Morning Assembly

Morning Assembly

We just had an all-school meeting to give announcements and present recent student achievements and awards (from big sports competitions and such). First of all, I have to comment on an observation from this meeting. I know I have mentioned that my school is conservative and pretty strict, yes, but I don’t think I had ever noticed just how tight some of the regulations are. At these all-schol assemblies, students and staff gather in the gym. It's pretty standard for Japan. The students stand single-file in lines organized by grade, then class and then by student number as the staff walks around the inspect the formations and the students' dress.

I know my coworkers check for makeup and eyebrows (they shave them here, but aren't allowed to groom them during high school – even the guys shave, though!). I only just realized, however, that the girls are not allowed to have hair touching their backs. I think it's ok if the hair is tied tightly, but that really is pretty strict if you ask me. I can't even imagine what would have happened if they tried to regulate those rules at my old high school (we had pep fests completely cancelled one year after a giant ice cream fight broke out at one school function). I looked on from my post at the back of the gym this morning as one girl was scolded because her hair was hanging down her back. She was told to put it to one side, over her shoulder and warned about doing it again. Another girl was given a rubber band to tie hers back. Then I noticed all of the students had pretty uniform hair for the event. I know of one other school where the teaches will shave the kids' hair if it is too long at the sides (for boys), but I am starting to wonder where the boundaries lie for my school, too...
Furthermore, in addition to people-watching, I am understanding more of what is being said than I have been able to in the past. This means the principal’s speech (and really the whole ordeal) is gaining some color. There’s still a lot of vocabulary I just don’t know (and I am lost on the analogies given in Kocho Sensei's inspirational talks), but I can catch the gist a lot more now than I could have even a few months before.
So I mentioned that the assembly was called to hand-out awards, but today’s meeting was especially exciting for me because there was really only one award to give... to my speech contest kid!! I adore this student and was so proud when he walked across the stage and the crowd sort of murmured in surprise at the news that our school had won first place at a speech contest and would be going to the prefectural level. This is seriously what makes it all worth it...just got to remember that when we start practicing the speech again soon. I was happy that the English department was getting recognition, though, as well as the student for his hard work.

Himeji

Other than the meeting this morning, today is a pretty normal day; not too busy. I think I'm going iceskating tonight, so I'm looking forward to the end of the day, but I was also out late last night so I'm moving sort of slow (at least for the morning). That being said, it was totally worth it to go out last night. I met my friend Ryan in Himeji for dinner. It had been a while since I was last in town and Ryan and I hadn’t actually gotten together since last spring, so there was a lot of catching up to do. I had a good time and found it kind of refreshing to talk to a friend here, but out of my normal loop.
Ryan showed me this awesome Thai restaraunt (I will take pictures next time - it's georgous and near the station... so I'll be back) and we hit up a bar where our friend was bartending before heading home. I guess we talked about a lot of stuff, but at one point, we got on the topic of, well, living in Japan. We both agreed we definitely could have learned more Japanese by now, but it really is crazy seeing how new and fresh "new expats" to the area seem, even with their excitement. That was us a year ago, yet so many things that seemed so foreign at this time last year seem so... comfortable... now. Ryan also brought up the irony and many contrasts (between east and west?) that you encounter in everyday life here.

It was an interesting conversation. Japan is, in many ways, just like America. I can't deny with have a comfortable life here, but at the same time, there are so many streaks in the mainstream culture that paint a more eastern and traditional vibe... and maybe even things that we would (in America) have trouble understanding. For example, come to Japan and you will undoubtably meet countless girls walking around in $500 outfits and carrying Louis Vuitton wallets and purses, who still go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground (with no toilet paper) and have grass floors and no heat in their houses. Granted, that could be called a naïve perspective to say squaters are primitive – they really are hygenic and there is a lot of tradition (and eastern influence) behind the factors that make Japan different – but to most of us from "the West", it seems a strange paradox. Ryan and I agreed that sometimes Japan is like a very modern society with streaks of third-world standards. That sounds harsh, but c’mon... I went over a year without running hot water in my house! And while it’s easy to complain about those differences (because they will hit you when you live here), they are honestly part of what makes this place so special (and ironically makes me love it).
It might not always seem like it at first glance, but Japan is much different from the other places I have lived (namely, Norway and America), but I am really happy that I came here. It has changed my views in a lot of ways and I am really grateful for the people I have met (literally from all over the world) that I can share in these perspectives with. You could travel and learn about new places forever, yes... but learning should be a lifelong process. I don't know that I'll gain such an intimate contact with other cultures in the future, but I am definately glad for the opportunities with this one.

The Weekend Ahead...

I digress (once again...). I am going to finish up some worksheets and run an errand, but today is a good day. I'm still coughing a little bit, but I'm generally feeling much better and am excited about the weekend. I have to get on the ball with the Japanese studies and getting the rest of my applications out the door (emphasis on the latter!), but it should be a fun couple of days.

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend, as well, and I'll be back with the Weekend Review next week. I've also been uploading a lot of pics, so watch for new albums. Until then... Cheers!