Preparing for the trip

I'm getting really excited to travel to Japan. I'm already thinking about what I'll need to pack and what I'll need to buy. As a Christmas gift last year, my partner teacher from Killarney Elementary gave me a gift card to Chinook Mall, so I went yesterday to find something of value for my trip. As a typical nerd, I was trapped by stores like The Source, and ended up buying a sound/voice recorder.

I have lived in Japan before, and came to the conclusion that something I wish I had had for my last trip was some sort of sound recording device. The sounds and music and conversations of a Japanese school can be really amazing, and I didn't want to miss another opportunity to capture some really unique. In particular, I remember a case of visiting a small rural elementary in Wakayama city, and stumbling across a room filled of students. They were playing the classic European dance song "Numa Numa Yay" (I don't know the proper name, but most people know it by this one!^^) on xylophones and marimbas. Only once I had walked into the room did I realize that this performance was taking place without a single teacher present nor a conductor. The students of this tiny 'music club' had taken on the challenge, and were able to play the piece even without MUSIC! Really amazing, and something that I was I had captured with a simple mp3 recorder. Well, never again! lol



Thank you Mrs. Caldwell!  ^^