Why 7-year-olds make the best exercise coaches!

It has been getting hotter and more humid here in Tochigi. The week started out in the upper seventies, lower eighties…which is pretty hot in my books. (-_-;) (Butte, Montana summers rarely even reach the 90s. If they do, usually it only lasts a week or two. ) But then the clouds and rain came rolling in around Wednesday. Normally that would be a relief, right? Yeah… No! Not necessarily. I prefer the sunshine. It was hotter, but fairly dry. Now it is “mushi atsui,” or, muggy. Which means it feels at least 10 degrees hotter even though, technically, it is cooler. …and everything is sticky. Thankfully it is still at a manageable level! I have decided the reason why I can’t stand the summers here is because I store heat like a furnace. (Because of adapting to all those Montana winters!) So, come summer, I start to overheat! Blech! Yesterday, I ate lunch with class 2-1. (2nd years, class 1). Afterward they invited me to join their recess activity. Freeze tag. It was a thirty minute long recess! Non-stop running ensued…well, until I was “caught” and had to freeze! Of course I had lots of “helpful” teammates who came to my “rescue!” Chasing little ones, or being chased by them, really is the best exercise program! They are far more strict than any exercise coach! They won’t allow you to give up. “Ah! I give! I’m dying here!” “Sensei, you are not dying. Obviously! Come on! It is boring if you just stand there! Run away!” I love my second graders!