(Student Writing) Mizukiri - "stone skimming" (by Kimie)

In my childhood, people used to think children should be encouraged to be outside, so we were used to being outside after school. As you know, outside is not always a safe place to be. I was bitten by a dog,  I sprained my ankle, I got a lot of bruises.

I grew up in a city named “Hita” which has a large river running through it called “Mikuma-Gawa”.  All the  kids would hang out there all day and we wouldn’t  go back home until dark.  There were boats floating on the river at night, all beatifully lit up.

I  would collect a lot of stones and  put them in my collection box . My friend and I would play a game we called  “Mizukiri” (literally: ‘water-cut”) using those stones at the river. Mizukiri is a game: throw a spinning stone into the river and see how many times the stone can skip. We loved that!

Choosing a stone is quite important, especially if you want to be a successful skimmer. Find a flat stone - as flat as possible - and not too light either. There are various shapes, sizes and weights – endless variety!  This meant we were often looking for nice stones at many interesting locations.

Of course, we did go through scary situations quite a lot. For example, we were chased by dogs on more than one ocassion. Sometimes dogs were let off the lead, we’d come into a neighbor’s house without permission and the dog would go crazy with anger.

Now I will tell you an unforgettable story.

One day, when I was eight, I went into the river to try to pick a stone up and I was swept away by the current. Fortunately it was not so deep, so I was able to stand up in the river. Even so, I was frozen with terror and I was not able to move get out of the river! I wonder how much time has passed until I was rescued ? I was rescued by an old man who looked like my grandfather. He carried me on his back so as to bring me to my home. I cried and cried until arrived home.

My teacher Gabriel said, “we age and feel time flying. I feel the years pass so quickly. We grow up and repeat the same things over and over again, which we are already used to, making time seem to move faster.”

I understand exactly what he means,  but on the other hand, lately, I feel like each day is longer than before. Communicating in English is a hard thing for me. Reality bites me like the dogs once did by Mikuma-Gawa. I feel lost, but I don’t give up easily. I try and try and try , and cry and cry and cry.  I feel like I am a kid again!

Kids learn must how to live in this world by getting hurt. It’s unavoidable. Similarly, I am learning and getting hurt right now. This is the kind of a valuable opportunity that I had been missing out on until recently. No pain, no gain.