Kawaii

The other day I had my final private lesson before summer break with my French student, Lou. After class she gave me a box of French cakes and this card she made. It’s a picture of her saying thank you. She wants to be an artist. She loves Japanese animation, which you can kind of see in her drawing. She’s eleven years old and has been living in Tokyo all her life; well, actually she would correct me and say she’s been living here since she was one. She speaks French and a little English. How strange it must be to grow up in a country where you don’t speak the language. The expatriate bubble culture seems both interesting and strange. But if these expat families are bringing up children as charming as Lou, they’re definitely doing something right.