Starting to end

I think today was the start of the end. Of school. Relax, it's nothing too heavy.

The 3nensei, or 9th graders, are approaching the end of their junior high school careers. In less than a month, they will have graduated, found out where they're going to high school (if they're going), and move on to the next adventure. For at least two weeks, there will be a large gap in each of my schools. At one school, Takae, the 3nensei make up about 25% of the student body (a total of nine grades).

So today, at Arume, we had a ３年生送る会, or a 3nensei send-off. Instead of 5th and 6th period, the junior high school students (by grade) and one team of teachers participated in exhibition matches of basketball, the sport of choice here in Higashi (despite the small size of the schools, the gymnasiums are as large as ever, which is a blessing). It was fun! And I'm totally out of shape! At least basketball shape.

After the games, a few of the 1 and 2nensei students made small speeches to the 3nensei, thanking them for their leadership and wishing them the best in the coming weeks. It was great to see. But the finale, a complete surprise to all, was the teacher's band performance. Once again, I was blown away by the effort that everyone was putting in to sending these kids off with best wishes. The moment was one of those that I look back to and think, "Yeah, this is perfect."

Since Higashi doesn't have a high school, all of the students will be attending elsewhere - some in Nago, some further south as far as Okinawa City. Those going to schools in Nago may still live in Higashi and commute with parents or friends, but for those moving farther, it may be their first time living by themselves. Sometimes, students find dormitory housing or their own apartments, and in some cases the whole family moves, depending on many factors, I'm sure.

Sometimes I forget that the 3nensei are only 15; they don't seem that young. But their graduating reminds me of how quickly it's all going. I'm here for another year, that's definite (even got the official word from the BOE!). And it's good to have these landmark occasions, reminding me to make sure I get the most out of it. After Okinawa, I want to be completely happy with whatever I choose, no regrets.

Well...

That previous post, upon my reading, sucks. It's not very interesting. This post will be much more interesting, at least to me.

Was glancing at the Okinawa Times newspaper today (yes, it's in Japanese...I know enough meanings of kanji to determine basics on my own) when I saw an article titled:

ヘリパッド移設遅れ　年度内完成　困難 (more info)

While I could only "read" it after I pulled out my trusty DS dictionary, the basic meaning was clear, and is as follows: "The helipad relocation is behind schedule for this year's term; difficult problem."

So? What helipad? Who cares? I do. The helipad is located in Higashi, more specifically Takae, the northernmost, and least populated, region of the village. I don't know all the specifics (when I become fluent, I'll fill you in), but I know the people don't like it. I don't like it. Having windows shake when the Chinooks fly very low to the ground is annoying. Having to pause a speech taking place outdoors because the chop of the blades drowns out all voices is also not cool (is it worse because it's from the military of my home country and I feel like people want to ask me why they're here?).

There are round-the-clock protest tents set up on both sides of the entrance to the helipad base and I'm sure the people have a lot to say; one day, I really want to know what it is. So I'll keep scanning the papers and listening to the villagers and studying my Japanese. It's nice to know there's more riding on fluency than just a good feeling while watching television and movies.

Slow days?

Nobody in my circle of RSS feeds posted anything today. Therefore, I thought I'd do the small group of readers a favor and type a quick something.

Today at Takae we had a visit from a group that is researching the famed, though highly reclusive, yanbaru kuina. I have never seen one or heard one, but that changed today. Partly. As part of their research, they were really cool and included all of the students and teachers (there's a little less than 30 of us all) in the mission. Split into five groups, we took up locations around the school and readied for the broadcast. What broadcast? The call of a yanbaru kuina, of course.

The shrill clacking of the bird filled the air around the school. The group I was in, Team A, was perched on top of the school, enabling us to get a remarkable view of the surrounding Arakawa River valley, the mountains of Yanbaru to the north and west, and the Pacific Ocean. Sadly, we didn't hear any response to the broadcast (but we did get an earful of the roughly 12-15 dogs kept in one of the neighbor's back yards). Two other teams did hear the bird, which is good news. The human development of Okinawa and the invasive presence of the American military in the north are reducing the natural habitat of the kuina, pushing it further and further north, reducing its numbers. Unnatural predators (mongoose introduced to hunt habu, an illegally introduced breed of poisonous Taiwanese snakes; and cats and dogs running loose from their yards) are also putting a dent in the fragile numbers of the bird.

Hmm, this has turned into some sort of post about conservation. Going to lay off that, since I don't have the energy to get into it or do the research.

Sanshin tonight, then more Japanese. Of course.

Valentine!

Today was Valentine's Day. In Japan, girls give guys giri giri chocolate, which I understand to be like "have a great day!" chocolate. I'm assuming they also do the more "relationship chocolate," but that doesn't apply to me. It was nice! Here's a picture of the stash I received while at school.


The chocolate given to all the male teachers by the female teachers was a huge heart-shaped piece of milk chocolate with crushed nuts. I kid you not when I say it was as big as my hand.


