When we first arrived here about a year ago, the boys were shy about talking to Japanese kids and frustrated that they couldn't effectively communicate things like, "May I please have a turn on the swing?" (because my kids are really that polite - ha!).
In the months since, they've certainly picked up a phrase or two (sumimasen, arigato gozaimasu, daijoobu, watashi wa amerikajin desu), but they still don't know enough of the language to have a real conversation. Terry, on the other hand, has learned quite a bit, as he's still taking lessons twice a week (I quit back in April -- I know, bad girl) and so he sometimes feeds the kids a line or two to help them out. On Sunday, for example, he told Conor to say Shite mo ii desu ka ("Can I do it?") to these kids who were jumping rope at the park. He had to give him a little shove of encouragement, but he did it, and then he and Dylan were in like Flynn!
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