Keep Away at the Park

Friday August 9th

We finished unpacking this morning.
Sally and I went to see some friends after we unpacked.
Then we went to the park with our friends' mom and met some more friends.
We played keep-away.
Keep away is like dodgeball, only the other way around.
-- Colin

We had fun at the park.
I missed Japan when we were in America, but now I miss America.
When we came home from the park, Dad had to go to where he works.
So we went with him, too.
Uhm, not our friends, just us.
-- Sally

I guess we should try to explain the game Keep-away?
-- Mom

Ohh-kay. (C&S)

How many played? (M)

Six. Konoka, Shunsuke, Jun, and Yumi. And Sally and me. (C)

Now why are you writing their names? (M)

You and Dad asked their moms and dads if we could. (C)

And they said OK. (S)

And, did you ask your friends, too? (M)

Of course! You were there, too, Mom. (S)

I know. What about our cousins? (M)

Dad said there were too many to ask everybody. (C)

So we just didn't write any names at all. (S)

Okay, back to Keep-away. Did you divide into teams? (M)

Not really. (S)

Sally and Jun and I were "it" first. (C)

"It"? Now, what's "it" mean? (M)

"It" is like "oni" (鬼) in Japanese games. (S)

We were in the middle. (C)

Konoka, Shunsuke, and Yumi ran around us, and they threw the ball to each other. (S)

And we tried to get the ball. (C)

I caught the ball when Konoka tried to throw it to Yumi. (S)

So I went out and Konoka went in. (C)

Then Konoka was it and you were not? (M)

Yeah. Then she threw the ball to Shunsuke, but I grabbed it. So we traded places. (S)

Then Yumi threw the ball too high over Jun, so they traded places. (C)

If you throw too high, you have to be "it"? (M)

Uhm, it depends on who's playing. (C)

Yumi can throw really high. (S)

She's on the basketball team at school. (C)

Okay, I think that explains the rules pretty well. (M)


[Grammar and vocabulary notes -- 文法及び単語の解釈:

• 「friends' mom」 == 「友人たちのお母さん」
  • friend == 友達、友人（一人）
  • friend's == （つまり、一人）友人の
  • friends == 友人たち（複数）
  • friends' == （つまり、複数）友人たちの
• keep away == 離れさせる、防御する
• (backwards == 逆)
• the other way around == 逆まわり、逆方針
• miss == 恋しく思う

]