Okonomiyaki and Mao-sensei

One of the requirements while I am on internship is to study the language. So language school was factored into my support raising. Well, it just so happened to turn out that a Christian Japanese guy named Mao is taking grad-school courses in teaching Japanese and has to do an internship where he teaches Japanese to a student. That is where I come in. I am Mao's internship, and he is now my Japanese teacher.

Two things about Mao:
1. He is very funny, and loves to laugh.
2. He is very loud, and loves to laugh.

Overall, he is a fun person to be around, and hopefully learn from. Earlier this week, Mao and I met just to get to know one another. These are photos chronicling that time....
This is an okonomiyaki grill.

Okonomiyaki is: a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. (source: Wikipedia)


My "batter" before it placed on the searing hot grill.


Mao thought the "Michigan hand" was hilarious. That is the finished product of my okonomiyaki by the way.

This is Mao. He really thought the "Michigan hand" was hilarious.