Today was not actually a bluesday, but I didn't have anything that really rhymed with Tuesday. It is Tuesday here, the Jazz had a good win, and my house was a refreshing 29 degrees this morning when I went to work. On the plus side, my soda stays nice and cold! What's new? Well, I taught some children today...just like everyday.
For Kate, these kids know what is what when it comes to soccer. Yes. Soccer. Not football. Soccer. Why? Because that is what the kids in Japan call it. They don't call it football, they call it soccer. Have you ever wondered why we call it soccer? I googled it: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/06/why_do_we_call_it_soccer.html
You can read about it there. It is an abbreviated form of Association Football. Weird right? The Brits used it, then replaced it with Football. We Americans had our own ideas about Football and decided to keep with soccer. It seems a lot like the imperial measurement system that we use in America. The Brits came up with it, it took hold in America, and they no longer use it and we look dumb (to the world with their fancy metric). I think it really just shows that we in America don't like peer pressure to change.
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Oh yeah. Bear mace. I don't know if I mentioned this before or not. In each classroom at my elementary school, they have a relatively unsecured can of bear mace and a helmet. One is for earthquakes, and one is for bears? I am not sure if they are nervous about bears or would-be attackers. Either way, watch out.
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A close up. Funny thing about the bear mace is that there are no Japanese instructions. Only instructions in English. I think that means that technically, I am the only qualified person to wield the awesome power. Maybe the teachers all have training in it that I am not privy to. I bet you they haven't and if the situation arose, they would mace themselves before they got to the bears.
2 comments:
It's always nice to know that the rest of the world is wrong and we are right. I'm talking about the bear mace though, not soccer. (Not really, I'm talking about soccer)
Believe it or not I actually knew that. You don't get a Master's in sports management in England without learning a thing or two.
The other difference is, back in the day everyone had their own rules, some played with hands, some just feet etc. When the FA came into being, they specified only feet for football. Those who liked being able to pick up the ball continued on and called it Rugby. The states had a similar hybrid version, but since it took so long for rule changes and what not to reach the states, they decided not to split up the sport and modified it to what we know now as football. Or American football.
So there's your extra bit of history.
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