Look, Grandma, the rare and exotic fat man!
So, I was all geared to write a brief rant on discipline in Japan, considering recent events, but then there were several occurances that have put such a rant on a backburner.
During cleaning time today, I ventured outside for a cigarette, largely because I'm lazy and don't particularly enjoy participating in cleaning time. Also, when I try to help, the students typically stop their cleaning to marvel at the giant gaijin, and then ask me to do a magic trick, as for my stuffed monkey, try to grab me, or just stand there and stare. I figure I do more harm then good, so instead of cleaning, I smoke.
Next to my current school is a nursing home/retirement home type thing. From what I can gather, many of the residents are rather healthy and robust older folks, but there are some that are considerably less mobile. Around the corner from where I sit to smoke, two employees of said retirement home took three old ladies out for some fresh air. Even with canes/walkers, these ladies needed assistance getting around, so I'm assuming getting outside is a rare event for them. I felt kinda bad.
Then, one of the attendents, a rather attractive young girl, noticed me sitting there, and began pointing and gabbering in Japanese. She then helped one of the old women stand, who then upon seeing me, got this "Holy Shit, it's a real foreigner! I've never seen one before" look on her face, and then joined in the pointing. This attracted the attention of the other old women, and one by one they were brought over to stare at me, up close. I smiled, waved, but when I said "Konnichiwa," you'd think I just told them that I have located the fountain of youth. There was suddenly massive excitement, more pointing, more staring, and more talking quickly in Japanese. They weren't talking to me... oh no. I was merely an object to be admired for my exoticism. Kinda like if you happend to see a polar bear wandering around your back yard. For fear of it maiming you, you don't dare approach it or get its attention, but you marvel at its uniqueness.
Earlier in the day, I was standing outside my classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive to open it up and then start class. This was for an ichinensei class, so naturally I was surrounded at all times being asked for magic and monkeys and just generally being marvelled at. One student, however, decided that he needed to touch my stomach. I don't know why. It wasn't one of the grabs I normally get, but rather more like a rub, as if you're rubbing the belly of an angry boar trying to calm in down.
He said something in Japanese, and before I could bat there hands away, a plethora of ichinensei boys (I find it marginally disturbing that it's only the boys who want to touch me) began rubbing my belly. They just stood there, transfixed, rubbing my stomach, not saying anything. At first, I didn't know what to do, but when I came to my senses ("Wait... what is going on... this is REALLY fucked up...") I began trying to knock away their hands. This shocked them out of their stupor, so instead of just trying to rub my belly, the attempted action was accompanied by "BIG" and, when one slightly more knowledgably kid chimed it, the chorus became "BIG BELLY!" While I definitely feel weirded out, and this too was not cool, at least they weren't trying to touch my dick.
After school, I was witness to what I would consider a remarkable event. Apparently, coming up the entire student body will be participating in a choral concert next Saturday. The entire student body, every single one of them. Not only that, but all this week (and I think next) is dedicated to practice for this performance. Each class is cut down by 5 minutes, and the leftover time at the end of the day is dedicated to the students practicing. The practices continue to go on well after school has ended. During this time, you find, while walking around school, small groups of 10-15 students singing. You find them in the classrooms, in the hallways, outside, in the gym, on the baseball field, on the friggin' roof, everywhere, just singing along to a tape of a piano playing.
Now, think about this. What do you think the general reaction would be if YOUR junior high mandated that every student would participate in a choral concert and that you would have to dedicate extra time after school for rehearsal (plus the saturday for the performance). School-wide mutiny, I do believe, would occur. Here, though, just about everyone goes along with the idea and sings their hearts out (except for a few delinquents, the types of individuals who will be discussed in my forthcoming "goddamn punks" rant). It was eerily... pleasant.
During cleaning time today, I ventured outside for a cigarette, largely because I'm lazy and don't particularly enjoy participating in cleaning time. Also, when I try to help, the students typically stop their cleaning to marvel at the giant gaijin, and then ask me to do a magic trick, as for my stuffed monkey, try to grab me, or just stand there and stare. I figure I do more harm then good, so instead of cleaning, I smoke.
Next to my current school is a nursing home/retirement home type thing. From what I can gather, many of the residents are rather healthy and robust older folks, but there are some that are considerably less mobile. Around the corner from where I sit to smoke, two employees of said retirement home took three old ladies out for some fresh air. Even with canes/walkers, these ladies needed assistance getting around, so I'm assuming getting outside is a rare event for them. I felt kinda bad.
Then, one of the attendents, a rather attractive young girl, noticed me sitting there, and began pointing and gabbering in Japanese. She then helped one of the old women stand, who then upon seeing me, got this "Holy Shit, it's a real foreigner! I've never seen one before" look on her face, and then joined in the pointing. This attracted the attention of the other old women, and one by one they were brought over to stare at me, up close. I smiled, waved, but when I said "Konnichiwa," you'd think I just told them that I have located the fountain of youth. There was suddenly massive excitement, more pointing, more staring, and more talking quickly in Japanese. They weren't talking to me... oh no. I was merely an object to be admired for my exoticism. Kinda like if you happend to see a polar bear wandering around your back yard. For fear of it maiming you, you don't dare approach it or get its attention, but you marvel at its uniqueness.
Earlier in the day, I was standing outside my classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive to open it up and then start class. This was for an ichinensei class, so naturally I was surrounded at all times being asked for magic and monkeys and just generally being marvelled at. One student, however, decided that he needed to touch my stomach. I don't know why. It wasn't one of the grabs I normally get, but rather more like a rub, as if you're rubbing the belly of an angry boar trying to calm in down.
He said something in Japanese, and before I could bat there hands away, a plethora of ichinensei boys (I find it marginally disturbing that it's only the boys who want to touch me) began rubbing my belly. They just stood there, transfixed, rubbing my stomach, not saying anything. At first, I didn't know what to do, but when I came to my senses ("Wait... what is going on... this is REALLY fucked up...") I began trying to knock away their hands. This shocked them out of their stupor, so instead of just trying to rub my belly, the attempted action was accompanied by "BIG" and, when one slightly more knowledgably kid chimed it, the chorus became "BIG BELLY!" While I definitely feel weirded out, and this too was not cool, at least they weren't trying to touch my dick.
After school, I was witness to what I would consider a remarkable event. Apparently, coming up the entire student body will be participating in a choral concert next Saturday. The entire student body, every single one of them. Not only that, but all this week (and I think next) is dedicated to practice for this performance. Each class is cut down by 5 minutes, and the leftover time at the end of the day is dedicated to the students practicing. The practices continue to go on well after school has ended. During this time, you find, while walking around school, small groups of 10-15 students singing. You find them in the classrooms, in the hallways, outside, in the gym, on the baseball field, on the friggin' roof, everywhere, just singing along to a tape of a piano playing.
Now, think about this. What do you think the general reaction would be if YOUR junior high mandated that every student would participate in a choral concert and that you would have to dedicate extra time after school for rehearsal (plus the saturday for the performance). School-wide mutiny, I do believe, would occur. Here, though, just about everyone goes along with the idea and sings their hearts out (except for a few delinquents, the types of individuals who will be discussed in my forthcoming "goddamn punks" rant). It was eerily... pleasant.
posted by S A B at 4:41 AM
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