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Graduation!
So when I said that I was going to freeze to death, I didn't actually think it was true. But the gym was FREEZING. I was shivering constantly throughout most of the ceremony, but by the end I had stopped. Because I was like *hypothermic* by then. I was wearing a shirt and sweater and two pants, so I wasn't underdressed for the cold, I didn't think. (Although I was kind of underdressed for the formality. It was *so cute* to see all the teachers in their best suits and jewelry. Um, I wore earrings? But, hey, much better to be underdressed than overdressed, especially as I didn't bring any sports clothes to immediately change into like the teachers did.) I don't know how all the women in skirts and pantyhose managed to survive.
I mean, it was raining, so the gym was better than *outside*, but they could have put a few stoves around at least. Geez.
So the cold made everyone sniffly and sleepy. Like they were going to hibernate for the winter. Or, you know, lie down in the snow and die.
It wouldn't have been so bad if the ceremony hadn't been so *long* (like 3 hours BUT IT FELT LIKE MORE) and, well, *boring*. Like all graduations, there were a lot of speeches. But this one was so... what's the word... militaristic. All the strict ceremonial gestures and bowing to the flag and playing the national anthem and ordering everyone to stand, bow, sit down, stand, bow, sit down... I felt like I was at High Mass, with the Giant Flag at the back of the stage in place of the altar. The boringness was partly because I didn't understand a lot of the speeches - I wasn't paying attention to them at all because even without translating I could tell they were *boring*. God.
BTW you know how the Japanese schools' PTA is called - wait for it - "PTA"? I sort of really love that.
The ceremony ended with singing. First all the students sang a song, and then just the sannensei sang another song. There was some awesome part-singing going on from everyone when you consider that these weren't all people with particular singing talent and that they were in *middle school*. I was impressed.
After that the sannensei homeroom teachers bowed to each short row of their homeroom students to dismiss them. Like *all* the sannensei girls were crying. Even I felt a little emotional, what with the stirring music from the brass band.
I had to walk the gauntlet of sannensei classrooms to get to and from the gym, so I got to say hi and bye to some of them too.
I must say I definitely have a newfound Love and Devotion to the heated teachers' room. ::clings to desk::
The sushi lunch was mostly edible, and I showed the Japanese Tradition: Sushi video to Uegaki-sensei while we were eating. She thought it was funny, too.
I mean, it was raining, so the gym was better than *outside*, but they could have put a few stoves around at least. Geez.
So the cold made everyone sniffly and sleepy. Like they were going to hibernate for the winter. Or, you know, lie down in the snow and die.
It wouldn't have been so bad if the ceremony hadn't been so *long* (like 3 hours BUT IT FELT LIKE MORE) and, well, *boring*. Like all graduations, there were a lot of speeches. But this one was so... what's the word... militaristic. All the strict ceremonial gestures and bowing to the flag and playing the national anthem and ordering everyone to stand, bow, sit down, stand, bow, sit down... I felt like I was at High Mass, with the Giant Flag at the back of the stage in place of the altar. The boringness was partly because I didn't understand a lot of the speeches - I wasn't paying attention to them at all because even without translating I could tell they were *boring*. God.
BTW you know how the Japanese schools' PTA is called - wait for it - "PTA"? I sort of really love that.
The ceremony ended with singing. First all the students sang a song, and then just the sannensei sang another song. There was some awesome part-singing going on from everyone when you consider that these weren't all people with particular singing talent and that they were in *middle school*. I was impressed.
After that the sannensei homeroom teachers bowed to each short row of their homeroom students to dismiss them. Like *all* the sannensei girls were crying. Even I felt a little emotional, what with the stirring music from the brass band.
I had to walk the gauntlet of sannensei classrooms to get to and from the gym, so I got to say hi and bye to some of them too.
I must say I definitely have a newfound Love and Devotion to the heated teachers' room. ::clings to desk::
The sushi lunch was mostly edible, and I showed the Japanese Tradition: Sushi video to Uegaki-sensei while we were eating. She thought it was funny, too.
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