today we worked on past participle. if you are like me, you might ask yourself, "what is the past participle?". well, in 'have you ever been to florida?' 'have' plus 'been' forms the past participle. i played an interview game with my students. they each had to go around the classroom asking their classmates if they have ever done one of 9 things. if the answer was yes, they were to get their classmate to sign their paper. the first 5 students to get 9 signatures were the winners.

these students sit in their desks all day. they are never really permitted to get out of their chairs so i thought this activity would be welcomed. some students remained in their seats the entire time. others converted the english i had written out for them on the worksheet into japanese and played the game using no english. i don't blame them really. they must be exhausted. yesterday (sunday) they had judo practice for 8 hours. today they will practice again but not until they finish 9 hours of school. oh, and they are constantly reminded to study really hard for their midterms tomorrow and the next day.

however, a few kids really got into it. they especially liked the "have you ever worn a sweater in the summer?" question. i cannot imagine wearing a sweater in the summer in japan. already it is sweltering. everyone has the sweat towels out already. i am wearing a light t-shirt and capri pants and i am soooo hot. it is unbelievable. jon and i brought out the fan last night. we kept it on all night. it never really cooled down. this must be unimaginable to everyone who lives where there was just a snowstorm. i'll trade you.