I also received a package in the mail yesterday. It looked expensive, and tasted exquisite. Blue had a flavor I can't place. Thank you, sender. ;)


The follow-up to all this comes in March, on the 14th. Known as White Day, guys reciprocate the chocolate received (again, that's what I understand). As if receiving chocolate from 14 giddy junior high girls wasn't enough. It'll be fun!

Rain

I'm sitting in my work room, wool jacket on, listening to the rain fall, as the portable space heater to my left keeps half of me quite warm, the other half slightly neglected. This being Higashi, the rain is the only noticeable sound of my moment. Music and TV have been halted for the evening, as I plan to fall asleep to the rejuvenating sound. Warm, content, happy. Yes, this is it. *smiles*

Busy Day

Today was great. I’m tired and about to fall asleep, but I had a blast.

At Arume this week, my middle-sized school, the students participated in what is known as an ekiden or relay race. Combining with Takae school (because both are so small), the students formed four teams with seven runners each. The course was a 2km run through the back streets of the neighborhood surrounding Arume school, a nice run that I’ve stored for another day.

Four teams running, but some of the teachers from Takae school wanted to join in, so they asked me to join as well (several short of the seven person team, we were just doing it for fun and for the support of the kids). We dubbed ourselves “Team Metabolic,” though I have to argue that this is hardly the case for any of us, unless being metabolic is simply a result of passing the age of say, 26.

Anyway, I ran the third segment (we had two younger guys join for the fourth and fifth, and we all split the six and seven) and ran faster than I’ve ever run in a race. I clocked the 2km at 9:17, around a 7:25 mile, too fast. I also relayed the last 500m, a good sprint.

During lunchtime, I messed around in the gymnasium playing a H.O.R.S.E.-like game with a couple of 3^rd graders. It was a ton of fun; especially just getting to see them in a little bit of action and getting excited (me too!) about sinking a shot.

And as always, Tuesday means karate. Having spent myself in the morning run, I was worried about making it through tonight’s practice. I briefly tweaked my left knee and twisted my right thumb who-knows how, but I got through, sweating well like usual. But tonight’s practice was truly special. We received our certificates and blue belts for passing the examination a few weeks ago. It’s only been about four to five months since starting karate and I look forward to each session maybe more than anything else each week. It’s a hard workout and it reminds me of how I need to start running again, but I love it. Taira先生 also had some nice words for me.

Busy day, tiring day, awesome day. I could do this for a living.

Cool

I suppose the title could be a reference to the recent weather we’ve been having, as it’s not nearly as warm as it was perhaps a month ago; definitely not as warm was it was when I first got here. Instead of a t-shirt, I’m usually doubling up with a sweater and a light jacket. It’s not bad once I get going, but waking up and stepping foot into my tiled bathroom is rough, though invigorating.

The end of this week, Friday, February 8, is the deadline for JET Assistant Language Teachers to turn in their forms declaring their decision to re-contract for another year or not. I am re-contracting. And I’ll tell you why.

I have wanted to come to Japan for many years. Where the initial interest sparked, I can’t exactly remember. But it’s been around for a while and here I am, to stay for a while.

I love working with kids. While I had little to no interaction with the little beasties for my stint as a stiff in Chicago, it wasn’t hard to get back into it. There’s really nothing like the innocence of children just learning how to do most things for the first time (in an academic sense). To see the face of a 3rd grade elementary student light up when she perfectly pronounces, “brush your teeth,” and I give her a thumbs up is an awesome thing.

I want to learn Japanese to fluency (see previous post). Sounds hard? Nope. I don’t believe it. Sound like a large commitment? For sure it is. If my internet mentor/pep-talker has anything to say about it, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Just get out there and listen (to Japanese), learn, enjoy, practice, prioritize, and don’t listen to the people who nay say.

I love Higashi. Vastly different from the cityscape I came from and the ones to be found on this island, the quiet life is much better for me than I expected. Benefits of small village life include knowing lots of people, being exposed to new people quite easily, and getting to see parts of Okinawa most people don’t and won’t ever know about. The only downside is having to drive and therefore owning a car. But it’s not that big a deal, especially since there is almost no traffic to speak of in the village.

Aside from the emotional reasons that I’m staying here, there’s also a practical side. Like anything, I imagine, it takes time to get used to new surroundings, new work, new relationships, etc. With that in mind, to stay only one year would be…how can I say this with impact…like an abortion. Of potential. Having only learned a little about Higashi, about Okinawa, its people, my neighbors, the kids and the teachers, the language, how to play the sanshin, karate, teaching, etc. – well, to step out now would be a horrible idea. Not only I would have all this learning come to an end; so would the people who I see every day or every week. There’s something to watching children grow and develop and become able express themselves. Considering I’m (less than) a child in Japanese ability, they don’t really know much about me. Maybe it’s selfish, wanting to be known, but by learning the language and sharing about myself, I think I stand to find out quite a bit about others as well.

And what better model for exchange is there than that - getting to know people around the world.