Every day, Kelsey begs us to put on Finding Nemo. Whenever we do, we skip the tragic first scene and start with Nemo's first day of school. On his way to school, Nemo somehow strays from the rest of the class. Today is my first day of school. Since we're living in a new house in another part of town, I had trouble finding the path that leads up to the school. With some help, I was able to locate the right path. Ethan, my predecessor here in Uoshima, had warned me about the hike up to the school. All the teachers came to school dripping with sweat every day because of the long, steep concrete path that weaves through the cemetery and up to the school. I had walked it a few times with the kids, and hadn't had any trouble with it. For some reason, today was different. That hill is a beast. My whole outfit was drenched in sweat by the time I made it up to the school this morning. I need to carry a sweat towel with me to school.
Up until now, I worked at the Yakuba (town hall) here in Uoshima. Since I don't really do much outside of teaching, I have spent the last month sitting around and trying to help out with paperwork filled on my behalf. I didn't have any tasks to complete, so it was really just a place to put me until I was truly needed. The teachers were out of town, too, so I wasn't able to communicate with anybody about what the students understand or how I can help meet their needs. I still have no idea how I am going to teach these kids. One of them has a text book that I can use, but the others are all my responsibility.
I teach Tetsuya, the 2nd year junior high student, starting tomorrow. This week, I teach Tuesday during 6th period, Wednesday during 1st and 3rd period, Thursday during first and fifth period, and Friday at the kindergarten. This week is nothing but Tetsuya. Starting next week, Thursdays will be my class for Kana (usually during 5th period). Once a month, I will teach the other three kids who are in elementary school. I still don't know when that will start. If you include my four kindergarten students that I teach for 20-30 minutes every Friday, I actually have 9 students. Even with 9 students, I don't do much teaching out here. 2-3 hours a day, max. Some days I teach for as little as one hour.
When I got to the school, I put on my clean, new inside-shoes (you can't wear shoes inside that have ever been worn outside) and walked into the staff room, greeting everybody as I entered with a healthy “Ohayou gozaimasu”. I shuffled over to my desk--bowing slightly as I passed the principa--and plopped myself into my seat, wedging my western hips into a non-western-size desk chair. After sitting for a minute, the morning meeting started. One of the teachers stood up and said something, after which all the teachers immediately stood up, arms to the side. Surprised by the efficiently violent way in which they all stood up, I tried to do the same. The chair stuck to my hips as I tried to get up, so I half-stood there for a second and yanked the chair away so that I could stand fully upright. They laughed and brought me a wider chair. The morning meetings are extremely formal. It's hard to know how to react. I'm afraid to move my arms from my side to wipe my sweat away, as it might be a sign of disrespect. I don't really know.
Today is my self-introduction in front of the school. I will do it in English, because that is much easier. Besides, I'm supposed to bridge cultural barriers and all that jazz. I'm not quite sure what I'll say.
…
We just got back from the first assembly of the school year. The self-introduction was short and sweet. I just said a few things and sat down. After the Japanese teacher of English (JTE) translated for everybody, we went on with the rest of the meeting. We went up to the fourth floor of the school building (it's a full-size school with only five students) and stood around while the students set up chairs for the teachers (after being commanded to do so by one of the teachers). The five students sat in the middle of the room (facing the chalkboard) while the six teachers sat in chairs facing the sides of the desks. The principal sat next to the teachers while the vice principal made announcements from behind the teachers. Apparently on behalf of all the students, Tetsuya made a formal introduction to me and we bowed at each other. Each of the students then got up and gave a speech that apparently stated their goals for the year.
There were some moments of silence, one at the beginning and one at the end of the assembly. Since I didn't understand what they were saying, I didn't know how long the silence would last. There was a lot of bowing. Everybody sang the Japanese national anthem, as well as the school anthem. After the assembly, we went to clean the school for about twenty minutes. The JTE told me where to clean and showed me some rags. Everybody else had brooms, so I didn't really know where to start. I wet down a rag and just started wiping things, hoping that I wouldn't seem foolish.
After cleaning, we came back to the staff room and sat around for a while. All of a sudden, we had to get up and evacuate the room and go outside in some kind of earthquake drill. When we got to the front door, I asked if it was okay to wear my shoes outside. They said yes, and we all ran out to a designated spot in the schoolyard. The students stood still while the principle gave them instructions for possible future emergencies. Or maybe he was talking about how delicious octopus is. I guess I don't really know.
The day is long. I'm sure I'll have more stories to tell. Or not. It looks like my first day is a half-day. Whee!
Before I go, I just want to mention that our neighbor gave us a raw half-octopus the other day. I had no idea what to do with it, but didn't want it to go to waste. I fried it up with some soy sauce and seasoning and tried to eat it. The small pieces weren't that bad, but it got pretty hard to stomach as I got past the tentacles and up to the fat part of the arm. Awesome.
Oh, also--we won't have internet at home for the next two weeks. While I can reply at work, Stef won't be able to check her e-mail and the Vonage phone won't work.
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