Welcome to Black History Month

I am dead sleepy but I have got get this in tonight. I went to pick up some English conversation listening CDs from Keysha for my Private students that I'll teach tomorrow. Well I'm sitting near her job at the train station waiting for her to come out when I hear some Japanese woman screaming into megaphones that are attached to the top of a small station wagon. It is the height of election season here and the way people campain is by driving around in cars and screaming something out at the people who are in earshot. Well the car eventually stop circling around the station and parked where else but right next to me. So I'm still sitting listening to my CD and playing with the email function on my cell phone. So all the passengers get out of this car including the candidate that all the hullabaloo is about. They walk around for about 5 minutes and pass out flyers and he gets on the megaphone and makes his speech. I am watching closely as this is HILARIOUS to me. I've never seen campaigning quite like it but it is of course "The Japanese Way" so like everything else I laugh and observe.

Well when he is done, he comes back to the car to get in and has to walk past my window. When he does, he pauses at my window and asks me to roll it down. Then he says in perfect English, "Did you understand what I just said?" I shook my head "no" and he laughed and walked on. Then I asked him if I could take his picture. He says sure and stands up against the campaign car which has a huge plaquard on top w/his name or something up there. He gives me the cheesy "thumbs up" sign and I take the picture. Then he gestures for me to take a picture w/him and one of his campaign workers takes the photo of us. I say thanks and go to get back in my car when he stops me and gives me his campaign card and his business card w/his mailing address. Then he said "Please send me photo." I say, sure no problem and they start to leave. As he is backing out he looks back over at me and shouts "WE SHALL OVERCOME, WE SHALL OVERCOME!" I am so startled that I look at him and burst out in uncontrollable laughter. He is doing the Richard Nixon two hand wave and smile and drives off.

This country provides me w/a new experience every day. Today, on the first day of Black History month I get a reminder, from a Japanese politician, of the reason why the month exists in the first place. Its about educating people and teaching about the importance, relevance, and context of Black History. The politician was right, We Shall Overcome...someday. I guess I just wish he knew implications that come with using that English phrase. Apparently he doesn't.