May 27th, 2008

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Konnichiwa!

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

One of the things I love about homeschooling is the freedom to study what one is passionate about.  Do you know how attractive it is on a transcript for a student to have really excelled at one thing?  It’s attractive.  

Konnichiwa is hello in Japanese, by the way.  I’ll be hearing it more and more around here, I’m sure.  I think I told you that Rosetta Stone Japanese is on the way.  Well, we are bringing home more and more items to help us in our study of Japan.  We were going to start it for 12th grade (next year), but I’d say the fun has already begun.  And why not?  Why not get in enough work to possibly have two years’ worth of credits under out belts?  We have all of the summer ahead of us.

I went to Barnes and Noble this morning and found a stunning book on Japan, full of beautiful pictures, for only 6 dollars.  I also got a map of Japan to go on the wall.  I picked up a kit to learn Japanese ink painting.  B&N also had some of their journals on sale, so I picked up two very Japanese-looking journals, one for me and one for Joseph.  I will use mine like I always do.  Joseph will fill his with clippings of Japanese news, any Haiku he writes, any ink painting he does and copies of the papers he will be writing.

After leaving Barnes and Noble, I ran by Whole Foods (I miss you guys!) and then I ran into the near-by thrift store.  I lucked out!  What was on the shelf but a small conversation pocket guide for learning Japanese and some magazines and children’s books, totally in Japanese!  Also, I found this beautiful jar with an old sticker underneath that says “Japan.”  I think it’s been a good day for Joseph.  This, of course, is the beginning of Joseph’s collection of books on Japan that he’ll take with him when he leaves home.

Now, after leafing through all these books and drooling over the very serene Japanese gardens, I want one.  I have an area that I might turn into one. 

If you want to see pictures of a great Japanese garden in the US, it’s in Portland and they have a website.

Sayonara!

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