When my family heard not only that I was American, but also that I was a fitness personal trainer, they thought it would be a good idea to have me teach a strengthening training session for the entire Baseball high school team of their 16-year-old son. Mmmmm, let me think again… Oh yeah, that’s right!... I know nothing about baseball!!... Ha!
Last September when I took the American citizenship test, they asked me questions about the government and also about the history but nothing about baseball. So why would the Japanese think that I would just be able to teach a baseball strengthening class just because I am American?
And let me think again one more time…. 1- I know nothing about baseball. 2- I know nothing about teaching to a high school. 3- and most important. I DON’T SPEAK JAPANESE!
So now all day I am totally freaking out because I am going to make a fool out of myself in front of not only the baseball coach of the high school but in front of 50 Japanese teenagers who are going to repeat it to their parents and their children later, who are going to tell their neighbors and their brother and sister in laws and also their friends, and soon enough my own children and grand children will know that I was the fool who came to Japan to teach a baseball strengthening session. Oh crap!
My host dad probably promised them that I should be good because I am from the USA and in the USA we know baseball. Humm, Sir? Are you sure you want to do this? Because you see, I am still very French and in France we like rugby and soccer, and in my case it’s gymnastics, but Baseball, mmm… not so much. So? A little change of mind here? Let’s just go home all right?
But to all of that, there was something lost in translation and he understood that I would be super happy to teach to the team and that I was super good and I know exactly what I am doing. Oh great!!!
So here I am at the high school, on the field and those kids are already there practicing and they are totally kicking butts. I mean I see balls flying on the other side of the field and they are super super organized and everything is flowing very well.
But suddenly the coach comes and stops everything and all the boys come to line up in front of him and that is when I hear the coach say “blablablabla…. America… blablablabla… Seshiru Buraun san (that is my name in Japanese)… blablablabla….blablablablabla…..”. And I am standing there next to him and all the boys suddenly bow and say in unison “Konnichiwa!”.
So with a sure and confident voice I respond “Konnichiwa”, caus’ I want to sound and look professional here.
I turn and the coach is now gone aside and it is my time to do my job. Oh shit, I feel like being somewhere else right now (like at my daily starbucks time in the morning, what time is it in Arizona right now? Oh, 3am, perfect, I should be in bed right now).
Big silence and all the boys are waiting for me. So I say: “If I speak English, are you guys able to understand me?”… Big silence… And 2 or 3 boys say “Yes”. Out of that whole group, that is good enough for me, I am ready to start now.
So I start and make them work a little bit on warming up the hip joint (in Base ball, I saw them lifting their leg high up front when they throw), that should be good. Then I decide that those boys are not strong enough in the lower body and make them do some super cool exercises for the quads and for the core and for the shoulders and I tell them that this exercise is good for the pitcher to prevent injuries on the rotator cuff and that exercise is good for the batter because it is always good to have a strong core when you are a batter. And all I am thinking is that to them I sound like this: “Blablabla….. Pitcher… blablablablablablabla… batter… blablablablabla…let’s go!”.
The best part is that those kids are so disciplined and polite, they are doing everything I ask. Not one stops, even when they are struggling after 100 abdominal exercises. And they all are counting in unison with me, in English, very seriously. This is so cool.
Well, after a whole hour of workout, I see all those boys are very sweaty and dirty; that probably means I am done with my work here.
They suddenly all line up in front of me again and one of them steps forward and says in English “Thank you very much for the great workout”, and they all clap.
Aww… that is so nice! I wonder what they think now. (Do they know I know nothing about baseball, not even a rule, not even the terms, Nothing!?)
I decided it didn’t matter that I knew nothing about baseball for tonight. I feel good about my session. I am so happy I got to do this, this was a great experience; and 2 parents that were on the side came to me and said in English: “It was very beautiful”.
Well I just feel I had the privilege to teach to a Japanese High School Baseball team tonight and that was great.
(traduction francaise viendra peut etre plus tard, un autre jour si il y a de la demande. Desolee, mais l'histoire est un peu longue)
Last September when I took the American citizenship test, they asked me questions about the government and also about the history but nothing about baseball. So why would the Japanese think that I would just be able to teach a baseball strengthening class just because I am American?
