Very well loved.
I started this entry on Wednesday, July 15, and finished it today, July 20th...So the times in the entry are a little off. Gomen!
Man, I'm having a totally good day today. And I had a pretty good day yesterday, especially after lunch. The third graders at Yutaka ES yesterday were really darling. One cutie, Honoka, whose the grand daughter of my adult eikaiwa student Omachi Sanae-san, even cried for me because I was leaving. And even though I was pissed to be asked to play on Tuesday the morning before, I somehow managed to make it through three pieces without floundering too much. And after lunch they did my owakare-kai and I was presented with a bouquet of pink roses and baby's breath and other flowers whose names I don't know, and a set of letters written by the students and teachers in the school. That was really touching. It was also really touching when kids (mostly Mrs. Shinmoto's third graders) presented me with drawings of Janitha-sensei.
Three of the third and fourth grade girls brought bits of "getting to know you" stationery for me to fill out. (Oh, yes. It's called a "profile". Yes.) I had to write my star sign, blood type, favorite food, sport and book, as well as answer some probing questions about whether I had ever confessed my love to someone, or been confessed to (actually, I have been confessed to: Kanda Tomomi-chan in the sixth grade put "I Love You" on the back of her letter to me. Last week, I'd told the fifth and sixth graders than anyone who wanted to confess to me had better do it by next week. ^__^ And I got a confession from one of the girls! lol I also got some "I love you's" and "daisuki's" from the third grade girls, as well as some nice hugs. That made me really happy. And I found myself shaking all the fifth and sixth graders hands before class fifth period. They seemed really happy about that. What, no hug? I can still hug on Junpei, Kimoto Kenta's little brother next week if I see him in the neighborhood. I did tell Junpei that I loved him. I hope it made him feel good. lol
So, yeah. Other than the first and second grade's class, and the second half of the fourth grade's class, it was a pretty good day at elementary.
Last night, I ate dinner with Jean and Kaneko Kenji and Etsuko (yes, the Etsuko) and this slightly new resident from Osaka, Takahashi-san. I played my violin and sang last year's "I Wanna Know" hit for them, and they really praised me. I'm just glad that "Ashokan Farewell" went all right.
Mmm...I got a really nice Japanese print from Etsuko and Kenji. It was awesome. It looks awesome. I should take a picture of it.
And then, this morning, I got to school a couple of minutes after the morning meeting at Yutaka Junior High had started, which while it doesn't happen too often, is not unusual. At the end of the meeting, I had to say something about my time in Japan and Yutaka, so I mentioned how I'd felt I'd grown as a person and how I'd learned the best way to teach my younger students and peak their interest in the language. And then, I got this awesome present from the teachers! It was a Japanese-syle, handmade stoneware teapot and two matching cups. Apparently, when the school nurse Hata-sensei was asking me for my opinion on a good birthday gift for a friend of hers, she meant me! And everyone in the teacher's room was in on it. lol And I had nooo idea. It was really surprising, and really sweet.
And, oh my goodness. The o-wakarekai at school today (Wednesday) was just beautiful. I can't describe how it made me feel. I'm not really one to cry "happy tears", but I was really, really close today. I'm glad that I held it in, even though Uekiyo-sensei specifically sought to make me cry through the kids' remembrances of stuff I'd done for them and how they felt about me. It was sooo awesome. Oh, my gosh. I don't know where to start. I'll try at the beginning. At first, the principal Mr. Tatsuta made a speech about me and all that I'd done over the years at Yutaka (participated in various festivals, tried out a couple of sessions of tea ceremony and flower arranging (though that was actually in Hiroshima ^^;) and played taiko and did eikaiwa nearly every week of my time here. Then Mr. Tatsuta told us all some words he associated with me "bright (akarui), cheerful (genki na), positive (sekkyoku no--I had to look that one up), serious and dedicated (majime na--I didn't agree with that one, but you can't change what people think of you)..." It was nice to hear what people thought of me. I hope I'll be able to live up to their surprisingly positive impressions of me in the future.
Okay, the next event was a true/false game about me that all the kids and teachers in the gym played. "Janitha-sensei plays the guitar: True or False?" And we played that for about fifteen minutes, with me giving my reasons for the true answers at Kazuma and Toshihiro's (ninth grade student council peeps) request. Good times. There was always a fifty-fifty chance of being right, so good on that.
