Things, things and stuff

Hey y'all,

I thought I should finally let you in on the little details of my daily life. I will let you in on the funniest thing I have seen in my classes. One day during class I got everyone to clap along to the Bill Withers song "Lean on me". The kids didn't even know the song or have any idea of what it was about. Yet everyone was all smiles laughing along while clapping to the melody. Another humorous thing about students in my school (but I think might be related to all students in Japan)is that in every class there are two or more students with Marijuana pen cases! The kids can be the nerdiest looking boys or the sweetest looking girls and the only thing that differentiates them from everyone else is a metal case with Cannabis written all over, lots of pot leaves and rasta colors. Obviously these kids have no idea what their little trendy cases mean. But I often laugh out loud to think that 11 year old kids are allowed to have cannabis pen cases in a country where marijuana get years in prison.

Today is the day before the JHS graduation. I can say with all honesty this is the biggest deal of the year. Not only has everyone been preparing for weeks but The whole school has transformed in both energy and appearance. I thought I should try to document what this celebration entails before I forget everything. First you should know the Japanese take their celebrations very seriously. The amount of practice and training that goes into this one day is astounding. I have been watching from the sidelines so to speak. It feels as if you were sent back in time 500 years and watched some coming of age celebration. I have no idea whats going on half the time but what I can tell you is the whole ordeal involves a lot of song, dance and even a few skits. I have not been asked to participate in any of this which is both disappointing and relieving. I don:t think I would be able to participate at this level of pressure.
The most elaborate part of the whole ordeal though is the militaristic entry and exit of the students. As well as their walking, sitting and standing in unison. I have never really seen anything like it before. So you can imagine that the whole is pretty eye-opening for me. The video the third grade teachers made was also hilarious. I don't even know what they are saying and i was laughing out loud. It is pretty much a bunch of slap-stick. I also heard that it gets pretty emotional with lots of teachers and students crying. Other than that i don't see how it could be more unlike any JHS graduation in America. I am excited to take part in my first official Japanese ceremony. It is really strict though and I had to go out and buy my first suit and lay down a bit of money. It sucks but hopefully i will be able to use it again..
As for buying the suit that is a story in itself. On Monday I had bike 30 minutes out of town to go buy the thing, only to find out they have to hem and fit the suit which takes a day or two. So I was given a time and yesterday I took the long bike ride again after work. Of course this time it was pouring rain and freezing cold. So as you can imagine I am decked out in water proof gear(seeing as how an umbrella is useless in this weather) battling the wind and rain in my eyes. I finally made it there in an hour. On the way back I had my suit on a hanger in a plastic bag and still almost getting blown into the street. I had to stop at the local pizza place to warm up and slam a few beers. It wasn't the best night i had but i did manage to get a suit for the big day tomorrow and that's all that matters.
So today is the day after graduation. I am feeling a bit hungover but otherwise pretty unaffected by the big day. As i write this now i realize yesterday kinda felt like i was going through graduation. All the emotion and energy of the day surely carried me on an emotional rollarcoaster. I was almost in tears as the third graders proceeded to say their goodbyes to the first graders. All the first graders and teachers lined up along the long hallway and waited for the graduates to come. They cam in a wave not unlike football players emerging into a stadium. There were a lot of hugs and even more tears. Then the craziest part of the day, the Knomikai!! All the teachers went to a huge restaurant right after school and proceeded to get wasted(well everyone except the drivers). I was the token white guy so I was passed along seats with everyone pouring drinks down my throat(not literally but close). I was stuck with the funny lanky volleyball coach(who is actually crazy, at least i think). I thought i was never going to get out of there. Luckily one of my English teachers rescued me(offered me a ride and we both snuck out while everyone was distracted with Karoke). Overall it was not such a bad day, a day filled with emotion, excitement and debauchery; and one that i will surely remember for the rest of mine.