Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

11/13/2004, Speech contest in Kobe

For the last few weeks, I worked with one of my co-workers to help one of our students prepare for a big speech contest.  She memorized Cal Ripken Jr's Farewell To Baseball speech.  She had to get her English pronunciation perfect.  It had to be much better than Cal Ripken would have done it himself.  And, it had to have feeling and gesture.

Saturday was the day of the speech.  We went out to Kobe and heard 43 students from all over the area give the exact same speech.

The judges at the contest.

Our contestant, along with a couple officials from the contest.  The guy on the right is the United States Colsulate General for the Kobe area.  He speaks flawless Japanese.

After the contest, we went out to dinner with Marina-san, our contestant, my co-worker, and one of Marina-san's friends.

Here are Marina-san, her friend, and yours truly.

My co-worker, Shimizu-sensei, took quite a few pictures, but he only gave me the ones that included me.  People always assume you want lots of pictures of yourself.  I don't know why.

And another.

And another.

And another.

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