The next part was sadder/more heartfelt. Three students, one from each grade, came up and gave a speech about their feelings for me and what I'd done for them over the years and such. That was very touching. And they gave me a collection of letters and message boards(these thick bits of square paper that people use to write messages for someone at graduation or another special occasion) from each grade.
After that was the real clencher: Uekiyo-sensei had arranged for the students to sit in a row of twenty-six, and hold a leaf of papers. On his signal, the students turned a page and revealed a letter. Ultimately the twenty-six sheets of papers spelled out various sentences, all about me! It was soo beautiful. I think some of the sentences were like, "Thank you for everything./You are so special./We like your class. /We like your smile./Never forget us. We won't forget you." Something like that. I was so touched. I'm so thankful to Uekiyo-sensei for arranging all of that and taking so much time to make it go well. I'll never forget it.
Oh, and I blathered on for seven minutes or so about the things I wanted to tell the kids, and then Uekiyo-sensei had me shake each student's hand on the way out. Of course, I made sure to say a little some about each of them. That worked out nicely.
On Thursday, I had my Toyoshima Elementary event, and I heard some nice speeches from a couple of sixth grade students who cried for me and gave them a really short speech about my time at Toyoshima. I totally forget what I said then. On Friday, I had a class with each grade that, for the second time in two weeks, was filled with questions in English and Japanese for me . The class went quickly that time. Mr. Oue has been doing this weak-ass "shitsumon corner" (question corner) every Friday/alternate Monday since school started in April basically, and I honestly didn't ever think that such a class would be worthwhile. But asking me questions at the end of my time at Toyohama JHS was just right, I think. I'm surprised that they had anything else to ask, since, until now, we had to go through the same excruciating 45 minute drill each week. Thanks, guys!
Many students were getting sad and misty-eyed as I blathered on during class, and I managed to squeeze everyone's hand or shoulders throughout the course of each class. The ceremony we had later that morning was nice, but sad as well. The kids tried really hard and wrote a long letter to me in English. It was nearly perfect. One student, Mana Doho, read it to me in English, and another student Ryohei Kono, read it again in Japanese. A third student, Momoka Nishimiya presented me with several laminated notes from all the students (sometimes, I got more than one letter from a student). It was very touching. I was close to crying at this last ceremony. I really love those kids, and I'm so sorry to see that they're having a tougher time with life than they should be thanks to circumstances beyond their control (tough/estranged family situation, bullying at previous school, or something equally sad).
As per my art teacher Harada-sensei's suggestion, I just took the time at the end of the ceremony to say my thoughts about Toyohama JHS and how the kids loved and supported each other so well. I didn't mention that they didn't have much trust in adults, but I stressed at least three times that as long as they had someone to talk with, to listen to their thoughts and ask for advice, they could overcome any obstacle in their lives. Trusting other people and having "nakama" will cause miracles. I really believe that. I also wanted them to know that their school lives would be over before they knew it, and that worrying about each week as it came and dwelling on the past wasn't good for them. A better method of coping with sadness or disappointment or anger would be to aim for a future goal. To decide what you wanted to do, and set about achieving that dream. And it was just fine if your dreams changed over time. That's normal. So, just go out there and smile and take comfort in your friends and try your best to work hard and live a happy life.
...It was something like that. It was apparently a very long speech. At the end, on my way out of the gym, the kids lined up to clap me down the path. I made sure I shook hands with each student and gave them a little tidbit on what I wanted for them/what I thought of them. And I also told one of the teachers, Mr. Kadowaki, to be careful of his smoking habit. ("Smoking...ki wo tsukete.") That got a few laughs. After school, the teachers presented me with a gift and a message written in a Toyohama mountain drawn by Harada-sensei. He also drew me the "This is Janitha-sensei" pics that I'd first seen for Vanessa's farewell ceremony two years ago, and remained very jealous of. And now, I have my own! I can see myself through Mr. Harada's eyes now. I'm really happy. ^____^
I don't know how to thank Uekiyo-sensei and Harada-sensei and all the teachers and people who've loved me so well these last three years. I'm so glad that I got to meet them and learn about their feelings, though.
