Kyuragi JHS

Again, a little patience, please. This will all come together sooner or later.

Kyuragi Junior High School. Doesn't sound like all that much, but it has been arguably the focal point of my existence and experience here in Japan. Is there any way to express just how I feel about it - I'm not sure. I feel such a strong attachment to both the school and local community that it would be unforgivable for me to neglect including it in this endeavour. Granted, I still don't completely understand all the ins and outs of the daily workings of the school, but I feel that I have managed to find a niche for myself here.
Where to begin? The kids. I hear tales of all the problems at other larger schools within the prefecture, and I count myself lucky to have landed in such a truly wonderful place. I have taken to thinking of the students as an extended family of sorts; making them an odd assortment of younger siblings and cousins in my mind. I'm sure they don't all feel the same way (there are times I wonder if any of them do) but there are those who no longer treat me as a Sensei, but as a friend. I can't begin to thank them enough for that. Most days I feel like they are teaching me more than I could ever teach them.
I was warned about becoming too attached to the students when I first arrived in Japan - about how difficult it would be to leave here at the end of my tenure - but as hard as it's going to be, I don't regret it. In fact, I highly recommend it. Why have students when you can have friends? Makes sense to me.

May 2000
Things are getting busier around here. Spring has definitely arrived and summer is hot on its heels. The school trip to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe is at the end of the month and the kids are already fired up about it. Can't say that I blame them. Most of them have never really left Saga Prefecture, let alone Kyushu. I overheard some of the girls discussing what they were going to buy once they got to the big city. Couldn't help but laugh.

The students are also gearing up for their first round of seminar tests. Not that that really means as much over here. It's a long story, so you'll have to take my word for it at the moment.
Arrived at school on the 12th after a serious night out in Fukuoka to discover that it was Track & Field day. Three hours sleep, no coffee and 200 energetic students running all over the place. Not a bad way to start your day. Ended up taking a roll of pictures as once they saw my camera, everyone (I mean that - EVERYONE) had to get in front of the lens and give me their best I'm-cool-and-you-can-tell-cuz-I'm-giving-the-peace-sign poses.That's not meant to be as cynical as it sounds, either.
Otherwise, the month has fairly flown by, what with the changes in the weather and all. Been trying to get to know the names of all the new first year students. It's not working so far. They've been really good about writing letters and such, though. I think this is the first time I've received something (as little or much as it may be...) from every student in a grade. Of course, that means I spend an inordinate amount of time writing replys to the kids, but what the hell.

June 2000
Well. Back from Osaka and Kyoto. Hell of a trip. Three days of energetic kids, tour buses and general pandemonium. Not to say that I didn't have a good time, I just didn't get much rest. Which I suppose is what school trips are for, right?
At any rate, after a relatively long trip on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train), we arrived in Osaka and promptly boarded buses to Osaka Aquarium. Fantastic. I don't think I've ever been to an aquarium before.
Looked at some fish, ran around, got back on the bus and headed for Kyoto. Altogether an uneventful bus ride. We got to our Ryokan (Japanese-style inn) at about 5PM, whereupon all hell broke loose. Kids upstairs, kids downstairs, inside, outside, rightside-up, upside-down... you name it. Finally managed to coax them all into the main hall for dinner and subsequent speeches. Group meetings after that and then off to bed. Well, that was the plan, anyway.
For one reason or another, the boys and the girls weren't supposed to really interact with each other. Which I found decidedly strange, but didn't say anything. I ended up being the 'guardian' of the staircase both nights we were there. Basically all I had to do was keep boys from going upstairs and girls from going downstairs. I think that the other teachers probably wanted me to keep them from interacting, but I wasn't about to do that. So we ended up taking a bunch of pictures, making jokes, wrestling and so on until our time was up. Surprisingly, almost everyone went to bed right away. Shocking.
Spent the next day trekking about by myself as the kids toured around in smaller groups. Ran into a couple of them outside Kyoto Tower and the Golden Pavilion, but otherwise spent the day on my own. Found a river and sat there skipping stones until I realized I had attracted a crowd of onlookers from a nearby bridge. So I left. Made it back to the Ryokan just in time for the return of the students. Now I was so tired from walking around all day that all I wanted to do was chill out, eat dinner, take a bath and go to bed. Nope. All - and I do mean all - the kids came tearing through the entranceway screaming like banshees. So much for R&R. Repeat of the first evening and off to bed.
Back on the train the following morning for another 4-hour journey. Managed to get some shuteye somewhere between Okayama and Hiroshima - maybe 15 minutes' worth. Then it was more pictures, screaming, and staring at the students from another school boarding the train. Finally got back to Kyuragi around 6PM, one last meeting and I was ready for bed. I must be getting old or something.

