My department decided not to engage an external vendor for after-exam activities, so the job of entertaining four classes for 1.5 hours fell on my lap. Only because I pooh-poohed the idea of inviting Japanese people to teach the students simple Japanese, boldly proclaiming, “Ai ya, I can teach them myself.”

I cleverly decided on the topic of food because food is something that transcends cultures. I thought I had long ago discarded my own skin, my past memories of working under the Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) programme decomposed by the ravages of time. But when it came down to it, I retrieved my own self from the memory closet and conducted games that were inextricably linked to my time with Japanese elementary schools.

Playing janken, uttering new vocabulary words, testing one’s memory, saying “Itadakimasu”. It was as if I had never left the JET program. 🌝

I won’t get carried away and claim that all or even most students have enjoyed all that I have planned for them. But I have invested my spirit wholeheartedly into this, taking videos of my children and insisting that seaweed chips be bought as souvenirs.

In the end, I felt exhausted but thrilled. Everything worked according to my plan, and I learnt that even though managing four classes of noisy students was challenging, I had the ability to do it. I will never forget this memorable experience, and I hope to promote the appeal of Japanese cuisine again in the future!