All right, this took at least seven days to write. I'm out!
Man, I'm having a totally good day today. And I had a pretty good day yesterday, especially after lunch. The third graders at Yutaka ES yesterday were really darling. One cutie, Honoka, whose the grand daughter of my adult eikaiwa student Omachi Sanae-san, even cried for me because I was leaving. And even though I was pissed to be asked to play on Tuesday the morning before, I somehow managed to make it through three pieces without floundering too much. And after lunch they did my owakare-kai and I was presented with a bouquet of pink roses and baby's breath and other flowers whose names I don't know, and a set of letters written by the students and teachers in the school. That was really touching. It was also really touching when kids (mostly Mrs. Shinmoto's third graders) presented me with drawings of Janitha-sensei.
Three of the third and fourth grade girls brought bits of "getting to know you" stationery for me to fill out. (Oh, yes. It's called a "profile". Yes.) I had to write my star sign, blood type, favorite food, sport and book, as well as answer some probing questions about whether I had ever confessed my love to someone, or been confessed to (actually, I have been confessed to: Kanda Tomomi-chan in the sixth grade put "I Love You" on the back of her letter to me. Last week, I'd told the fifth and sixth graders than anyone who wanted to confess to me had better do it by next week. ^__^ And I got a confession from one of the girls! lol I also got some "I love you's" and "daisuki's" from the third grade girls, as well as some nice hugs. That made me really happy. And I found myself shaking all the fifth and sixth graders hands before class fifth period. They seemed really happy about that. What, no hug? I can still hug on Junpei, Kimoto Kenta's little brother next week if I see him in the neighborhood. I did tell Junpei that I loved him. I hope it made him feel good. lol
So, yeah. Other than the first and second grade's class, and the second half of the fourth grade's class, it was a pretty good day at elementary.
Last night, I ate dinner with Jean and Kaneko Kenji and Etsuko (yes, the Etsuko) and this slightly new resident from Osaka, Takahashi-san. I played my violin and sang last year's "I Wanna Know" hit for them, and they really praised me. I'm just glad that "Ashokan Farewell" went all right.
Mmm...I got a really nice Japanese print from Etsuko and Kenji. It was awesome. It looks awesome. I should take a picture of it.
And then, this morning, I got to school a couple of minutes after the morning meeting at Yutaka Junior High had started, which while it doesn't happen too often, is not unusual. At the end of the meeting, I had to say something about my time in Japan and Yutaka, so I mentioned how I'd felt I'd grown as a person and how I'd learned the best way to teach my younger students and peak their interest in the language. And then, I got this awesome present from the teachers! It was a Japanese-syle, handmade stoneware teapot and two matching cups. Apparently, when the school nurse Hata-sensei was asking me for my opinion on a good birthday gift for a friend of hers, she meant me! And everyone in the teacher's room was in on it. lol And I had nooo idea. It was really surprising, and really sweet.
And, oh my goodness. The o-wakarekai at school today (Wednesday) was just beautiful. I can't describe how it made me feel. I'm not really one to cry "happy tears", but I was really, really close today. I'm glad that I held it in, even though Uekiyo-sensei specifically sought to make me cry through the kids' remembrances of stuff I'd done for them and how they felt about me. It was sooo awesome. Oh, my gosh. I don't know where to start. I'll try at the beginning. At first, the principal Mr. Tatsuta made a speech about me and all that I'd done over the years at Yutaka (participated in various festivals, tried out a couple of sessions of tea ceremony and flower arranging (though that was actually in Hiroshima ^^;) and played taiko and did eikaiwa nearly every week of my time here. Then Mr. Tatsuta told us all some words he associated with me "bright (akarui), cheerful (genki na), positive (sekkyoku no--I had to look that one up), serious and dedicated (majime na--I didn't agree with that one, but you can't change what people think of you)..." It was nice to hear what people thought of me. I hope I'll be able to live up to their surprisingly positive impressions of me in the future.
Okay, the next event was a true/false game about me that all the kids and teachers in the gym played. "Janitha-sensei plays the guitar: True or False?" And we played that for about fifteen minutes, with me giving my reasons for the true answers at Kazuma and Toshihiro's (ninth grade student council peeps) request. Good times. There was always a fifty-fifty chance of being right, so good on that.
