Tuesday 9th January 2007

It is 8:14am and I am sitting in the staff room at the Nada Junior High School. I got here at 7:55am and I got rushed into the principal’s office to meet the principal, then about one minute later I got rushed into the staff room to say a speech that I had prepared in Japanese to all the staff. There are about fifty teachers at this school which is a HUGE change from Peterborough! It is very formal and busy here.

Now, all the teachers are outside greeting the students and checking their hair and their uniforms. It is a pretty strict dress code here. I was told to wait in the staff room and meet the students at 8:50am in the gym for the opening ceremony. In about half an hour, I will have to say a speech I prepared to nine-hundred students and fifty staff members! It’s all pretty daunting, but hopefully I will be OK. There ware so many differences between schools in Australia and schools in Japan that there really is no comparison. Pretty much EVERYTHING is different!

Apparently, I have to make sure I am looking busy all the time which is why I decided to write all this down. There are still a few people in the staff room so I can’t just sit here and do nothing! I feel like I am WAY out of my comfort zone in a totally different school, in a totally different country and the people speak a totally different language! I don’t know the protocol here of what is accepted and what isn’t accepted. Apparently it is rude to put your hands in your pocket. There are little things like that which in Australia, wouldn’t be a problem at all, but here, it is considered extremely rude. I hope I don’t offend anyone!

Even catching the bus here is a full-on thing. The buses are so busy. I was jammed in like a sardine! I have to catch a bus and a train to work and it takes me one hour. I am expected to be here at 8:00am so I have to leave home at 6:57am. In Peterborough, I left school at 8:29am and got to school at 8:30am! What a change! I hate getting up early!

Next week I have to plan a lesson for sixteen classes (it will be the same lesson repeated sixteen times!). I have to introduce myself to the students and teach them something about Australia. I was thinking of borrowing a Crows scarf and Guernsey from one of the other Australian’s to show the kids and then I could teach them the Crows song. I might get some pictures of Aussie rules off the internet so they can see. I also might print out some pictures I took of Peterborough so they can get an idea of what it looks like. Hopefully they will be interested in that!

Everyone speaks so fast in Japanese and I have no idea what they are saying! Even if they spoke slowly, I would still have no idea! Not to worry, I think that I will soon get accustomed to all these differences and hopefully I will learn a think or two on the way.

The opening ceremony on the first day of the term was such an eye-opener! When I went into the gym, I saw nine-hundred students in perfect lines with perfect uniforms and perfect hair. They looked like soldiers! It was amazing. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t think that would be appropriate! I said my speech and I was so nervous. I think I said it OK, I hope they understood it. After I said my speech, I didn’t know where to go and I started to walk off the stage and the principal stopped me. Then a young girl walked on the stage and said a welcome speech to me in perfect English. I was very impressed.

The kids were one hundred percent well-behaved. They were all sitting with their legs crossed, bowing to their teachers, singing the songs, standing up straight and never stepped a foot out of line. It was just amazing!