Today we had M's yochien ceremony. I went out late last night and bought her the standard uniform dress that 90 percent of the other Japanese girls would be wearing. It was a tough sell as she really wanted to wear her purple dress that we wear about 3-4 times a week, but I convinced her she could put on her purple dress as soon as we got home. She looked so cute and grown up, and very Japanese. Most of the students sat up front, but M got a little gun shy and sat with us in the back. After the ceremony, we had lunch with some friends who lived in the US, but are Japanese. It was a fun morning, but I can see the nervousness building up in M. I took her to the bathroom and she asked, "Why do I have to go to school?" She is also concerned that they will not speak English. I know the first few weeks will be tough, but once we get through that she will be fine, I just know it. Basically they just play in yochien so as long as they have a play kitchen and Anpanman she will be set. Here are a few pictures from the ceremony - I made Kan take a picture of all the dads lined up on the side with their video cameras. Sorry...it is just so stereotypical, I know, but you should have seen the number of cameras at this ceremony?! I think it was 1.5 cameras for every 1 person! :) I can write this because my husband made the same jokes. :)
I will have a whole other post about her first day tomorrow - with a little more heart from mama - but right now I am trying to show her the positive side of yochien so she does not see mama's heart a little bit sad on the inside. My baby girl is growing up!
2 comments:
Just wanted to say good luck at yochien.: ) And you and M looked beautiful that day of the entrance ceremony.
Both my son's went to yochien. My youngest just graduated last month from yochien.
My oldest son, when he entered yochien, didn't speak much Japanese at all. Since I'm an American and we use English in our home. But, kids adjust quickly. And though my first son cried for about a good 7-9 days adjusting to yochien. By the first month, he was so used to it. And by the time Summer break rolled around he was picking up heaps of Japanese. Branden is a 5th grader now and he speak Japanese fluently and English. So it'll work itself out.
My younger son Noah also. He didn't speak but a handful of words in Japanese, but he's fluent now.
Anyway just wanted to say, you're doing excellent! : )
Just curious....does the school year run differently there? It seems odd to start in the spring, but does it prepare them for the fall somehow?
Post a Comment