Y.M.C.A. International School

When I lived in Japan, the apartment complex I lived at was right across the Y.M.C.A. There were two Y.M.C.A. buildings, one is just a regular Y.M.C.A., but the other is an International school. The reason we lived so close to it is because my parents were planning on putting us in the school, but it only went up to 6th grade and my brother was in 7th grade. So we home-schooled.

The Y.M.C.A. International School is a huge building for children in grades K-6th. Most of the kids who attend the school are Japanese, and are being taught English. One of my mom's friends (a lady who got us settled in Japan) works there as a teacher. She also is a pastor's wife for a church that we have attended before.

I think that teaching little kids English that speak Japanese is a wonderful idea. I met a little girl at a park near our house one day. Her name is Lina. She is 7 years old and knows how to speak English, Japanese, and Chinese! Every time I meet a little kid who speaks English they say the go to the Y.M.C.A.

Most of the kids in Japan know how to speak a different language. There is this one little boy who's name is Song Min Oh and he is 7 years old. My brother and I have been helping him with his English. He speaks English, Japanese, and Korean! His mother speaks English, Japanese, Korean, and Iraqi. I think it's just amazing how these people can remember all of those words. I know bits and pieces of a lot of different languages but not the whole language! These people here are amazing.