March 3, Part two

My first post took on a life of its own! I got caught up in my writing and forgot the reason I started writing in the first place.

The two girls I have mainly been tutoring took their entrance exams last Monday. They applied to two different high schools, but both applied specifically for the English track programs, and they both passed!!

They said the test wasn't so difficult for them, at least the English parts, after our practice. I was SO proud! They worked so hard and I am very happy for them. Also, as I have never taken a Japanese high school entrance exam English test, didn't get much advice from the English teachers I asked, and couldn't find much guidance online, I was basically on my own to tutor them. I gathered as many resources as I could and did my best and apparently it worked. In addition to their own intensive study I'm sure. Suffice to say, we were all very happy.

I thought they would be done with lessons, they have been stressed and studying till all hours every day, even every day of winter break (or so they claimed), for the high school entrance tests and for the finals at school, and now they finally are done with all tests for the year. Anyone would want to just take a break and relax. But then they said they want to keep meeting as many times as we can before the end of the year. The happiest!

So, today we met and just talked for about 2 1/2 hours! They asked me lots of questions about America and I asked them more about their lives. Then, because I want to make them CDs of English music, we started going through the music on my computer so I could get a sense of what they like. I will be the first to admit that the music collection on my computer is a bit, er...random...so we had an interesting time and lots of interesting facial expressions. At first, they were hesitant to say they didn't like anything, because they didn't want to offend me. They became comfortable with it quickly enough though. Their selections were quite interesting. Among the songs they loved: Jump Jive and Wail (Brian Setzer Orchestra), Bruises (Chairlift), You Really Got Me (Kinks), Blame It On the Boogie (Jackson 5), Thriller (Michael Jackson), Great Balls of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis), You Make My Dreams Come True (Hall & Oates), Bad Romance (Lady Gaga), Single Ladies (Beyonce), Ambling Alp (Yeasayer), and Don't Stop Believing (Journey). Special requests they made that I don't have on my computer: more Lady Gaga, more Beyonce, Country Road Take Me Home, and songs from Sister Act (yes, with Whoopie Goldberg).

Clearly, the Sister Act is the most random. They told me the name in Japanese and I didn't get it, so one of the girls went to the music room and got the song book for 'Oh Happy Day' that had a picture from Sister Act on the front to show me. Then they told me how they love Gospel music.

Japan, you will never stop surprising me.