Today we had a kendo tournament at school. So we all had to get to school at 7 am, do set up, and then it started at 8:30. It was really fun. I really realized how lucky I am to be at Hamamatsu Kitako (Hamamatsu North High school.) All the other school teams who were there were so hardcore with really complex stretch routines and whatnot; while our team usually just talks and laughs during warm-up. Then imagine a gym full of Japanese high school students; and every single one of them looking at me, staring at me, laughing at me, judging me. I heard so many people talking and whispering about me as I passed them; it was enough to make me pack up my bags and go straight back to the USA. But the kendo team at Kitakou is completely different. They have always treated me with great friendship and openess. There's a reason it's the best public high school in the prefecture. I am so grateful for my teammates at Kitakou and the memories I have made with them; even though sometiems I really don't feel like staying another two hours after school doing kendo sometimes, or I feel discouraged because I don't understand what the teacher is saying, or because I'm so bad at it, it really has been a really enjoyable experience.
Back to the actual tournament, I dualed twice. I lost both times; but what do you expect playing people who have been doing this virtually every day for their whole lives. However, I'm still proud of myself because I did my best. I expected to lose after about 30 seconds, but I was able to play a normal match of about 2 minutes. Yay!
After the tournament, I spent a little time just hanging out, and then met Laurent and Addison downtown. Then I came back home and my host dad and I went out to yakiniku (Korean BBQ) with a Rotarian (Nakano-san) and his family (three small sons who would ask me how to say basically everything in English). It was really fun. Usually yakiniku is beef, but this was pork. I prefer beef yakiniku, but this time I did get to try pig hearts. It was actually pretty good. A few days ago, I had been telling Nakano-san that I did not want to eat eel, the speciality of Hamamatsu, so he joked that this time was pig hearts, next time is eel. Haha, we'll see about that.
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Dear Jonathan,
Actually, at Hamamatsu kitako there was a person who did not like you saying that only Japanese are should be allowed to do Kendo. But then he got over it.
Many people who are prejudiced against others, end up liking one of 'them' after they get to know him. so if you had given enough chance to these others, then they would have come to appreciate you.
WHen you go into a contest like this, don't go thinking you are going to lose. Who know? with a positive you might end up winning.
So how do they determine if you lose? Or if you win?
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