"you're not Japanese!"

Recently, I signed up to help out at the school's culture night, representing Japan.  I found myself sitting at a table, with people frequently doing a double take as they walked past my Japanese display and looking at me.  "hey!  you're not Japanese!"

I hesitated to sign up in the first place, because like I said before, I'm not Japanese.  We have many Japanese families at our school and I kept thinking, surely one of them will sign up for the Japan station at culture night.  but no one did.  weeks went by with many pleading emails from the school. So I volunteered.  and then luckily, a Japanese family signed up a few days after me and we were able to do it together.  a display table and poster all about Japan.  (and I completely forgot to take a picture!)  

We also had an origami station set up, but here's the problem.  I don't know any origami.  and my new Japanese friend, picked an extremely hard (in my opinion) origami.  The balloon.  "You can do the balloon, right?" she asked me.  "sure!"  I lied, too embarrassed to say that I couldn't do the balloon, or any other origami.  because the truth is, I don't enjoy doing origami.  I have absolutely zero interest in it.  my kids all loved it.  I always kept a stash of origami in the cupboard when we lived in Tokyo.  I bought the kids origami books. When Emily had an arts and crafts birthday party, origami was one of the stations.  I even paid a teenage neighborhood girl to come to the party and teach the girls various origami.

and so I found myself surrounded by hoards of little girls, all confused.  none of them could figure out the balloon.  just follow these printed instructions, I would say.  But they still couldn't get it.  neither could I.  It was embarrassing and frustrating.  I kept thinking to myself,  "4 1/2 years in Japan and you no know NO origami?"  and then, after about 10 of the longest minutes in my life, my daughter, Emily, the origami pro, walked through the door and I desperately passed off everything to her.  within a few minutes, she had everything in control and she was teaching the girls step by step.

so here it is. your challenge for the day.  try and see if you can make this.