Back to School

While students in the US are heading back to a new school year, students in Japan are returning from their summer break as well. But instead of starting a new year, they are simply starting their second term.

As it relates to me, coming back to school after the longish summer break (at my schools, it's just over a month) is refreshing. The kids are energetic, they've had a summer of putting off homework, having fun with friends, sometimes traveling to see relatives and whatnot. And during that first week or so of school, English classes seem to go really well. There's a residual energy that seems to carry over. For some reason, the image of a solar powered battery comes to mind - my kids are like solar powered batteries. And summer is the optimum recharge period.

Same for me. I didn't go anywhere "special" this year, rather spent my time in Okinawa doing things I really enjoyed. I participated in Higashi's eisa dancing for the second year in a row. I visited my friend Dave on Zamami, met some new JETs, and got to enjoy a great festival. And I got into a nice workout rhythm.

One thing I noticed recently was how fast time at school was passing. This past week seemed like a blur. Before I knew it, the week was over. I don't mind time passing quickly (it's often preferable to time dragging along). I just hope that I don't let too much of it go by without pausing to notice the good stuff. While it may seem like I've been in Okinawa for a long time (3 years already), and that I've got the potential to be here for a little while more (2 years), I bet whenever the end of my JET tenure comes around, I'm going to look back and think, "Was it really five years?"

So here's to making the best of my time here, with the kids, and with all the people I meet along the way.