On sameness and differences...

I'm writing this now after I have survived the first two complete days of teaching in Ebara Daiichi middle school. I say survived but that makes it sound unpleasant. I'll admit that I was terrified at the prospect of joining a team of teachers all of whom have established routines. I imagined them seeing me as an annoying pebble in the shoe that is frustrating and uncomfortable but you have to learn to live with until you can find an opportunity to get rid of it. I'm quite happy to report that this has not at all been the case.  I feel useful, welcomed, incorporated, and a part of the team. 

Now for the pictures:

First, I should introduce you all to Kanda.  She's the lead English teacher at the school and she is just wonderful. She has a very good grasp of English and she has gone above and beyond to get me involved in the English classrooms as well as math and any other subject I feel like sitting in on. I just love her and would love to bring her back to Maine to show her around. 

My first day at school began with her picking me up at the hotel and showing me how to use the subway to get to the school. We barely made it in time. When we got there the whole school was already in the middle of an assembly where they were discussing bike safety because there was just an accident down the road between a bike and a car. I knew that it was about time for me to give my speech and I told her how nervous I was but she assured me that I wasn't as nervous as the head of the English club who was tasked with introducing and welcoming me to my school. She was very polite and I instantly felt welcomed. Then it was my turn. 

This was my audience. I was petrified. However, I stumbled my way through my well rehearsed speech and apparently impressed everyone with my grasp of Japanese. Little do they know I have been rehearsing this speech for months and I can't really speak it, but I can repeat what is required. 

After that we made our way to the teachers' room. The room seems taken straight out of the 60s and 70s but I love the fact that the teachers have a collective space that allows them to collaborate and work together. I should also mention, for those of you that don't know, in Japan the teachers move from room to room and the students stay in the same room. So teachers don't have a room. They just have the teachers' room. 

I'm also very happy to see that stacks of paper and books are not exclusive to my room. 

I was also greeted by my very own cubby for my outdoor shoes with this lovely welcoming sign on it. 

Middle school students are also the same, no matter where you go. They goof around, are full of energy, and look for distractions wherever they can find them. It's fun to see the same personality types here that I see in Maine. 

This picture also illustrates my favorite part of Japanese education: the students perform many of the regular duties that in America are overseen by the staff. In the background you can see the students serving lunch. They also clean up after lunch and clean the whole school at the end of the day. 

The girl in the foreground is washing the chalk. Yes. Washing.  The chalk.  I asked Kanda about this and she said, "yeah, I don't know why, but she does it."

After school today, Paul (our friendly guide) took us to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Now, I love sushi. But I feel as though I have never eaten real sushi until today. 

The sushi rolls by on the conveyor belt and you just grab whatever looks delicious. At the end of your meal, you pay for the plates you have collected which are color coated to indicate their price. 

The sushi is at least 10 times as good as the sushi here and what would cost abou $6-$8 in America is $1-$2 in Japan. Utterly fantastic. 

Here is my detritus. It amounts to about $10 of the best freaking sushi I have ever had.  Plus the sake which was also delicious. Oh, and you don't tip in Japan and the tax is included. It makes too much sense. 

Ok, I think it's time for bed now. I will keep you all updated as I continue this amazing journey.