I'm really really going to miss the recent graduates. I first met them when they were in 1st grade (US 7th grade). They were great kids and we had a lot of fun together! I hope that I'll meet a few of them again in the future.
Most of my favorite teachers were moved to other schools this month. I'm really going to miss them as well. They have done so much for me, I feel really lucky to have worked with such great people!
During spring break eight students came to the international room everyday for about an hour and we played games. Last year the VP found money for me and I bought a lot of games, but there is rarely time for the kids to actually use the room because of all the other activities and meetings they have all the time. So this was the perfect chance for them to get to know the resources available to them.
I'm not sure how much English was actually 'acquired' or 'learned' during games camp. But a few of the students borrowed English movies during the week, and one student read an entire Harry Potter book...one of the super long ones! What???? Whoa...that was shocking! She had already read it in Japanese, but just getting through that many pages in your native language takes a long time! I was impressed!!
Last year I started a project with my classes. If they completed English/international activities/tasks outside of class and school they could get points. The students with the highest points at the end of a year got prizes. The top prize was a pizza party in Kurobe. Six students were invited, but due to family obligations and influenza, only three came! It was fun to introduce them to the best American pizza in the the area and chat with them outside school. Two of the three will start high school next week.
Last week was 入学式 , or entrance ceremonies, all over Japan! I went to two of these ceremonies in one day. In the morning I went to one of my elementary schools and watched new 1st grade students be welcomed to the school. Before the ceremony, all the mothers, dressed in kimonos with their hair all done up, met in the cafeteria and listened to information from teachers about school supplies, rules, money, etc.
I didn't get any pictures of the cute cute cute little new 1st graders, but I was sitting to the new 2nd graders, and they were less than interested in the ceremony! The poor kids have to sit in a cold gym for an hour listening to old guys making speeches. I was bored! I can't imagine how they managed!
Okay, so if you've actually made it this far and are still reading, you might be asking..."Why did she post a blurry picture?" I know, I know...you can't see who it is, but you can see they are in costumes, and that's all I want you to see! This picture was taken at one of my teacher drinking parties after an entrance ceremony! Strictly speaking, taking photos or even retelling enkai stories is pretty faux pas in Japan!! I would hate to expose my teachers identity publicly, but I do think it's important to expose how crazy Japanese teachers can be!! I mean, just look at that blurry picture. There is a guy in a white satin suit with a blonde afro wig and a guy in a tiger suite. And that was just the first party. There were also cross-dressers, wearing JHS uniforms nonetheless, water guns with beer, a teacher dressed as a man from Zaire with a very very large third leg, and minnie mouse! After that mild party there was karaoke and lots of men undressing each other at the second party. The third party involved more food and teachers both passing out and puking! And then, with the help of my good gaijin mondaiji partner in crime...there was a fourth party at our favorite bar! Luckily for my own reputation there was no dancing on tables and no other mondaiji behavior. But we did manage to bring six of my teachers with us and we closed down the bar at 3am! It was a fun and very wild night!
And just last night, we had a cross-cultural internationalization evening of
hanami (sitting under the cherry blossoms), easter egg dying, onsen and tea ceremony! We started our picnic/bbq as the sun was going down at a park in town along a river. The cherry blossoms haven't opened fully yet, but it was perfect because we had the place to ourselves most of the night! Well, until it started to rain...then we quickly packed up and headed to the onsen.Going to public places has become a game for me. Can I leave my house and go to public place where I'm not meeting someone intentionally, and not meet someone I know! At the onsen, I lost count, but I saw at least three students and their families! This is slightly awkward because walking around nude in front of my students is not something I'm used to. But because public bathing is the norm in Japan, after the initial shock of seeing your gaijin teacher nude, most students don't seem to care! Not sure if any of them have seen the tattoo or not!! That could be scandalous!
After the bath we headed to a friend's apartment for food and conversation! And easter egg dying!! For several people it was their first time to dye eggs. At first they made fun of the activity but as soon as they were given their own egg, the creative juices started flowing! And then we had matcha, traditional Japanese green tea! Yum, a delicious relaxed evening with friends--two Canadians, two Japanese, a Brit and me! Fun times!Happy Easter from Asia!!
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