March 28th, 2008 TFiJ15: Luke graduates from kindergarten
Hey! Long time no post. Life is finally getting back to normal for me, with the New Zealand trip gradually receding to the back of my conscious mind. I still have some more videos to edit and a DVD to produce, but that’s about it. The school year begins in a couple of weeks, and my mind is filled with the annual rites of spring.
One of those rites is graduation ceremonies. As you may know, the Japanese school year begins in April and ends the following March. We had our thing at TCFL last week, and this week, on Tuesday, Luke had his kindergarten graduation ceremony. That’s right, no typo- Luke, a six year old boy, graduated from kindergarten! They hold these ceremonies after every level of school, and boy, what a production it was! So, without further ado, check out this little nugget of Japanese culture:
UPDATE: Hey! I’ve just reposted this clip over at Blip.tv
so you can now see a much bigger and better version! No more YouTube for me! Yay!!!
For a higher quality viewing experience, click here to watch a QuickTime version of this clip.
UPDATE: (4/9/08) Oh! I’ve just discovered Adobe Photoshop Express, and I’m totally geeking out about this new web-based photo application. Here is a test album. Can you see the photos of Luke’s graduation?
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Posted in Family News, Latest, Video | Comments (13)
March 29th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I especially liked the ’stills’ at the end… GTjr, you looked great in your suit and dark shades, like a Secret Service Agent! And Luke, he is just as cute as a Chinese Dumpling!
March 31st, 2008 at 8:19 pm
You all know I was referring to the ‘chinese dumpling’ comment Shinobu made in the video, right??!
April 1st, 2008 at 7:14 am
Yeah! That was funny. Luke wrote that message the day after we all made “gyoza” (Chinese dumplings) together for dinner. It was supposed to be this heartfelt message of gratitude, but he chose this rather mundane thing for his card. I guess you had to be there! We got a kick out of that funny juxtaposition.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:38 am
You really put this together nicely, Papa. I like the tradition, and I would definitely have gotten there earlier.
Watching Luke’s teacher say farewell to the kids was touching, as I know how it feels — maybe you do, too?
April 7th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Thanks, Rob! Yeah, at first it seems like overkill to put little children through such a big show, but everyone really seemed to enjoy the experience. Today Luke has a similar (but not as elaborate) ceremony to mark the beginning of a new school year. He’s really excited to be going to elementary school! He won’t have far- the new place is across the street from the old one. It’s like one big complex. And they just finished a new addition, so he’ll be the first class to enjoy the new facilities. I’ll try to get to this ceremony even earlier! I learned my lesson!
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:35 am
I was surfing the web and ran across your page. Curious to see if your ancestors were from Lithuania?
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Hi Larry- Yes, they are! My side of the family were all born there. I was part of the first generation not to be. Are you and I related????
May 1st, 2008 at 6:24 am
That was great. I hadn’t realized all the military type traditions…and Shinobu looks great in her suit!! Chinese dumplings, please. They are koldunai!!
VT
May 1st, 2008 at 9:02 am
Yeah- they are like koldunai, but they are fried, not boiled. You eat them with a sauce made from soy sauce, vinigar, and this reddish oil. Yum yum! Glad you liked the video. Stay tuned for the elementary school entrance ceremony one!
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Hi, Jerry! Thanx so much letting me know about your site. One word, WELL DONE! You guys looked beautiful, Shinobu’s suites…, how rare picture it was! Please save some oishih gyohza for me when the next time I see you guys sometime in next year, don’t forget, I eat a lot!
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Oh, glad you could see the site, Hiromi! Yes, we can cook up some big gyoza for the next time you visit. Take care down there in the land of Oz.
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
How are you.
Do you remeber me? I am your student buddy from Iowa. The one that almost fell in love with you.
Ha Ha ! I am just joking. This is Hiromis partner and master, Joakim.
I hope everything is ok with you. I have started a new at a job at a video production company, http://www.rapidspin.com.au
Everthing is ok her in OZ. But we are starting to head for the cold season.
June 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Ha! Joakim, you had me going there for a second. Thanks for checking out our blog.