all is well here in naru. my first semester teaching here will come to and end at the close of december and i am glad to report that i have finally gotten to know some of my student's names, (new words in and of themselves, as they are names that i have never head of before in my life!) teacher's names i work with and personalitites of all the above. it has taken much longer than i anticipated, but EVERYTHING here takes longer than i think it will, so i guess that i am forgiving myself for just how long it has taken to get the ball really rolling. good beth.
i thought about something that was funny to me back when school started. it is something that anyone else in the world might think is odd, but if you have lived or taught in japan or know anything about living or working here you might just bring to mind your own first time that this happened to you and smile as well. it's all about brushing your teeth.
back in august when i first got to school there were too many things to mention that i had to start figuring out and getting used to. most of them were things like finding out where to make copies and how to read the katakana on the copy machine or how to translate the buttons on all of my computer applications from kanji or hiragana to something that i could remember. just your basic kind of exploring and there really was no one to tell me about what was what or how anything worked. i was kind of on my own as far as learning what was going on went. but i distinctly remember the day that i walked into the staffroom to find one of the other teacher's brushing her teeth. at first i was embarassed and thought that maybe she had just forgotten to do it that morning and was smart enough to keep a backup in her desk or something. but then later that day i noticed that there was a toothbrush in a little cup in the staff kitchen, then i noticed that there was one in my desk! what was going on here!? i suppose that in taking on the newness of everything that the brushing of teeth had somehow gotten lost on me for a few days but now i was really noticing it...everyone was brushing their teeth!
and now, it is true, i have come to realize that indeed everyone here, teachers and students alike both can be found brushing their teeth each day after lunch. it is a big event of sorts over at the jr high and i have found that it is much like clearning time in which it provides a great time outside of the classroom to interact with my students and get to know their personalities (see above). they all brush their teeth together and react to me in english when they are done with one simple word, "fresh!". yes it is hilarous and yes it has taken a good minute to get used to and remember to do, but now i am fully in the habit and understand it completely. i keep a small tube of toothpaste in my desk as well as a toothbrush (with a tiny head, this is the only size they have here!). there is no shame at all in standing somewhere in the main staffroom or with my students in the hall just brushing casually and having a bit of a chat. you gotta love the unexpected things that living in a foreign land bring to one's life...
hope december is treating you all well so far. i hope that the approaching holidays aren't proving to be too stressful to prepare for and that everyone is taking work, school and life in stride. i'm only too glad to be missing the craziness that can be this time of year back in the states now. whew! but we will see what they make of the holiday here, as i hear that it is quite different from the one that i am used to having back home.
merry season and happiness to everyone where ever you are!
namaste
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