Mom and Dad are gonna be so proud!!!

Couldn't wait for class to finish so I could post this. The 4th graders and I are making Christmas cards this week. Nothing too fancy; the kids just color, write their names, and cut out and paste a picture of themselves or family on the front of the card. For most of the students, this idea has worked really well. Their cards have been cute and impressively decorated. Kids have brought in a variety of pictures; a full on cross section of Japanese family life, right down to the family portrait with Dad dangling a cigarette from his mouth.

The best card had to be from this kid who brought in a picture of his whole baseball team. I approached his desk just as he was gluing the picture to the front of his card, a card he was lovingly making for his Mom and Dad. He showed me the card and the picture, a cute little photo of what could have been from any boy's sports days. The team was all gathered together and posing for their victory photo. It reminded me of when I actually liked team sports.

I was just about to praise this kid, when I looked closely at the photo and noticed the same student flipping the camera the bird!! All of his teammates had their innocent little "peace"- or in this case "victory"- signs flashing high, and this little hellion was flashing the camera the bird!!! I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help but giggle. I didn't know what was worse..... that this picture actually made it to print, that this picture actually made it to school, or that this picture was going to make it onto a Christmas card to Mom and Dad!!

As shocking as it sounds, you have to remember that this is Japan. I suppose if kids here are given the creative freedom to go around sticking their fingers up their friends bums, then a little friendly gesture such as the ancient representation of a phallus shouldn't offend anyone, should it? God bless this country... I'm going to take this sweet little memory and file it with my other favorites: the teacher (same school) who came to Open Lesson day wearing his "Primal Scream - MTHR FCKR" t-shirt, and with kind old country Grandpa who politely tried to make conversation with me while wearing his "BITCH" baseball cap. Bless them all, and heaven help those millions of Japanese students who someday go to North America thinking its cute to flip someone the bird.