Well, at least I wasn't the only exhausted one.

July 2000
Summertime and the living is easy in Kyuragi. Unbearably hot, but easy. The kids have finished their mid-term exams (the school year runs from April to April over here) and are now training furiously for the Prefectural sports tournament on the 29th. Went to Hamatama on the 21st and 22nd for the county-wide tournament, at which the girls cleaned house. Came home with first place in softball, volleyball and kendo. The boys fared a little bit worse, but managed to get second place in volleyball.
So now it's summer vacation, but the kids (and I) still have to be at school everyday. We don't have anything to do, but our presence is required. Still, it's a great chance to hang out with the kids.
I've been thinking a lot about the fact that I'm going to have to leave here this time next year. Seems very surreal to me. I'm not really even sure I know how I'm going to do it. The kids sem to know that this is the time of year when the gaijin usually heads home, so I've been bombarded with questions about my continued presence in Kyuragi. They always seem geniunely pleased when I tell them I'm staying. I dunno, I feel that this year in particular, I have been accepted as part of the the school and am not just 'that nutty foreigner'. Whether that's due to the fact that I've been here as long as any of the students or that I can speak more Japanese, I'm not sure. Probably both, huh.

A Dr. J Manifestation 2000
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Kyuragi Junior High School. Doesn't sound like all that much, but it has been arguably the focal point of my existence and experience here in Japan. Is there any way to express just how I feel about it - I'm not sure. I feel such a strong attachment to both the school and local community that it would be unforgivable for me to neglect including it in this endeavour. Granted, I still don't completely understand all the ins and outs of the daily workings of the school, but I feel that I have managed to find a niche for myself here. Where to begin? The kids. I hear tales of all the problems at other larger schools within the prefecture, and I count myself lucky to have landed in such a truly wonderful place. I have taken to thinking of the students as an extended family of sorts; making them an odd assortment of younger siblings and cousins in my mind. I'm sure they don't all feel the same way (there are times I wonder if any of them do) but there are those who no longer treat me as a Sensei, but as a friend. I can't begin to thank them enough for that. Most days I feel like they are teaching me more than I could ever teach them. I was warned about becoming too attached to the students when I first arrived in Japan - about how difficult it would be to leave here at the end of my tenure - but as hard as it's going to be, I don't regret it. In fact, I highly recommend it. Why have students when you can have friends? Makes sense to me.

