School has officially started

The Higashiyama Jr.High official opening ceremony was held yesterday. I cycled to work in my charcoal grey suit and immediately regreted doing so. Duh. I got to school just in time for my very first staff meeting. A bell was rung, everyone stood up, bowed and said 'ohayo gozaimasu', which means 'good morning', and then a whole lot was said in Japanese. I understood a few words here and there, and when I was being talked about. The other teachers really find my mixed Japanese/Irish heritage interesting, and I can understand enough Japanese to know when it's being brought up in conversation. Anyhow, they made me get up in front of everyone, introduce myself briefly in English and then in Japanese, and then I got to sit down again. I tripped on my too-long pant legs while walking up to the front of the staff room. Great first impression. (actually, I was kind of embarrased about my pant legs -- which are too long because I had them hemmed for heels -- but then realized that all the other female teacher's pant legs were also too long. Yes, I could have re-hemmed them, but my laziness has allowed me to kind of fit-in. hah!).

At 9:15 the entire school filed into the gymnasium for the official welcome ceremony; I wish I had brought my camera (but I didn't, so no pictures). The students, who had been coming to school all through the summer break wearing their school gym clothes, were now wearing their real school uniforms. I was not disappointed in the least - they were everything Japanese school uniforms are supposed to be! The boys wear white dress shirts and grey pants, and the girls wear white and navy sailor dresses. Their shoes are colour-coded to correspondwith the grade they're in. They lined up outside, and then jogged-in purposefully to form lines. Once everyone was in there was a lot of bowing, more japanese, and then the school song was sung. Wow, what an experience. I was expecting a pitiful, half-hearted, warbly sort of thing with the staff cringing and the students looking uncomfortable. Instead, three 3rd year boys (the equivalent to about grade 9) got up on the stage and took turns yelling at the ceiling, their hands clasped behind their backs, bobbing up and down while leaning backwards. Then the rest of the student population got up and did the same thing. In two-part harmony. While yelling. And bobbing up and down in that backwards sort-of fashion. IT WAS BIZARRE!!! But very, very cool. And the staff seemed to approve. Then, after a lot of talking, I heard the kocho-sensei(principal) start talking about me again. And it was my turn to get up on stage.

Duh-duh-duhhhhhh.

Now, I generally don't have a problem speaking in front of people, and I had been asked to prepare a short speech in simple English. So I did. However, earlier that morning one of the English teachers asked that I write it out -- so that she could translate it into Japanese. For me. I got the translation about 15 mins before the ceremony started and practiced furiously. I got up on stage and stumbled through it; out of the corner of my eye I could see the other English teachers giggling amongst themselves. In the end, I think I got most of the pronounciation correct, and if anything it strengthened my resolve to learn Japanese. And I'm sure the kids got a good laugh.

Later that evening I went out for dinner with a friend, and then for drinks at a really, really cool bar/lounge thing with a huge collection of vinyl and a really good sound system. And all was well with the world.