The next part was sadder/more heartfelt. Three students, one from each grade, came up and gave a speech about their feelings for me and what I'd done for them over the years and such. That was very touching. And they gave me a collection of letters and message boards(these thick bits of square paper that people use to write messages for someone at graduation or another special occasion) from each grade.
After that was the real clencher: Uekiyo-sensei had arranged for the students to sit in a row of twenty-six, and hold a leaf of papers. On his signal, the students turned a page and revealed a letter. Ultimately the twenty-six sheets of papers spelled out various sentences, all about me! It was soo beautiful. I think some of the sentences were like, "Thank you for everything./You are so special./We like your class. /We like your smile./Never forget us. We won't forget you." Something like that. I was so touched. I'm so thankful to Uekiyo-sensei for arranging all of that and taking so much time to make it go well. I'll never forget it.
Oh, and I blathered on for seven minutes or so about the things I wanted to tell the kids, and then Uekiyo-sensei had me shake each student's hand on the way out. Of course, I made sure to say a little some about each of them. That worked out nicely.
On Thursday, I had my Toyoshima Elementary event, and I heard some nice speeches from a couple of sixth grade students who cried for me and gave them a really short speech about my time at Toyoshima. I totally forget what I said then. On Friday, I had a class with each grade that, for the second time in two weeks, was filled with questions in English and Japanese for me . The class went quickly that time. Mr. Oue has been doing this weak-ass "shitsumon corner" (question corner) every Friday/alternate Monday since school started in April basically, and I honestly didn't ever think that such a class would be worthwhile. But asking me questions at the end of my time at Toyohama JHS was just right, I think. I'm surprised that they had anything else to ask, since, until now, we had to go through the same excruciating 45 minute drill each week. Thanks, guys!
Many students were getting sad and misty-eyed as I blathered on during class, and I managed to squeeze everyone's hand or shoulders throughout the course of each class. The ceremony we had later that morning was nice, but sad as well. The kids tried really hard and wrote a long letter to me in English. It was nearly perfect. One student, Mana Doho, read it to me in English, and another student Ryohei Kono, read it again in Japanese. A third student, Momoka Nishimiya presented me with several laminated notes from all the students (sometimes, I got more than one letter from a student). It was very touching. I was close to crying at this last ceremony. I really love those kids, and I'm so sorry to see that they're having a tougher time with life than they should be thanks to circumstances beyond their control (tough/estranged family situation, bullying at previous school, or something equally sad).
As per my art teacher Harada-sensei's suggestion, I just took the time at the end of the ceremony to say my thoughts about Toyohama JHS and how the kids loved and supported each other so well. I didn't mention that they didn't have much trust in adults, but I stressed at least three times that as long as they had someone to talk with, to listen to their thoughts and ask for advice, they could overcome any obstacle in their lives. Trusting other people and having "nakama" will cause miracles. I really believe that. I also wanted them to know that their school lives would be over before they knew it, and that worrying about each week as it came and dwelling on the past wasn't good for them. A better method of coping with sadness or disappointment or anger would be to aim for a future goal. To decide what you wanted to do, and set about achieving that dream. And it was just fine if your dreams changed over time. That's normal. So, just go out there and smile and take comfort in your friends and try your best to work hard and live a happy life.
...It was something like that. It was apparently a very long speech. At the end, on my way out of the gym, the kids lined up to clap me down the path. I made sure I shook hands with each student and gave them a little tidbit on what I wanted for them/what I thought of them. And I also told one of the teachers, Mr. Kadowaki, to be careful of his smoking habit. ("Smoking...ki wo tsukete.") That got a few laughs. After school, the teachers presented me with a gift and a message written in a Toyohama mountain drawn by Harada-sensei. He also drew me the "This is Janitha-sensei" pics that I'd first seen for Vanessa's farewell ceremony two years ago, and remained very jealous of. And now, I have my own! I can see myself through Mr. Harada's eyes now. I'm really happy. ^____^
I don't know how to thank Uekiyo-sensei and Harada-sensei and all the teachers and people who've loved me so well these last three years. I'm so glad that I got to meet them and learn about their feelings, though.
All right, this took at least seven days to write. I'm out!