I woke up at 7 AM, which was a little late compared to recent days. For some reason, I was tired and did not really have energy. It might be because I drank a coffee that I bought and turned out decaffeinated version this morning. I usually am ok if I drink a cup of coffee even if I am tired. Before I went to the US, I had never drunk or liked black coffee. However, I started drinking because other people around me were drinking. Then, I end up being a person who loves black coffee, especially in the morning. I might have been relying on coffee too much. I should keep up my energy without caffeine. I started listening to practice in French, sipping the decaf coffee.
“I Didn’t Know!!”
After 1 hour, I got a message that the guy who has taken care of me since I came here had arrived at this apartment. I was wondering why, because I thought they would have Judo practice only in the afternoon. But I went downstairs to say hi to him, even if I did not know why he came. And he was like, “Are you not going to bring a uniform (Judo uniform)?” And I was like, “Do they have practice in the morning today?”. And he told me for the first time that the dojo club was going to have a camp for all the students. And I was like, “I did not know!!!” I went back to the building and got ready for the practice as quickly as possible. And we arrived at the dojo.
The Judo Camp Began
There were so many cars, which made me think that there must be so many students. And there were. I think that there were about 70 kids whose ages ranged from 6 to 12 years old. But the participants were mainly kids, so older students were only about 10. And there were all the instructors there, too. And at about 9 o’clock, the practice started. In halfway, the class was split into two groups, kids and others. I taught a technique for the older groups, but I was mainly watching today. Today’s teaching was much easier because two students could speak English very well since their parents speak English. She translated my English into French for them. It was very helpful for me.
Lunch Time with the Kids
And then lunch time. I think that the club ordered the catering or something for the students. It was like a small school. I could try a typical lunch for the kids or the French people. The meal started with a long baguette and small appetizers that they ate with the bread. It was very interesting to see that each table has a huge baguette and shares it by ripping off to small piece. It was very French style. And for the main dish, it was thinly sliced pork, a meatball, green beans, and some yellow things that I could not try. And after that, they ate a small piece of cheese before a dessert. After hearing that it is a typical lunch for kids, I was like, “I am glad that I grew up in Japan”. Sorry, but I just don’t fit in the food culture here. Of course, it is delicious, but I prefer eating rice and curry, natto, or kimchi to eating bread-based meals.
Afternoon Practice
Anyway, about 30 minutes after lunch, the afternoon class began at about 2 o’clock. The reason why I have been using “about” is that they do not set a certain time that starts the practice. I feel like when it comes to punctuality, France is similar to the US. It depends on people, but in general and to my experience, they do not care about time manners as much as in Japan. In the afternoon, I taught a technique to everybody this time. At first, I was kind of nervous because I did not think that I had experienced teaching in front of that many people. About 80-90 students were watching my teaching and demonstration. As I taught it, I got used to it, but it was a kind of intimidating experience in a good way. I would like to be more comfortable teaching or talking in a situation like that. The girl who was translating for me was definitely helpful. Without her, it would have been a lot of question marks for the students. After the afternoon practice, they hosted a test that young people who want to be a Judo teacher have to take at five o’clock, so I decided to participate and watch it. I am not going to talk about that today, but I might describe the test in the future.
What I Realized and Felt Through the Camp
The camp is for two days because they do not have school for the next couple of weeks. I realized a lot of things throughout the first day of the camp.
The first thing is that the kids here are much more friendly and have a closer distance than American kids. They started talking or asking me even if I did not understand what they were saying, and I had never seen or talked to them before. They looked confused because of it, so I really hope that I can speak French. I feel like it will take a long time to get used to this language. Speaking of that, I realized that language is very important to have actual communication. It is very difficult for me to have a relationship with them, even if I “teach” in English or broken French. Being able to speak the language that they speak is very important. The third thing is that the French kids’ Judo environment is very different than Japan and the US. I heard that this camp is only 15-20 Euros, including lunch for two days. It’s much cheaper than the US. In the US, everything costs a lot for any activities of Kids. When it comes to the practice, kids here mainly do only some exercises that they like doing, not actual judo practice like Japanese Judo kids do. They put on a uniform and play around on the mat for most of the time while they practice Judo techniques for maybe 20-30 minutes. However, there is a clear boundary between when kids have to be quiet and listen, and when they can have fun. If they do not follow the boundary, the teachers say clearly to them that they have to behave. I think that it is similar to Japan but different from the US. I liked the gap. Overall, it was overwhelming, but it was a fun day, and I am glad that I could join the camp before leaving this club.
All that being said, I was in the dojo from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., so I am tired. I am not going to join the morning practice. I am done for today. See you tomorrow.