Halloween Chaos

This Mummy game, really highlighted the differences in the way the Japanese and the Western kids have been trained to approach a task.
The goal was to wrap up a team member in toilet paper until 2 entire rolls of toilet paper had been completely used up. The first team to use up both rolls would win.

While I think both camps had as much fun, the "international" kids raced ahead, throwing the toilet paper around as fast as they could, with a glorious mess of long loops of toilet paper resulting, which had to be piled on top of the mummy afterwards, to avoid the whole lot falling round it's ankles. Motivation: identify the main goal, and win the game in the fastest time possible regardless of how. Result: victorious horror film props.

The all Japan team from M's local elementary school started methodically from the feet up, wrapping tightly and carefully with equally spaced coils and the resulting mummies were something an Egyptian pharaoh would have been proud of. Motivation: win or lose, do it the right way, and be proud of how you did it, even if it takes a lot longer. Result: losing works of art.

Both could benefit from learning something from the other team, but you know, 20 years here have taught me that sometimes there isn't a happy medium. The good points of the Japanese way of doing things are often only possible because they don't adopt the good points of the western way and vice versa. It is possible to compromise away the bad bits until none of the good remains either .

The oldest child was only 10 years old, but already they look at each other, shaking their heads smugly knowing that their own way is best. Sad in one sense, but I hope that never changes.
It would be truly boring if we were all the same.

One thing they all had in common was the pure joy of ripping off the toilet paper afterwards and chucking it around the room at each other, and the synchronised eye roll when asked to stop and clean it all up!