OK, another new rule, no Genki English shows in the gym in August nor September! Today’s school was in the mountains and was really, really old with a corrugated tin roof that made things sweltering inside. It was sooo hot! The school had paid for my hotel last night so initially asked for 4 hours of Genki English, but we agreed on two. Maybe we should have done just one. But with a break in the middle the kids just about made it through Rock, Paper, Scissors, How are you? + the Monster Game, Under the Sea and Sticky Fingers and Thank you. They were OK despite the heat, and even the 6th graders were really friendly, but getting them all motivated was a bit of a task. As usual it’s not whether the school does English or not, it’s how well they light the fire under their kids that counts. The nice thing was the Under the Sea theme. The kids take really strongly to this on islands ( maybe I’m stating the obvious here). When we got to “I can see a shark”, I was saying “Is that how you’d say it if you saw one?” to which they replied “No, we’d say I CAN SEE A SHAAAAARRRRRKKK!!!!!!”. OK, that’s how you get them genki. And this afternoon’s school couldn’t have been different. The air conditioning ( in the music room ) may have made a difference, but right from the start these kids were motivated enough to save the environment, bring about world peace and develop safe nuclear fusion before breakfast. They were great and unlike this morning where I really had to push the kids along, here I did practically nothing, just guided their energy into learning the Genki English rules with the Rock, Paper, Scissors and What’s your name? songs. Then we finished after 30 minutes as they had learned everything they needed. “Dekiru?” “Of course!”, “Try again?” “Until we drop!”. Then back to yesterday’s school to check my email ( a big culture shock getting my brain out of running around playing games with kids to dealing with international invoices and commerce), a quick shower and out for some beers with the teachers from yesterday. That was nice, nothing too heavy ( well, I was shattered from running around in an oven for two hours this morning), and finally to sleep at one of the teachers’ houses, which was the most amazing house I’ve seen in Japan with a Hawaiian view over the ocean.