Friday was graduation day at my school, and the third year students could finally leave their school uniform wearing days behind them. When I got to school in the morning the staff was putting the finishing touches on clean up, and cars were already starting to line up for the commencement ceremony.
First I went to my classroom and met Mie Satomi, one of my second year ESS members, and we decorated the room for the party later on. Mie wrote a big message for the students in English in the front of the class, and we hung up some balloons and streamers. Once we were finished I walked over to the gym and started taking pictures. The first year students aren’t invited, and the third year students were not there yet, but the second year students were happy to ham it up for the camera.
As a teacher I was required to sit with all the other teachers, and we observed the ceremony from the side of the gym. The ceremony was very formal, and each homeroom teacher introduced their class as a whole. They called off the name of each student, and the student would rise and say “Hai!” in a loud voice. One of the teachers almost lost it while she was reading names, and barely pulled it off.
There were many speeches, by the students, for the students, by the PTA, for the teachers, etc. I lost track, and since I couldn’t understand the speeches it was that much harded to know what was going on. Miss Yamamoto sat next to me and she told me when to stand up and when to sit down – it was very organized. I probably stood up and sat down 20-30 times during the hour and a half ceremony. Without her help I would have stood out even more than I already did.
After the ceremony was complete, each graduating homeroom stood up and made a quick tribute to their teacher. Some fired off handheld noisemakers, some had brought roses in and showered their teachers, others said something all together that I didn’t understand.
Most of the girl students were crying as they left, and the boys just looked happy to be leaving. The students left first, and everyone in the place gave them a big hand as they left. Overall it was a lot more formal and organized than what I’m used to in the States, but certainly not unexpected given what I know about Japanese culture now.
Just when I thought it was over, one of the parents stood up and made a speech to the teachers to thank then for everything, and then we did a lot more bowing and nodding. I’ve done a lot of bowing since my arrival in Japan, but I still don’t think I have the hang of it.
After the ceremony I went back to the staffroom and had a great bento lunch that they catered for us. The bento was excellent, filled with sashimi, shrimp tempura, vegetables, and some fresh fruit.
At one o’clock I went up to my classroom, and Mie and I sat around waiting for the third years to show up. A few minutes later everyone showed up, including Mrs. Tsutsumi, who helped us eat all the junkfood I had brought. We took lots of pictures, and I signed everyone’s yearbook. It was good to see the students again, and Harada-san even came by with her friend to join us.
I think the party was a success. The classic moment was when one of the girls picked up the wasabi peas that I had brought and asked in Japanese – “Who brought the old man food?”. Everyone laughed and pointed to me, and I was surprised that I understood it. The poor girl was really embarrassed. I pulled up one leg of my pants and showed them my long underwear, which got big laughs, too. Long johns are also considered “old man clothes”, so it’s always a laugh riot when I show people that I’m wearing them. The kids are probably going to go home and say “Mom, Bryan threw a big party and gave us drinks and food and showed us his underwear.”
The students presented Miss Tsutsumi and I with flowers to thank us for our efforts with ESS, and so I got to carry flowers home… nice!
After the party I cleaned up and then we got the go-ahead to go home early. On my way home I bumped into the master of the yakitori, and he gave me a ride home. I changed out of my monkey suit, and then went into Kobe to do some tortilla shopping and meet Antoine for dinner. The trip was a success, and it was fun to walk around Kobe a bit. We ate all you can eat Indian food and had a couple of Hoegaarden Whites at a bar that I know in that area. It was a pretty busy day, and now I”m gearing up for the weekend!