And let me think again one more time…. 1- I know nothing about baseball. 2- I know nothing about teaching to a high school. 3- and most important. I DON’T SPEAK JAPANESE!
So now all day I am totally freaking out because I am going to make a fool out of myself in front of not only the baseball coach of the high school but in front of 50 Japanese teenagers who are going to repeat it to their parents and their children later, who are going to tell their neighbors and their brother and sister in laws and also their friends, and soon enough my own children and grand children will know that I was the fool who came to Japan to teach a baseball strengthening session. Oh crap!
My host dad probably promised them that I should be good because I am from the USA and in the USA we know baseball. Humm, Sir? Are you sure you want to do this? Because you see, I am still very French and in France we like rugby and soccer, and in my case it’s gymnastics, but Baseball, mmm… not so much. So? A little change of mind here? Let’s just go home all right?
But to all of that, there was something lost in translation and he understood that I would be super happy to teach to the team and that I was super good and I know exactly what I am doing. Oh great!!!
So here I am at the high school, on the field and those kids are already there practicing and they are totally kicking butts. I mean I see balls flying on the other side of the field and they are super super organized and everything is flowing very well.
But suddenly the coach comes and stops everything and all the boys come to line up in front of him and that is when I hear the coach say “blablablabla…. America… blablablabla… Seshiru Buraun san (that is my name in Japanese)… blablablabla….blablablablabla…..”. And I am standing there next to him and all the boys suddenly bow and say in unison “Konnichiwa!”.
So with a sure and confident voice I respond “Konnichiwa”, caus’ I want to sound and look professional here.
I turn and the coach is now gone aside and it is my time to do my job. Oh shit, I feel like being somewhere else right now (like at my daily starbucks time in the morning, what time is it in Arizona right now? Oh, 3am, perfect, I should be in bed right now).
Big silence and all the boys are waiting for me. So I say: “If I speak English, are you guys able to understand me?”… Big silence… And 2 or 3 boys say “Yes”. Out of that whole group, that is good enough for me, I am ready to start now.
So I start and make them work a little bit on warming up the hip joint (in Base ball, I saw them lifting their leg high up front when they throw), that should be good. Then I decide that those boys are not strong enough in the lower body and make them do some super cool exercises for the quads and for the core and for the shoulders and I tell them that this exercise is good for the pitcher to prevent injuries on the rotator cuff and that exercise is good for the batter because it is always good to have a strong core when you are a batter. And all I am thinking is that to them I sound like this: “Blablabla….. Pitcher… blablablablablablabla… batter… blablablablabla…let’s go!”.
The best part is that those kids are so disciplined and polite, they are doing everything I ask. Not one stops, even when they are struggling after 100 abdominal exercises. And they all are counting in unison with me, in English, very seriously. This is so cool.
Well, after a whole hour of workout, I see all those boys are very sweaty and dirty; that probably means I am done with my work here.
They suddenly all line up in front of me again and one of them steps forward and says in English “Thank you very much for the great workout”, and they all clap.
Aww… that is so nice! I wonder what they think now. (Do they know I know nothing about baseball, not even a rule, not even the terms, Nothing!?)
I decided it didn’t matter that I knew nothing about baseball for tonight. I feel good about my session. I am so happy I got to do this, this was a great experience; and 2 parents that were on the side came to me and said in English: “It was very beautiful”.
Well I just feel I had the privilege to teach to a Japanese High School Baseball team tonight and that was great.
(traduction francaise viendra peut etre plus tard, un autre jour si il y a de la demande. Desolee, mais l'histoire est un peu longue)
3 comments:
That was a great story! Don't you wish all of your clients were as disciplined and focused as the Japanese bb team? Great photos too!
Cool cette grande longueur en anglais... Tu crois vraiment que je vais finir bilingue avec tout cela.... Si au moins cela pouvait être vrai ça me rebuterait sûrement moins...
bisous
You are so cute! I bet the boys loved you. When you get back you can train my nephew's baseball team too! when are youcoming back anyways? hasn't been long enough? take care and have fun! xoxo Meredith
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