SWAN Project

Earlier this month, I was commissioned by my Prefectural Board of Education to do some work outside of my base and visit school. They wanted me to be a part of a special program called the SWAN Project, which helps prep young, skilled winter-sport athletes for becoming future Olympians! While the premise of this program is pretty cool by itself, you may wonder how I would fit into the picture. While I do enjoy snowboarding, winter sports as a whole are not exactly my specialty...

Well, supposedly, the Prefectural BOE determined that I am a "highly-skilled athlete" at the "national level" based on the All-American soccer accolades that I put on my JET application. Cool! (Yes, they actually read your application!! lol) But...why would they want a soccer athlete to help out with the SWAN Project, which is for winter sports athletes?

They wanted to host a soccer clinic for these kids!

Why soccer???

Well, beats me! Everyone I've asked has been equally baffled about the reasoning.

The main role of the project was to give the kids more exposure to English in the context of a sports-related activity. While I'm not sure why soccer was chosen, I'm really glad that my soccer accomplishments in college (and my native English ability) helped me earn this opportunity!

Anyways, I traveled up to Nagano City early in the morning on a Wednesday for some sight-seeing before coaching these kids for about an hour each in the evening. After spending an awkward morning/afternoon with my caretaker, she decided to let me know (about 2 hours before the event) that these sessions would be broadcasted on national television.

You know, no pressure or anything... ; _ ;

The first session was with elementary school-aged kids. They wanted me to speak only in English, which, alone, is almost impossible for elementary school kids to understand. In addition, I haven't coached anyone anything besides goalkeeping stuff, so it was a real learning experience for me! I had to test out what worked for which kids, how much the kids understood me, how to efficiently transition between drills, and how to effectively utilize my assistants. It was all very confusing...and terrifying, but it ended, and the kids seemed like they had a fun time.

The second session was with a smaller mixture of junior high school and high school. It went much more smoothly this time around. In fact, better than smoothly! Some of the kids were doing some crazy diving headers, full-court shots, and dribbled really well!! After it was over, I was told that some of these kids are on their school soccer teams. How they find the time for doing after-school club activities and for participating in the SWAN Project activities, I have no idea...but they're pretty incredible kids. Anyways, the kids this time around had a blast, and they even gave me flowers after the activities ended!

Just before I was about to leave the event area, one of the more boisterous high schoolers came up to me and said (in English):

Him: "My name is Kitano ********. I had a lot of fun today!

Me: Thank you!! I had fun too! You are very good at soccer!

Him: :D Really?!? I am LEGEND?!

Me: (LOL) Yes, yes, you ARE a legend!

Him: ^___^ I play Skeleton! I will win a gold medal, so please remember me!

I told him that I'd definitely remember and wished him good luck! He understood, said thank you, and ran off with the biggest smile on his face. This totally gives me an incentive to watch Skeleton during the upcoming Winter Olympics. 応援します ("ouen shimasu": I'm cheering for you)、Kitano-kun!!! p(*＾-＾*)q

Due to a mandatory High School ALT Conference in Nagano City that Friday, I spent all of Thursday and Friday morning wandering around Nagano City. Being by myself without a place to stay was actually quite liberating. I could do whatever I wanted, speak as much Japanese as I wanted, eat whatever and wherever I wanted (including the famous MosBurger below), and study as much as I wanted! Without a place to stay or a schedule to abide by, it forced me to get some sun and go places that I might not have otherwise gone to :P It was easily the most productive and fun day that I'd had in a long time.

MosBurger's namesake: the MosBurger. I had to test the rumors going around that this place was better than In-N-Out. They're definitely not better, but they're still pretty delicious and praise-worthy, despite the mess that eating one causes.

I had no hotel reservation for that night, so I became what is called a "McRefugee". In other words, I stayed at a McDonalds for shelter through the night. Though it was supposed to be open 24 hours, everyone was ushered out at 3am for 'maintenance'. So, I wandered around the city for about 2 hours until 5am, when they opened again. It was really cold out (it even started raining at one point, much to my chagrin), so I visited pretty much all the convenience stores in the area for warmth ^^; (Kristin earned the title "Conbini Connoisseur" *insert JRPG achievement jingle here*)

After that grueling sleepless night, I somehow made it to (and stayed awake throughout) the meeting. Once it was over, I hopped on the next train back down south to Komagane. I thought I'd get some sleep on the way back, but I ended up making a friend with another JET in the Iida area (south of where I live), so I guess it was all worth it. :P