First Day of School

Yesterday was my first day of school and I realized just how incredibly different the public education system is in Japan. I was told to get to my junior high school early because we would be “greeting” the students at the gates. What this really meant was that we would be stopping each of them to make sure that their uniforms were worn correctly and check their hair for unruly growth over the 40 days of summer vacation or for any dye jobs that deviated from the standard black color (the regulation length for boys is buzz length and for girls I think it is at right at their shoulders with special restrictions on the length and style of their bangs). The teachers also checked the girls’ waists to make sure that they were not rolling their skirts and hiking them up to any length besides several inches below their knees. Proper tie tying of the sailor uniform top is also a must. The boys were checked to make sure that they were wearing their pants up above their hips and that they were not too baggy...all I could think about was the field day that these teachers would have with American students!

For the opening ceremony, I had to do a welcome speech for the school. First, each class was marched into the gym in two straight lines according to their height. They then had to sit down simultaneously after carefully measuring out the proper distance between them. The way that they sit is also very important; their legs cannot be crossed or any way other than bent at a slight angle in front of them. The principal talked briefly and then I spoke for about 7 minutes, half in English and half in Japanese. Due to the 700 plus blank stares that followed, I don’t think the students understood either portion. The most awkward part was that it was my first day in pants and long sleeves so I was sweating profusely and I had to stand at about a 90 degree angle in order to speak into the microphone, I’m just glad that I wasn’t wearing heels!

Other than that, things have been going well. After 40 hours of Japanese class, I feel more comfortable communicating...well at least at understanding. I am frustrated at how difficult it still is to speak and to remember words. I have been leaving the last few weekends to explore some cities around the area and I finally went to kareoke which was nuts! I have tentatively planned something for every weekend for about the next six weeks so that I make the most of some outdoor sight-seeing, hiking, and camping before the weather gets cold. Playing volleyball with the city team is always a highlight of the week and this week was particularly entertaining since I spent the two 15 minute car rides teaching the girl who picks me up and drops me off the words to her favorite Avril Levine song. Line by line we would listen to the music, stop the CD, master a few words, and then play it again. Funny, bizarre, and unexplainable things happen on a daily basis and I just wish that I could keep a little video camera on my shoulder so that I could document it all.