Friday was my first day of actual work in more than six weeks - my first day on the job at Sakai Junior High School. These idle hands were getting a bit restless, so it was nice to actually earn my paycheck here in Japan. (Yes, I've been getting paid since I landed in Tokyo in July - what a sweet gig!!)
At 8 a.m., I was in the staff room, delivering my introductory speech to all of the Sakai JHS teachers (in Japanese - I was NERVOUS) , and at 9 a.m., I was doing the same dog n' pony to the school's 600 students (only this time, in English, thank god). A student council representative reciprocated with a greeting for me, in English, which was the cutest, kindest thing I've experienced all week, and hundreds of uniform-clad Japanese middle schoolers welcomed me with thunderous applause. I think I'll like it here.
In the afternoon, students prepared for the all-school Sports Festival, which will be held next week. Today's task was to clean the grounds all around the school, but I missed the memo about bringing a change of clothes to do the cleaning. So, I was outside in my business suit, sweating through the jacket as I hauled grass clippings and weeds to a burn pile with a group of 7th graders. Classy as usual.
In other news, I'm going to be helping out with the school's track team. I joined the team practice on Thursday - the school doesn't have a track, per se, so we run through the rice paddies. I went for a 30-minute jog with the girls' long distance crew and learned some useful Japanese in the process (ikimasho, or "let's go" and gambatte for "try your best").
I also learned that apparently I have a small face.
When they weren't staring at my long, pasty-white, mosquito-bitten (see: Ono Camping Trip) legs or commenting on the sweat pouring through my shirt, the students kept telling me I had a small face. They'd giggle, stare, and then tell me again. I'm not quite sure how to take it, but for now, I'll consider it a complement!
At 8 a.m., I was in the staff room, delivering my introductory speech to all of the Sakai JHS teachers (in Japanese - I was NERVOUS) , and at 9 a.m., I was doing the same dog n' pony to the school's 600 students (only this time, in English, thank god). A student council representative reciprocated with a greeting for me, in English, which was the cutest, kindest thing I've experienced all week, and hundreds of uniform-clad Japanese middle schoolers welcomed me with thunderous applause. I think I'll like it here.
In the afternoon, students prepared for the all-school Sports Festival, which will be held next week. Today's task was to clean the grounds all around the school, but I missed the memo about bringing a change of clothes to do the cleaning. So, I was outside in my business suit, sweating through the jacket as I hauled grass clippings and weeds to a burn pile with a group of 7th graders. Classy as usual.
In other news, I'm going to be helping out with the school's track team. I joined the team practice on Thursday - the school doesn't have a track, per se, so we run through the rice paddies. I went for a 30-minute jog with the girls' long distance crew and learned some useful Japanese in the process (ikimasho, or "let's go" and gambatte for "try your best").
I also learned that apparently I have a small face.
When they weren't staring at my long, pasty-white, mosquito-bitten (see: Ono Camping Trip) legs or commenting on the sweat pouring through my shirt, the students kept telling me I had a small face. They'd giggle, stare, and then tell me again. I'm not quite sure how to take it, but for now, I'll consider it a complement!
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