Kadoh

Awhile back I joined the Kadoh club. Kadoh essentially means "Way of the flower/s" and is better known in the states as Ikebana.

I admit that one of my reasons for joining was that it only meets twice a month instead of everyday. I want to be involved at school, but 2+ hours of a sport everyday sounds a bit rough. I know, many ALTs don't go everyday, but I feel that if I join a club, I should do as much as the kids. So, Kadoh it is.

It wasn't quite what I expected. I expected diagrams and demonstrations, but a fair amount of the time, the Flower Lady would already be finished by the time the students [and I] would arrive. Then we muddle through as best we can, while the Flower Lady essentially redoes everyone's arrangement.

From the first class, the Flower Lady would "tsk" at my attempts and tell Matsuda-sensei [the teacher acting as the coach] that as a foreigner, this art form must be really hard for me and that I'll probably never properly appreciate it. Obviously I found this frustrating. But the thing is, the aesthetic is pretty hard for me. The desired balance often looks unbalanced to me. But that must just be my Western eyes.

Anyhow, I'm still going and I'm having a good time with the students. The Flower Lady intimidates me a bit, but I will tough it out. And when I return to the states, I can wow you all with my amazing floral aesthetique.