district side)

f. Sat. Nov. 7th 09:08 Depart Chicago for Minneapolis(NW2183)
12:40 Depart Minneapolis for Narita(NW321)

g. Sun. Nov. 8th 21:20 Osaka group arrives at Kansai airport(NW-327)

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR GUESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IF THERE ARE ANY DIFFICULTIES WITH THE EMAIL ADDRESSES, SEND EMAIL TO KIMMEL SENSEI AND SHE WILL SEND TO ONE OF THE OSAKA TEACHERS.

Japan Exchange Seminar 2009/10/08

Japan Exchange Seminar
2009 October 8

All Present:
Elizabeth Alexander also attended.

Class Activities:

1. we assigned incoming guests to hosts, by name
2. hosts will now communicate with guests by email, except that Sally C. will send a regular letter to Osaka Sr. High School for Tomoko Ito, who does not have an email address listed
3. must check on availability of D.J. and Sofia as hosts for Takumi and Nozomi
4. hosts for teachers?
5. art committee starts on banner
6. communication for Mr. Tsukada tells us that visit will be cut short by one day
a. bring guests and their luggage to school on Friday the 6th
b. give up idea of Ed Debevic on the 5th? Payton students want more “family time” with guests
c. zoo? Boring? Weather?
d. “welcome” breakfast will take place the morning of Nov. 2, in room 110? In greenhouse?
7. meeting with parents to take place October 14th at 6 p.m. – host parents must sign hosting-responsibility form for CPS
8. importance of hosts and families being with guests at all times
9. Mike S. did research on contact information and schedule for Mus. of Sci. and Ind.
10. with questions or ideas, contact Kimmel Sensei at
crkimmel"at"cps.edu
or
carolruthsings"at"gmail.com
or
her cell phone

Seminar meeting 2009/10/01

Japan Exchange Seminar
October 1, 2009


Students who attended the seminar today:
Alisa A.
Tori A.
Lucas B.
Kashawna B.
Melisa C.
Sally C.
Monica C.
Alexy C.
Devin deA.
Dimitri F.
Rachel G..
Xiaoyue (Joy) G.
Sergio H.
Naomi L.
Taylor M.
Colin M.
Yasmin P.
Nicole R.
Stephanie Alexisw S.
Esmeralda T.
Ray T.
Camille Lynn W.
Karen Y.
Amy X.
Amy Z.
Candy Z.
(absent, Nora M. and Mike S.)

Students who say they will be able to host (we need to host 19 students and 2 teachers):
Melisa C.
Sally C. (maybe)
Devin deA.
Dimitri F.
Rachel G.
Naomi L.
Colin M.
Yasmin P.
Stephanie Alexis S.
Mike S.
Esmeralda T.
Ray T.
Camillel Lynn W.
Karen Y.
Amy Z.

A. USEFUL　JAPANESE PHRASES requested by host students:

Is [thing or action] OK?
[Thing or action] wa Ii desu ka?
＿＿　は　いい　です　か。

Are you hungry?
Onaka ga sukimashita ka?
おなか　が　すきました　か？

Where would you like to go?
Doko ni ikitai desu ka?
どこ　に　いきたい　です　か。

Do you understand?
Wakarimasu-ka?
わかります　か。

Are you tired?
Tsukarete imasu ka?
つかれて　います　か。

What’s your hobby？
Shumi wa nan desu ka?
しゅみ　は　なん　です　か。

Would you like to go to the bathroom?
O-tearai ni ikitai desu ka?
おてあらい　に　いきたい　です　か？

We will leave the house at ___ o’clock.
＿＿＿ ji　ni　uchi wo demasu.
＿＿＿じ　に　うち　を　でます。

Do you need anything?
Nani-ka irimasu ka?
なにか　いります　か。

Are you OK?
Daijoubu desu ka?
だいじょうぶ　です　か。

When is your birthday?
Tanjoubi wa itsu desu ka?
たんじょうび　は　いつ　です　か。

B. Handout on Osaka Dialect from Japanesepod101.com--We read this in English before listening to it from the online site, in Japanese.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to Yuri's audio blog.

“Today, I'll be talking about the Kansai Dialect's "severed endings."
In the Kansai dialect, the endings of some words are "cut off" and go unpronounced. For example, we pronounce gakkou ("school") as gakko, and sensei ("teacher") as sense. We abbreviate the words and they become gakko no sense ("school teacher"). I've heard that this started as a result of the impatient nature of people in the Kansai region. It is said that someone started cutting the endings off words and eventually it just spread.

“I think I also quite casually cut the endings off words, but I first realized I was doing it when I spoke with people from Tokyo or other regions, and got comments such as, "So that's how they say it in Kansai? Interesting."
I chose a few words that I'd like to share.

“First there is benkyou ("to study"). We pronounce this benkyo. You can use it in sentences such as Kyou wa benkyo shiyo ("Let's study today").
Senkou ("incense") is Senko; senbei ("rice crackers") are senbe; koohii ("coffee") is koohi; and shinbou ("patience") is shinbo.

