3-4

Today was the last class with 3-4. I baked them peanut butter cookies (a big hit in Japan, btw) and they devoured them. After that, an unexpected ceremony of sorts took place. Each student stood up at their desk, one by one, and gave me a little speech. They were told to say "whatever the wanted" to me. I got a lot of compliments on my baking skills (this not having been the first time they experienced my cookies) and a lot of this-year-was-really-awesome-thank-yous. But I also got a few surprises. This one kid very seriously told me that I am "really cute". Not even an eyelid flutter accompanied it. I looked at the sensei but she didn't seem to think it inappropriate so I thanked him graciously. Two kids told me they love me. Thanks again? One kid asked me if we were allowed to date now that he wouldn't be my student anymore. One kid asked if they could have their parties at my house from now on. Then it was Masaki's turn. Someone kicks him awake, as he is sleeping on his desk. He rubs his eyes, stands up, apologizes for having been naughty all year, then goes back to sleep. Cuuuuute! Another kid who I'd always taken to be a jokester without a serious bone in his body turned out to be the class PRES and gave a bit of a lengthy speech (these are in Japanese) wherein he declared something like, "in life, we will go many places and meet many people. You, too, will move on away from Okinawa and meet many people and have many new experiences. But maybe, someday, we will all meet again." Sniffle sniffle sniffle. This week is full of sniffles.

Then we all had to get together for a group photo (group photos are almost as much of a given as rice in Japan). The cellphone cameras clicked and dazzled us. And then it was over.... alas, I shall miss my kiddies. We'll see if 2-4 (who I don't really know since I don't teach 2nd years) can fill their shoes next semester!

がんばろう!

In the last days of life before adulthood hits them in the face like a sack of bricks, my 3-4 boys performed a remarkable feat. My boys pulled their late-night-partying, motorcycle-drag-racing boot-ays into school at the crack of dawn. Then they drove up north and ran back down. Yup, they RAN from Nago to Ginowan.

Ok, you don't live here so that means nothing to you. In a car, this trip is 1.5 hours on the normal highway, 45 minutes on the expressway... I think its about 80km. 3-4 ran a relay race along the coast, which lasted from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Above, you see their triumphant and weary return to school. The first thing you're probably thinking is that Okinawans seem obsessed with relay marathons, which is true: they are obsessed with marathons in general. But that's not the point.

It is misleading that class number 4 is called the "sports" track. It makes it sound like all its members are extremely athletic. That's not the case. Rather, it's one of those tracks that kids get shuffled into if they don't have a special talent. There`s two IT tracks (1 and 2), and there are tracks for smarties like the international track (5) and we-want-to-go-to-college track (3). Then there are those for people who are all definitely not going to college, and have no idea what will become of them... these are 4, 6, 7, 8. And though the 4 tracks are cool kids at school, they are among those whose anxieties post-graduation run the highest.

This marathon was a がんばろう! ("ganbaroo!") race for the 3-4 before graduation. Ganbaru is a verb very important to Japanese culture. In this case it means, "let's give it our all! Try our best!" The marathon was a tool to pump up the kids` courage for entering the next stage of life; to give them faith in themselves that they can aim to do something difficult and accomplish it. The photo below shows the school awaiting their return. I, of course, found myself sniffling into a hanky... this kind of thing always hits a chord in me. The 1-4 and 2-4 tracks were excused from class to be a part of the return ceremony. In Japan they pay more attention to the relationship between elders and juniors than we do. The 3-4 sports course boys are the role models and seniors (senpai) of the 1-4 and 2-4 sports boys. So below you see one side of the walkway lined with 1-4, and the other side with 2-4, cheering their graduating senpai on.
After they returned, the seniors were asked to stand and give words of wisdom and advice to the youngsters, and the youngsters stood and gave words of encouragement to the elders. It never fails to amaze me how different Japan is in one respect from America: kids here have the capacity to be very serious and sincere, even in front of large groups of peers. They can go from goofy slackers and too-cool-for-school bad-asses to laying their hearts out on the table in a second. Below, one of my best buddies from 3-4 gives a little pose as he crosses the finish line.

Ganbatte, boys! Here comes the rest of life.