There was one Japanese tradition that I never wanted to see...
and that is...a vase of flowers on a desk.
When I got to school this morning, I was surprised at how subdued everyone was. Everyone was also gathered several minutes ahead of time for the morning meeting, which is quite unusual. When I picked up the photocopied news articles, I finally understood why: one of our students drowned whilst playing at the beach with his friends yesterday.
On a day where the strong wind from an approaching storm was creating swells of up to three meters, they were at the beach as a group of six, jumping/diving in from the breakwater (if I'm not mistaken - 護岸 in Japanese), when 3 were swept out into deeper water. Two were able to make it to shore, floating with the aid of empty plastic bottles. The third boy was found a short while later on the sea bed, about 50m from shore.
The effect this accident has had and will continue ot have on our community cannot really be described. His homeroom teacher looked like he'd been crying, and I could hear several other teachers as well. The students were incredibly quiet at the emergency assembly, and I can only imagine what his classmates must be feeling. Two friends who were with him yesterday were absent today, and their homeroom teacher is also very worried - this tragedy will probably stay with the five of them for the rest of their lives.
I didn't know this student all that well, though I remember seeing him in class last year. I'd written down in my class notes that he likes P.E. amongst other things...but his was a face one would never forget, because he usually had a cheeky grin on it. Unlike some, he was always looking forward to having fun.
Sadly, that is what probably took his life yesterday.
When I got to school this morning, I was surprised at how subdued everyone was. Everyone was also gathered several minutes ahead of time for the morning meeting, which is quite unusual. When I picked up the photocopied news articles, I finally understood why: one of our students drowned whilst playing at the beach with his friends yesterday.
On a day where the strong wind from an approaching storm was creating swells of up to three meters, they were at the beach as a group of six, jumping/diving in from the breakwater (if I'm not mistaken - 護岸 in Japanese), when 3 were swept out into deeper water. Two were able to make it to shore, floating with the aid of empty plastic bottles. The third boy was found a short while later on the sea bed, about 50m from shore.
The effect this accident has had and will continue ot have on our community cannot really be described. His homeroom teacher looked like he'd been crying, and I could hear several other teachers as well. The students were incredibly quiet at the emergency assembly, and I can only imagine what his classmates must be feeling. Two friends who were with him yesterday were absent today, and their homeroom teacher is also very worried - this tragedy will probably stay with the five of them for the rest of their lives.
I didn't know this student all that well, though I remember seeing him in class last year. I'd written down in my class notes that he likes P.E. amongst other things...but his was a face one would never forget, because he usually had a cheeky grin on it. Unlike some, he was always looking forward to having fun.
Sadly, that is what probably took his life yesterday.