“Here are some example phrases; senko ni hii tsukeru ("to light incense"). Kobe no omiyage wa kawara senbe ya de ("A good gift from Kobe is kawara senbei."). Koohi demo nomi ni ikoka ("Shall we get some coffee?")? And, Moo chotto shinbo shii na("Try to be just a little more patient.").

“Since I began living in Tokyo, I don't use Kansai-ben all day anymore, but I think it's interesting that I still unconsciously cut off the ends of some words.

“Today, I discussed the Kansai Dialect's "severed endings."
How did you like it?

“This has been Yuri's audio blog.
See you next time!”

関西弁4・語尾を切る言葉
皆さん、こんにちは。
ユリのオーディオブログです。
今日は関西弁の「語尾を短く切る言葉」についてお話します。
関西弁では、語尾を短く切って発音する言葉があります。例えば、「がっこう」を
「がっこ」、「せんせい」を「せんせ」と言い、「がっこのせんせ」という風に最
後の言葉を省略するのです。これは、関西人の気質がせっかちであることから、誰
かが語尾を切りはじめ、それが広がっていったといわれています。
私も、ふだん何気なく語尾を切って話していたのですが、東京や違う地方出身の人
と話していると、「関西弁ではそういう風にいうんだ。面白いね」といわれて、はじめて意識しました。
いくつか言葉を選んでみたので、紹介したいと思います。
まず、「べんきょう」。これは「べんきょ」と発音します。「今日はべんきょしよ」、こんな風に使います。「線香」は「せんこ」、「煎餅」は「せんべ」、「コーヒー」は「こーひ」、「辛抱」は「しんぼ」。「せんこにひぃつける」、「神戸の
みやげは瓦せんべやで」、「こーひでも飲みにいこか」、「もーちょっとしんぼしぃな」、などのように使います。
私は東京に暮らしはじめてから、一日中関西弁を使うことはなくなりましたが、こうしてみると、
無意識に使っている言葉の語尾が切れているのは、面白いなあと思いました。
今日は、関西弁の「語尾を短く切る言葉」についてお話しました。
いかがでしたか？
ユリのオーディオブログでした。
それでは、また！


C. Handout on Japanese Bears fan
www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0930-steve-dahlsep30,0,1232748.column
A deep love for the Bears that spans 14 time zones
Steve Dahl, September 30, 2009
The next time that you're feeling put out about being stuck in Bears traffic, just remember, it could be worse. Shu Katahira often commutes all the way from Tokyo to see his beloved team play on Chicago's lakefront. We have season tickets in the same section at Soldier Field.

"This weekend is a tight one," Katahira confessed via e-mail. "I'm flying back to Chicago Saturday morning and fly back to Japan on Tuesday, so I will be in Chicago a little over 72 hours. Except one crazy trip I did for the NFC Championship game vs. New Orleans (his favorite Bears experience) in 2006 where I came back the morning of the game day and headed back to Japan that evening, I normally stay at least a day or two with my family and my business."

My sons and I used to call him the Japanese Lance Briggs before we got to know him. He wears the number 55 proudly, but these days the "Briggs" on his back has been replaced with "Shu." He is exempted from my decree that grown men shouldn't wear jerseys because he is an anomaly. His war cry is "D! Come on, D! Defense!" and Katahira knows what he's talking about. He played weakside linebacker (just as Briggs does) for the Big Unicorns at Keio College in Tokyo.

Katahira grew up in Yokohama, where there was a U.S. Navy base with a football field.

"I could see games through wired fences," he said. "For me, the other side of the fence was America. Since then, I love the football and America."

The third-generation owner of a company that manufactures springs for the automotive industry, Katahira is mindful of the expenses incurred by his trips to and from the U.S. in this economy and flies coach unless he can get an upgrade. He's a big guy, and I have a feeling that it's a tight fit on a JAL aircraft.

When the Bears aren't playing at home and Katahira is in Japan, he is relegated to watching them at odd hours. When he is forced to watch the games at work, he leaves his office door open and turns the sound down or off because he wants to be a good boss and not set a bad example.

"Last season, I flew four times during the regular season to attend six games," Katahira said. "Please remember even though my main and personal objective of these above travels is for attending Bears home games, I come back to Chicago to see my family and take care of my business (KHC Corp., which has an area location in Woodstock), and those three work just perfect."

How can you not love this guy? He's the best Bears fan ever!

Katahira and I really bonded down in Miami during the rain-soaked Bears 2007 Super Bowl XLI debacle. We had dinner Saturday night at Morton's. It was the perfect spot for Chicago fans to celebrate, and Katahira looked resplendent in his sport coat and Devin Hester jersey. We weren't sitting next to each other at Dolphin Stadium, but somehow we ended up waiting in line in the men's room together and totally missing Prince's halftime show. Hester and Prince were the best parts of that game. Timing is everything. Katahira had predicted the future with his 23 jersey, just like Hiro on "Heroes."