May 2000 Things are getting busier around here. Spring has definitely arrived and summer is hot on its heels. The school trip to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe is at the end of the month and the kids are already fired up about it. Can't say that I blame them. Most of them have never really left Saga Prefecture, let alone Kyushu. I overheard some of the girls discussing what they were going to buy once they got to the big city. Couldn't help but laugh. The students are also gearing up for their first round of seminar tests. Not that that really means as much over here. It's a long story, so you'll have to take my word for it at the moment. Arrived at school on the 12th after a serious night out in Fukuoka to discover that it was Track & Field day. Three hours sleep, no coffee and 200 energetic students running all over the place. Not a bad way to start your day. Ended up taking a roll of pictures as once they saw my camera, everyone (I mean that - EVERYONE) had to get in front of the lens and give me their best I'm-cool-and-you-can-tell-cuz-I'm-giving-the-peace-sign poses.That's not meant to be as cynical as it sounds, either. Otherwise, the month has fairly flown by, what with the changes in the weather and all. Been trying to get to know the names of all the new first year students. It's not working so far. They've been really good about writing letters and such, though. I think this is the first time I've received something (as little or much as it may be...) from every student in a grade. Of course, that means I spend an inordinate amount of time writing replys to the kids, but what the hell.
June 2000 Well. Back from Osaka and Kyoto. Hell of a trip. Three days of energetic kids, tour buses and general pandemonium. Not to say that I didn't have a good time, I just didn't get much rest. Which I suppose is what school trips are for, right? At any rate, after a relatively long trip on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train), we arrived in Osaka and promptly boarded buses to Osaka Aquarium. Fantastic. I don't think I've ever been to an aquarium before. Looked at some fish, ran around, got back on the bus and headed for Kyoto. Altogether an uneventful bus ride. We got to our Ryokan (Japanese-style inn) at about 5PM, whereupon all hell broke loose. Kids upstairs, kids downstairs, inside, outside, rightside-up, upside-down... you name it. Finally managed to coax them all into the main hall for dinner and subsequent speeches. Group meetings after that and then off to bed. Well, that was the plan, anyway. For one reason or another, the boys and the girls weren't supposed to really interact with each other. Which I found decidedly strange, but didn't say anything. I ended up being the 'guardian' of the staircase both nights we were there. Basically all I had to do was keep boys from going upstairs and girls from going downstairs. I think that the other teachers probably wanted me to keep them from interacting, but I wasn't about to do that. So we ended up taking a bunch of pictures, making jokes, wrestling and so on until our time was up. Surprisingly, almost everyone went to bed right away. Shocking. Spent the next day trekking about by myself as the kids toured around in smaller groups. Ran into a couple of them outside Kyoto Tower and the Golden Pavilion, but otherwise spent the day on my own. Found a river and sat there skipping stones until I realized I had attracted a crowd of onlookers from a nearby bridge. So I left. Made it back to the Ryokan just in time for the return of the students. Now I was so tired from walking around all day that all I wanted to do was chill out, eat dinner, take a bath and go to bed. Nope. All - and I do mean all - the kids came tearing through the entranceway screaming like banshees. So much for R&R. Repeat of the first evening and off to bed. Back on the train the following morning for another 4-hour journey. Managed to get some shuteye somewhere between Okayama and Hiroshima - maybe 15 minutes' worth. Then it was more pictures, screaming, and staring at the students from another school boarding the train. Finally got back to Kyuragi around 6PM, one last meeting and I was ready for bed. I must be getting old or something. Well, at least I wasn't the only exhausted one.
July 2000 Summertime and the living is easy in Kyuragi. Unbearably hot, but easy. The kids have finished their mid-term exams (the school year runs from April to April over here) and are now training furiously for the Prefectural sports tournament on the 29th. Went to Hamatama on the 21st and 22nd for the county-wide tournament, at which the girls cleaned house. Came home with first place in softball, volleyball and kendo. The boys fared a little bit worse, but managed to get second place in volleyball. So now it's summer vacation, but the kids (and I) still have to be at school everyday. We don't have anything to do, but our presence is required. Still, it's a great chance to hang out with the kids. I've been thinking a lot about the fact that I'm going to have to leave here this time next year. Seems very surreal to me. I'm not really even sure I know how I'm going to do it. The kids sem to know that this is the time of year when the gaijin usually heads home, so I've been bombarded with questions about my continued presence in Kyuragi. They always seem geniunely pleased when I tell them I'm staying. I dunno, I feel that this year in particular, I have been accepted as part of the the school and am not just 'that nutty foreigner'. Whether that's due to the fact that I've been here as long as any of the students or that I can speak more Japanese, I'm not sure. Probably both, huh.