J taylor jones
apan
Inez Flores, ’03 (left), has a hard time finding the words to describe her recent trip to Japan — but she does have a “top 10” list that involves bright green pay phones, the number 3 and the Backstreet Boys (below, left). Flores was one of six teachers from Texas selected for a three-week immersion experience in Japan last summer through the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. She was one of only 200 teachers from all 50 states to receive the award based on her proposal for bringing cross-cultural dialogue into the classroom.
Flores became interested in Japanese culture as a student in Freshman Studies with Associate Professor Cecil Lawson, ’74, and during her trip, she experienced firsthand what Lawson had described in class. “There is an indescribable respect and kindness among Japanese people,” she said. “Teachers are treated like celebrities because the culture truly values learning, and teaching is a prestigious job.” During her trip, Flores visited Nikko, a famous shrine that is a center for Shinto and Buddhist worship, and she relaxed at a traditional hot springs in the mountains north of Tokyo. She stayed with a Japanese family — and spent her first birthday outside the United States with them. “The hospitality the family showed me was beyond my imagination,” she said. “They even had a Mexican-themed birthday dinner to make me feel at home.” Now back in her classroom at Dawson Elementary School in Austin, Flores has a detailed plan for sharing her Japanese experience with her fourth-graders — they will soon spend an imaginary day in Japan learning calligraphy, reading Japanese folk tales, making origami cranes, eating sushi with chopsticks and drinking green tea with tiny sweets. The experience is sure to make the students’ “top 10” list, too. — E.B.H.
When in Japan … Inez’s Top 10
10 Take off your shoes at restaurants. 9 Have green tea and tiny sweets
as dessert.
8 Try out the bright green pay phones. 7 Drink sake — but always serve
others first.
6 Bow to others as a sign of respect. 5 Say “itadakimas” before every meal. 4 Remember that gas pumps are located
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rish,
above (not beside) the car.
3 2 1
When you gotta go, you gotta go — those funny holes in the ground are toilets!
24
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Avoid anything with the number 3. It’s unlucky. Look for celebrities while you wait at the airport — I saw the Backstreet Boys.
Like most theater students, Jeff Kyrish, ’03 (left), dreamed of the spotlight — but he wanted to be behind it, not in it. It all began with a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., organized by his high school theater program. Sitting in the darkened theater at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, the then 17-year-old was mesmerized by Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère. Before the curtain closed, he had decided to focus his future on the technical aspects of making magic on stage. Today, Kyrish is living his dream as a lighting technician on KÀ, Las Vegas’ newest Cirque show. At 24, he is one of the youngest technicians on the crew and
e during th t h g i l ot p as . , operates in Las Vegas, Nev 3 ’0 , h s i r Jeff Ky l show KÀ i e l o S u d Cirque
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