L says R - and R says L. It's all very confusing.

There was a funny scenario tonight at piano lesson that caused me to grin. In a very big way. I actually really wanted to laugh out loud, but I thought it would probably be rude. And disruptive.

So, I held it in and realized I had to write it down.

Our teacher is a wonderful Japanese older woman who was referred by our friends from school. I realized last week that our life here has led us to know and have many wonderful friends from Japan. Madeleine's best friend Aoi and her family moved here when we did, and sadly will be returning to Japan at the end of the school year. We adore their family, and all 3 children are favorites of my children and their mother is a jewel. One of the sweetest people I have ever met. At school two of Bryson's classmates - Hiiragi and Misaki - are from Japan and I got to know the moms as we started an English Conversation Class through the PTA. The children aren't in the same class this year, but they continue to be amazing friends that are so sweet and very willing to help when I need some "adopted family" around. These friends also introduced me to our piano teacher here on the island. I found out that both Hiiragi and Misaki were taking piano from a teacher in the building right next to ours. I met the teacher, liked her a lot and decided to have the children take - and love her philosophy and teaching methods.

At church one of the sisters that I got to know and really enjoyed getting to talk to on Sunday, was Japanese and her husband a mix of Japanese-American. They moved to Brazil with work, and I miss talking with her at church. She is so real, no pretensions and crazy enough...even though they lived way downtown and had moved to our ward from Brooklyn ---- they had the same piano teacher.

It's a small world.

Last week during piano we had Aoi with us as her mom had a medical emergency that day. As we came into our lesson, we introduced Aoi to Ms. Yoshiko and she glanced up at me and said, "You know so many Japanese friends Ms. Summer! How did you do that?!"

I have no idea how it all worked out, but our lives have been so blessed by these friendships. I tell my Japanese friends if only I had been having them teach me Japanese while we lived here....then I might have learned a few important phrases! Oh well, we were focused on them learning English, and I never had Japanese on my radar until now. I suppose I need to take the hint and be ready to learn any and all languages when the opportunity presents itself.

Now - the funny story with the Japanese language. One rule of their language that we now know is that they do not say an 'L' sound. It actually comes out as an 'R' sound. We learned this with Bryson's friend Hiiragi and his mom Yukari. I could not figure out his name - I saw that it was spelled with an 'R', but I would hear his mom and it always sounded like she was saying an L or would call him the shortened version of Hila. I was confused, until one time at our English Conversation class I asked her - and she said L and R is mixed up in Japanese - they can't really say the sound of 'R' in the English language. But then again, it's bizarre as the names that we know that have 'L' in them, we can hear them saying an R - and when there is an R we hear them with more of an L sound. Now I'm really confused.

Fast forward to today at Bryson and Madeleine's piano lesson. She does about 20 minutes while each child working on individual warm-ups and pieces on the piano. Then for 20 minutes she does theory and rhythm/beat exercises for a total of a 60 minute piano lesson. Today she wanted the children to clap for a 2 beat and then 3 beat rhythm. For the 2 beats they children were to say 'Lincoln' and then for the 3 beats it was 'Washington' - a way to incorporate President's Day she said :)

The only glitch was that when she gave them the example she said as she was clapping, 'Rincoln, Rincon, Wash-ing-ton'. And I started to smile.

The kids sat with their backs to me and she was facing them and therefore, me as well. I was being very careful not to overstep and say anything during the lesson, but the difference between saying 'Lincoln' and 'Rinkin' was very evident and I didn't want the children saying it the wrong way - they should know the President is Lincoln, but I wasn't sure they would actually say it with the 'L'.

And then right as the teacher finished her example and turned it over to the kiddos to clap and chant while she played the beat - I saw Madeleine lean over to Bryson in a quick instant and whisper in his ear....

'Remember R's are L's in Japanese!!'

And I then enjoyed the exercise and hearing the children's young and small voices counting out 'Lincoln - Lincon - Wash-ing-ton' while in the background was the strong voice of our beautiful teacher calling out 'Rincoln - Rincoln - Wash-ing-ton'.

It was definitely a favorite moment of piano!