He's always cheerful and loves Buffalo wings. He doesn't miss Rex Grossman. Even when he arrives the morning of the game, he never complains, and he never misses a play or handing out a high-five. Before the Pittsburgh home opener, I had just driven in from a weekend in Michigan that included a wedding in Grand Rapids. I wasn't about to complain. I had only traveled across one time zone, not 14.

Steve Dahl is a Tribune special contributor. Read and listen to more Steve Dahl at dahl.com.
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

D. In class activities
1. Art Team chosen for making banners and signs for visit: Alisa A., Tori A., Kashawna B., Rachel G., Joy G., Yasmin P., Nicole R., Camille Lynn W., Amy Xie
2. Students planning to host began writing descriptions of their homes, neighborhoods, and families. These will be handed in next week, typed and double-spaced, for faxing to the sister school.
3. Discussion of enjoyable activities for guest students
a. viewing movies at the theater – very hard to understand if they don’t have Japanese subtitles
b. attending stage plays – same as movies, hard to understand
c. attending dance concerts ( no language necessary for enjoyment)
d. attending music concerts (no language necessary for enjoyment)
e. live sports events (fairly easy to understand – minimal language necessary)
f. DVD’s at home, if they have Japanese subtitles
g. if your student is interested, participatory sports like bowling are good entertainment
h. Chicago’s Osaka City Office has suggested visiting college campuses – we will probably drive around the U. of Chicago campus on the day we visit the Museum of Science and Industry
E. Tentative schedule for visitation week – corrections? Additions? Suggestions?
Nov. 1 Sunday arrive Chicago, host families pick up guest students at Payton
Nov. 2 Monday attend school – welcome breakfast
Nov. 3 Tuesday field trip of Japanese and American students to Museum of Science and Industry, Millenium Park, and Navy Pier
Nov. 4 Wednesday attend school
Nov. 5 Thursday attend school, and guest students give cultural presentations in classes – Chicago’s Office of the City of Osaka will sent representatives to join us
Nov. 6 Friday Japanese group only makes official visits – Chicago Sister Cities organization has chosen destinations
Nov. 7 Saturday all day with host families
Nov 8 Sunday families deliver Japanese guests to Payton, and Japanese group goes to O’Hare

Seminar Meeting 2009/09/24

Japan Exchange Seminar Meeting 2009/09/24


Students present:

Alisa A.
Tori A.
Lucas B.
Kashawna B.
Melisa C.
Sally C.
Monica C.
Alexy C.
Devin d. A.
Dimitri F.
Rachel G.
Xiaoyue (Joy) G.
Sergio H.
Naomi L.
Taylor M.
Colin M.
Nora M.
Yasmin P.
Nicole R.
Stephanie Alexis S.
Michael S.
Esmeralda T.
Ray T.
Jacob T.
Camille Lynn W.
Karen Y.
Amy X.
Amy Z.
Candy Z.

Activities:

1. Students filled out hosting form
2. Students looked at New Year cards and Valentines Day cards sent by Osaka students.
3. Exercise on communicating about self without speaking or writing (pretend you are one of your adult relatives)
4. Students talked about previous hosting experiences: Rachel, Michael, Camille
5. Student talked about guest school: Mike
6. Schedule: Osaka City Sr. High School group plans to arrive Nov. 1st and depart Nov. 8th.
7. Parent meeting planned for Wednesday, October 14
8. The week of the visit will be a no-seminar week.
9. Friday the 6th will be a non-attendance day for students.

10. Discussion of guest-host field trip (large coach bus must be rented)
Destinations
a.Museum of Science and Industry (what time does it open?)
b. Millenium Park
c. Navy Pier

11. Discussion of all-guest field trip
Destinations
i. City Hall
ii. Consulate
iii. Sears/Wilson Tower or Hancock Tower

12. What shall we discuss at future meetings?
a. Food
b. Physical aspects of home, including bathrooms
c. Host neighborhoods
d. Presents
e. “respect” issues
f. Cultural differences
g. Fund raising
h. Welcome banner

Fall Haiku for Beginning of School

Fall Haiku for Beginning of School


By　Yamaguchi Seishi　　　　山口誓子

(Translated by Takashi Kodaira and Alfred H. Marks)




霧のこゑ　　　　　ごゑ学校の　　　形して

Kiri ni koe goe gakkou no katachi shite


Voices in the fog,　
　　　Voices assuming a shape ---
The shape of a school.




月よりも 上空を飛ぶ 白鳥座

Tsuki yori mo Joukuu wo tobu hakuchou-za


Higher than the moon,
the white swan constellation
flying through the sky.





西までの 天路月にも 遥かなる

Nishi made no tenro no tsuki ni mo haruka naru

Even for the moon,
the heavenly journey west
is a distant one.