4th of July!
Back. Feeling a tad sore today. It's tough to jump back in to football after being off the grind for a while but we're adapting pretty well I think. We started off the day with a pretty early wake up and visit to a local school. The rain was already coming down as we walked toward the train station but in typical Japan rainy season fashion we were as soaked from sweat as we were from the actual rain drops.
The train ride was quick and easy as we journeyed through Osaka to our destination at Teshima elementary school in Toyonaka. We got there around 10:30 and when you walk in your are once again supposed to take your shoes off and put on these little slippers. Let's just say they don't come in size 15.
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| Ouch. |
We got to meet the principal (aka The Boss) and his staff. They introduced themselves and we got to learn a little about them and their school. There was a lot of translating and gesturing going on but it was a really cool experience to see how school works in Japan. They have a very different school year with the beginning in April and end in March. They were very excited to have us there and the kids even more so as we are giants compared to their tiny bodies. After a quick meet and greet where we learned how to write our names in Japanese we headed out to the playground to play different football games and hang out with the kids.
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| Me and the BOSS |
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| My name in Japanese |
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| Jacob and some of the translators |
We went out to the playground and immediately burst into a sweat. I've never experienced weather like this but it made me think of the Robin Williams quip from "Good Morning Vietnam"
"What's the weather like out there? "It's hot. Damn hot! Real hot! Hottest things is my shorts. I could cook things in it. A little crotch pot cooking." Well, can you tell me what it feels like. "Fool, it's hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? It's damn hot! I saw - It's so damn hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames. It's that hot! "
Maybe not that hot but you get the idea. After a few minutes of playing on the playground, made only of sand basically, we had all sweat large amount of water out and needed water desperately. Luckily they had some for us. We played games with the kids akin to one on one flag pulling and even got a little two vs. five action at the end. The five kids vs. two football players was very cool to watch as they had some pretty complex offensive schemes. I was shocked to see them run the wishbone offense. We finished up after about 40 minutes of play time then came together as a group to say our thank you's and then head to lunch. Before we left the playground the kids gave all of us a gift that included a fan and some origami hanging from it. My fan was quite comical.
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| Of the incredible plethora of possibilities I got a watermelon lol |
After the playground visit we went inside to grab lunch. The school was all hustle and bustle as we headed to the third floor. The school is very clean and you see kids sweeping as the day went on. These customs are very different from America but it was interesting to see how everyone cooperates to keep things clean. Lunch was pretty good actually, soup and chicken, and we sat with the kids in their classroom while they ate and asked us to sign every piece of paper and notebook they could find. We ate lunch for about a half hour then had to pack up and head to practice. The kids were sad to see us go because they just wanted to play all day but it was a great time and we made some friends along the way.
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| Safe enough I guess |
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| My seat mate in class |
By the time we left for practice we were all spent. Kids can take it out of you even without the sun beating you down into the ground with 85 degree fists. The cab ride over to the field was very quiet and sleep filled. It felt a little like camp back at Stanford on a mentally drained level but we had to go on and get ready nonetheless. It was a warm day at practice but there was a nice breeze. It's definitely not easy now that I'm playing running back and we have a fly sweep/option offense. I definitely wasn't ready to do that much sprinting all of a sudden but it's been a blast getting to play something new.
After practice we had dinner with another Japanese team and this time we went near the hotel once again. The same place where we had the welcome party, the patio behind the hotel near the pool, was where we decided to go. The "beer garden" is what it's called and you can get all you can eat and drink for not very much. It was another awesome time and all the guys we've met here are really cool and try their best to speak english and translate for us.
Being so tired though took its toll and dinner was shorter than the other two. We turned it in fairly early because there was just no gas left in the tank. We said our good byes and thanked them for a great dinner. We had to get some sleep because the next day was sightseeing in the morning. Can't wait for that. Temples here we come. Till the next time.
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