along with every other thing that they do differently here the japanese have graduation for students at all levels in the spring. my high school kids graduated two weeks ago and today my jr high and 6th grade students graduated as well. it is a VERY different ceremony than what i am used to experiencing in the states and totally formal and pretty rigid if you ask me. loads of standing up and bowing and sitting down and standing up and on and on. loads of speeches from people who the students may or may not recognize and a few somber little songs thrown in for fun. all of the students are required to participate as graduation falls on a school day. the most touching part of the ceremony was when a few representatives of each graduating class gave short inspriational messages to the other classes. in return a few representatives from those classes stood and gave glad parting and congratulatory words to them. most teachers were crying but i have to be honest, i didnt really try that hard to understand what they were saying like i did during the high school ceremony (tear jerker!) because i was facing a huge window that had the most wonderful view of outside and i was totally daydreaming about laying on the beach here really soon. hey, you would probably have been drawn to do the same thing if you were in my place. we were able to clap at the end as the students who were graduating were leaving, that was my favorite part because i could move again without being the fidgety gaijin. and so the school year wraps up here in naru and it feels, well, really weird. it could have to do with the fact that i walked past of few of my graduating students on the way to school this morning as they were packing their bags and noticed that they were including a straightening iron in their things; it was two of my 9th grade boys. oh japan you just always throw a curve ball dont you?
happy spring to all of you and happy birthday to my beautiful momma. her birthday is tomorrow and it is an epic one. im so glad that i got to see her last week along with all of the rest of my family and hold them each for a moment and catch up on life. though we gathered under very sad circumstances we all managed to speak of and share in the joy that our beloved KC had shared with each of us in her life. what a wonderful thing to have such beautiful people inside and out in my life.
im blessed beyond belief
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