So Much Sustainability

Wow, what a busy day! Yesterday I learned a lot about the history of sustainability. I basically spent the whole day in meetings with the Japanese and American teachers at our hotel. We heard a professor from the University of Wisconsin explain the history of the environmental movement and sustainability education. Then, something happened that I never experience before. We were given earpieces to wear that we could listen to whenever someone spoke in Japanese. There were two translators in the room who translated English to Japanese and vice versa, so everyone could hear and understand each other. It's the same thing that diplomats at the United Nations use. It was the coolest thing. As a person who loves languages, I was really excited. Check it out here.

This clip shows one of our translators speaking into a microphone. His voice went right to our ears. There is a teacher from Japan asking a question in Japanese. I was able to understand her question, thanks to the translator.

We listened to a really interesting lecture about the history of sustainability in Japan by a professor who spoke entirely in Japanese. The interpreters, of course, made it possible for us to understand everything. So cool. All the powerpoints and notes are bilingual.

I have met American teachers from Rhode Island, Washington state, Chicago, Arizona and San Diego. I have met a lot of Japanese teachers from all over Japan. One teacher works in the same city, Nagoya, where a former Joberts kid, Alex Petit, used to live. Nagoya is the Detroit of Japan, as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi are located there. My exchange student from last year, Yuki, also went to high school in Nagoya.

I made a clip of the hotel atrium and then a clip of the area outside the hotel. I only went outside yesterday for a few minutes.

Today we are going to have another full day of meetings. We will be talking about our projects. Of course I will be talking about Doing Business in Birmingham, Project COPE, and Climate Changing Cobras.  Thanks to those of you who have been posting and helping me learn Japanese. I really appreciate your support! I have been bragging all about you guys and how cool our projects are.

Another awesome day awaits!

 Check out the ear piece

 The translators. They are both fully bilingual. Amazing. They trade off talking. Can you imagine why?

 Professor Katsuhide Kusahara from Takushoku University in Japan. Can you read the slide?

 Our Japanese teachers presenting a report on their visits to American schools.

My earpiece and program.