2017/12/3 Multicultural Playgroup Ichigo-Ichie Report

(日本語でのレポートはこちら)

The 14th Ichigo Ichie took place on December 3.

The day’s theme was “Christmas in Australia”. A lot of families gathered at Café Kokoraku to hear about “Christmas in summer”. We had 68 participants (43 adults and 25 children) from 8 countries –Australia, Mexico, the UK, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Japan.

Christmas in Australia

The day’s guest speakers were Meg and Lee Chan. Both of them were from Australia, and were raising their children in Japan. Meg made a presentation in English, and Lee Chan translated it into Japanese.

Aussie Christmas Quiz

First, they gave us “Aussie Christmas Quiz.”
For example, “Santa wears a summer suit in Australia？” The answer was True!
“We eat chicken for Christmas dinner？” The answer was False! “We eat ham, turkey, and seafood.”
We were surprised to know their customs, that there were not in winter Christmas.

Aussie Christmas facts

Next, she told us Aussie Christmas facts, and then showed pictures of Sydney, her hometown, in the Christmas season. She also showed how her family spent Christmas day at home. We were impressed with their Christmas decorations, Christmas food, and so on.

Australian Jingle Bells 

Last, they taught us Australian Jingle Bells!
The words of the song were different from Jingle Bells we know. Jingle Bells begins with, “Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh …”. But Australian Jingle Bells begins with, “Dashing through the bush in a rusty Holden Ute …” We enjoyed singing the song together.

Greetings in Spanish

Yolanda, a lady from Mexico, introduced Spanish greetings. She has lived in Japan for about 20 years, and spoke Japanese very well. She taught us “Buenos dias” (=Good morning), “Hola” (=Hello), “Gracias” (=Thank you), and so on.

Story Time

Lee Chan read children a Japanese picture book, “Koara no Kurisumasu” (“Koala’s Christmas”). A koala, a kangaroo, a wombat … a lot of Australian animals appeared in the picture book. Children sat around Lee Chan and Meg, and enjoyed the story.

Upcoming meeting

Our Next Ichigo Ichie is to be held at Café Kokoraku on February 4, Sunday.

The theme is “Childbirth and child-raising in the U.S.”. Mrs. Komono, married to an American husband, will talk about her experience in the U.S. How will those be different from those in Japan? We are looking forward to seeing you next time!

(Reported by Naoko. Photos by Shinichiro)