America-REPRESENT

I am grateful to have a very cool opportunity to be envolved with such a nice group of people. I go to Japanese lessons twice a week at a "community center" where lessons are taught for free to anyone who would like to LEARN. Most of the students are housewives from other parts of Asia (China, S. Korea, India) and the occasional English teacher from America, Canada or Australia......The lessons are taught by volunteer teachers, some of whom are amazing and inspiring people. Last week we had an international tea party, and a speech recitation ceremony. I, along with people from Poland, China, and Croatia, gave speeches in Japanese about the New Year's Holiday in our respective countries. After the speeches we had tea, and as you can see in the pictures (in no particular order...) I was allowed a chance to try to make tea myself (traditional Japanese style....cool).... It was a really fun event, leaving me with a "this is why I can to Japan/I am one with the world" warm fuzzy feeling inside.