Playing with the Kyoto University Frisbee team (Breeze) has been quite the experience, and it\u2019s definitely taught me about the seriousness with which students in Japan take their circles. (If this isn\u2019t enough proof, my host brother also sacrifices a lot of his life to his kendo club).<\/p>\n
On a cold, rainy day when my host mother thought there wouldn’t be practice everyone<\/em> was there, wearing their normal gear, no raincoats at all.\u00a0 On Saturdays, when there are no classes and no homework, practices can go for 4, even 5 hours (though I\u2019ve only stayed 4 hours once). When a member of the women\u2019s team couldn\u2019t make it to a practice, she had to apologize and explain profusely why she couldn\u2019t be there. They take the team very seriously.<\/p>\n But<\/em> \u2013 it pays off. The men\u2019s team is pretty high up in national rankings and I believe the women\u2019s team is in the top 10 of the region.\u00a0I haven\u2019t been able to go to any tournaments because I\u2019m not officially a member, but I\u2019ve heard of their amazing feats and seen (and been overshadowed by) their skills.<\/p>\n I think I made the mistake of having very high expectations going into the club, which led to some frustration that actually, looking back, was unjustly felt. I expected the team to let me become a member \u2013 I didn\u2019t even realize being a non-member was a possibility \u2013 and I expected them to talk to me, or at least ask me what my intentions were in showing up every week.<\/p>\n In the end, I realized that as the foreigner sitting in on a Japanese students\u2019 frisbee practice, it is my duty to be interested, social, and the most ganbatte-iru<\/em> person there. I also failed to consider, for the first few weeks, that this team is very<\/em> competitive and only accepts as members those who can pour their free time and social life into the team. Unfortunately, by missing one practice a week for class and missing a few others for travel, I was already not member-material.<\/p>\n From my current perspective, I\u2019m very grateful that the team has been so inclusive of me \u2013 letting me join entire practices, giving me slowed-down explanations of the drills we were running, occasionally asking me questions about Japan or the U.S., and most-impressively taking very<\/em> good care of me when I sprained my ankle (two teammates piggy-backed me to a water spout and their trainer came to wrap it up!). The team has warmed up to me more and more and I\u2019m really glad they\u2019ve put up with my not-so-competitive Frisbee skills.<\/p>\n I have to admit that my role on the team is still somewhat imbalanced by my comparatively low frisbee and Japanese skills, so it can be kind of stressful and at times I feel like I’m a liability. Perhaps the most prominent thing that I have and they don\u2019t \u2013 knowledge of English and America \u2013 will shine through at some point, and I\u2019m dearly hoping for that day. Until then, I\u2019ll keep trying my best \u2013 gaining skill, proving I know some Japanese, and making some friends!\u00a0By the beginning of next semester, if I do really feel like a liability on the field, I think I’ll try to find a less-competitive team or even a different kind of CIP. Before I make any big decisions, though, I’m up for giving this CIP a few more shots at success.<\/p>\n Regardless of how things end up, I’m glad I spent this semester practicing with Breeze. It gave me a good time and a much-needed culture shock.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Playing with the Kyoto University Frisbee team (Breeze) has been quite the experience, and it\u2019s definitely tau … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080