Sam and Agun

Apo and Agun, we are really excited to see you soon! In preparation for your visit, I thought it would be fun to read some stories from your Taiwan Memories scrapbook to Sam. I have never done this before but now I know he understands everything and I think he really enjoyed it. I was really touched that Agun was a year younger than Sam when he was first drafted into the Japanese army (see photos). Thank you both so much for your lives of goodness and service and for telling us your stories! Here is the transcript of today's lesson. Any word with (pk) before it stands for "prior knowledge" which means that this is not something I told Sam the answer to ahead of time, it's something he already knows. Everything in CAPS is something he spelled. I did not tell him how to spell any of the words. Every day I discover some new thing that he already knows. See you soon!

Spell: JAPANESE

Spell: RED PAPERS

(pk) What is Agun's English name? WALTER

Spell: BRAINWASHED

(pk) What's a word beginning with P that refers to government information used to brainwash people? PROPAGANDA

(pk) What does M.D. stand for? MEDICAL DOCTOR

Name the city in Taiwan where army headquarters was located: TAIPEI

Spell: HEADQUARTERS

Spell: RESEARCH

Spell: CLINICAL

(pk) Spell a word that begins with P that refers to who a doctor who does clinical work works with: PATIENTS

(pk) Spell a homonym for patients: PATIENCE [He loves it when I ask him for homonyms!!]

How old was Agun when first drafted into the Taiwanese army? TWENTY TWO

Spell: CHINESE MILITARY ACADEMY

Spell: INTERRUPTION

Spell: FIFTEEN

Spell: FOXHOLES

What reptile did the trench-diggers sometimes eat because they were so hungry? SNAKES

Name another food item they ate that begins with V: VEGETABLES

Spell: MISO SOUP

(pk) Miso is made from something that begins with S. Do you know? SOYBEANS

Spell: TATAMI

(math) If Agun's tatami mat was 3'x6', how many square feet is that? EIGHTEEN

Spell: MOSQUITO

Agun ate two things that being with P. Spell one of them: PEANUTS

(pk) If Sam eats peanuts, what drug does he get injected with (short or long name is fine)? EPINEPHRINE