When my Japanese didn't cut it.

I regret that I wasn't able to properly explain something in Japanese today. But on the other hand, if you look at what I was explaining, it makes it ok.

I was trying to explain a political cartoon in Japanese history. We were talking about the Russo-Japanese war (which I have studied, but in the US) and this time now I am studying it from the Japanese point of view. The political cartoon showed most of Asia, and Russia was like an octopus, with it's tentacles reaching out to where it was trying to gain a presence. My teacher didn't know what/where/why the tentacle was doing next to Turkey. I tried as best as I could to explain why Russia wanted a presence in Mediterriean, all sorts of fights between Russia and the Balkans, about the importance of the Bosphorus and the Dardenelles,........but I couldn't really do it very well.

I hope that at least trying makes Mr. Curry proud, because I learned all about it from him.

Thank you Mr. Curry!