Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Gamer





Theo's favorite computer game is called Supertux, and it is available for free from the Internet only if you use Linux. Thus, I recently partitioned the hard drive of one of our desktops and installed the latest release of Ubuntu (ver. 8.04 - "hardy heron") so that Linux can be installed. Ubuntu is also available for free, by the way. Expectedly, Theo was very happy about it, as you can from the photos here.

I am a staunch advocate of open source software; actually, all of the PCs for the foreign staff in my office are running Ubuntu, courtesy of my effort to install them -- with the company president's blessings, of course.

I would like Theo to grow up with awareness and knowledge of open source, much like my contemporaries who know only Windows. The latter is fine, except that it's way too expensive given the availability of free alternatives.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Theo's Classmates



One advantage of being a child is that it is easier to adjust to the social environment without having to deal with one's own biases and hangups.

After a few days in school, Theo has shown signs of adjusting to the change in pace and milieu. For one, Mommy D said that he has become more attentive to his teachers. We are quite certain that by around this time next year, he would already be quite fluent in Japanese. Unfortunately, that would be almost useless in the Philippines except when he talks to his mother in that language once in a while. And that's the reason why we have to continue his home schooling in English.

In the photo above, you can see him goofing around with 2 of his classmates. Note their very typical Japanese faces. In the photo below, he proudly shows off his new indoor shoes.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Theo's First Day in School



April 9, 2008 (Wednesday) was Theo's first day in school. It was when the Nyuen Shiki (Entrance Ceremony) was held at the Taito Municipal Kindergarten, which is just a few minutes walk from our place. In the photo above, Theo is seen at the school's gate in front of a sign written in kanji characters, which can be roughly translated to "entrance ceremony", and also states the fiscal year (heisei 20) and the name of the school.

After the ceremony, which began at 10:30 a.m. and ended an hour later, a group photo was taken, and the preparation for that is shown in the photo below. Theo is at the leftmost, lying on the other chair while his other classmates are sitting upright or standing.



There are approximately 16 students in his class and only two are foreigners, but only Theo cannot speak straight Japanese. That's because we talk to him in English and sometimes Hiligaynon (our dialect) at home, and he picks up his Japanese only from the TV and, occasionally, when his mom talks on the phone or to other Japanese in public places.

Because Theo cannot understand Japanese fully, it has become quite a problem during his first few days. The teachers said that he is disinterested in class, probably for the simple reason that he doesn't know what's being talked about. And he also isn't able to follow his teacher's instructions. Thus, the teachers advised Mommy D to talk to him in Japanese at home, which she has started to do since Thursday. I'll continue to talk to him in English to make sure that he understands the language in preparation for our return home next year, but at this time, Japanese seems to be more important. Understanding the local language is necessary for him to enjoy school and to make new friends.

In the first few weeks, they will stay in school for only 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but as the days move on, this will gradually lengthen. By June, he'll be staying there for at least 5 hours and he'll also have lunch with his classmates. We surely hope that he would have fully adjusted to the routine and environment by then.

We want him to enjoy school because that's where he'll be in the first 2 decades of his life, maybe even more if pursues graduate studies. But that will not be in Japan, which is a different situation altogether.