First Day on the Job...

I was told, as I walked into the school, that I would be giving a speech in about 15 minutes for the coming back to school ceremony. I about wet myself...Its one thing talking to head-honchos and politicians, but its another thing to address 250 kids. I mean...who knows how they’d react?

I walked into a huge hardwood room, and every student was trained like a soldier... Completely silent, arms length away each other, hands by their sides, staring straigh ahead. Immediately, I realized a fart joke was’t going to fly...

The principle yelled some blabber, told everyone to bow, then walked away...and left me staring at 220 kids whos eyes said “oh my god, you are a foreigner”. Awkwardly smiling, I sceamed in Japanese,

“HELLO EVERYONE! GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ALEXANDER, YOU CAN CALL ME ALEX. IM FROM MICHIGAN INSIDE AMERICA. I WANT TO BE A DIPLOMAT WHEN I GROW UP. I LIKE HIKING, BALLROOM DANCE, AND SPORTS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. IM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR. ITS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU ALL!

IMMEDIATELY after i finished my speech and bowed, the silenced was shattered by a kid in the second row VOMITING EVERYWHERE! (Allow me to include the sound effect: “BLEHAGARGHALAH”. ...)

“HOOOLY SH*T!”, I thought.... Why did you just puke kid? Am I...frightening or something? And why is everyone ignoring you? Shouldn’t a teacher like...help? And why did the kid you just PUKED ON NOT MOVE?! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

Conforming, I acted as if nothing (absolutely ridiculous) had just happened, and...walked away. After about a minute a teacher grabbed the kid and dragged him out...and everyone carried on (as if nothing happened.) Holy....moly.... I’m sure I’ll never really get an answer why my speech made this kid ralph a liter of milk all over his classmates and the gym floor. Sorry, sport...

After that, the day was full of ... everything you’d come to expect from being the only foreigner in a huge school of kids raised on the top of a mountain. Yes, more adventures for a later blog..

Retiring home many hours later... I got a real taste of what Bisei (Beautiful Sky) is all about. I saw perhaps one of the most vibrant sunsets of my life (taken on Iphone).

Very quickly I realized how this mountain had earned its name...