But WHY?

I went over to Meirin Elementary between classes to help out at an English lesson. The kids were learning how to say different colors. After playing a game in which they had to touch a certain color (said in English) if they could find it in the classroom. I helped out with my technicolor hoodie. We then went over greetings in English.
"Hello!" こんにちは！
"How are you?"　元気ですか。
"I'm fine!"　元気です。
Chanted over and over again, then said back and forth to classmates.

After the class was over, several of the first year students came up to me and asked me if my eyes were blue. It was interesting how they phrased it, though - not so much confirming the color as wondering why they were blue. When I didn't know how to respond, the teacher stepped in and laughingly told the children it was because I was a gaijin 外人, a (recently watered-down) derogatory and ethnocentric term for "foreigner" (literally "outside person"). Hmm. I understand all the foreign students using it in a deprecating fashion to refer to ourselves. But...I dunno. A teacher reinforcing the term to children at a highly-impressionable age? Maybe I'm being oversensitive.

During recess, I bumped into a group of children I had spoken to last semester. We jumped around a little and said "ひさしぶり" ("long time, no see") and got to chatting like old times. I told them that I'd been back to New York, and they let me know what classes they were taking and how their favorite sports teams were doing.
One of the girls even remebered that we share a birthday.
A couple boys asked me my favorite foods. When I paused to think for a moment, he said, "ハンバーガーとかハンバーガーとか..." which esentially translated into "Like hamburgers...or hamburgers, for example." Did I get this response because I'm American? Ohhh yeah. Apparently we subsist on hamburgers alone. After I told them I loved Japanese food (as well as several other cuisines), they started miming cooking different foods.
The kids often mime activities or words when I don't understand them. Most Japnese people I've met will try to explain the word or sentence using basic grammar constructions and vocabulary, but the Meirin students always draw shapes in the air or mime actions.
In light of what I've learned in my course on The Body and Communication, it was really interesting.

Also, some Japanese kids genuinely believe the Statue of Liberty is holding an ice cream cone and a cookie.
Why France, we humbly accept your generous gift of a robed lady proudly holding confectionary delights. Thank you.


In retrospect, I guess this post comes off as being a bit negative. But it's interesting to see how non-Japanese are viewed by the next generation of Japanese citizens. And it was really fun to talk to the students.
I got to practice giving people withering looks, albeit sarcastically. I've endeared myself to a good group of kids, so hopefully I'm improving the 外人 image a little.