You Do Know Your Forehead is Bleeding

So, the last post was actually written before I had left school for the day. I didn’t realize how awesome some things can be. I took it upon myself to aimlessly wander the hallways and outside checking out the various clubs the students are a part of. I have never seen such dedication to anything. These kids, junior high all, are hardcore. And they loved it whenever I stopped by. Mostly I’d just watch (I’m not too into basketball, baseball, and soccer), but a few things I joined in with them. I played some ping pong, getting soundly defeated by many of the students. I played a few volleys of tennis. I watched the art club, and then showed them my pathetic stick figures. Any time I would venture near a club activity, everything would stop for the “Hello Everyone” and then the standing and staring. Some kids were venturous enough to try and talk to me, but the English/Japanese barriers made it difficult. Still, though, they tried, and I was so proud of them for it.

The craziest, though, was when I tried to help some students with preparation for their big sports day… Essentially, sometime next week or the week after (I don’t know) all the school plays various sports, the likes of which I do not know. One task, though, is for fifteen students to be bound to each other be a length of rope around one leg, and then they’d have to run… the ropes were a wee bit scary, especially the way they were bound together. I can’t really describe it, but I did take a picture of the rope, as well as other pictures around the school.

I don’t have the words to illustrate the student dedication to their clubs… except for one member of the ping pong club. He was a nerdy little kid that sat outside the room where they were playing ping pong, holding his paddle and looking forlornly at it. I don’t know what was up with him, but I felt really bad for him. I tried to converse with him, doing some of the things that drive some of the students wild with laughter, but he just wasn’t having it. I just felt real bad for him, and despite all the other times I could have used some Japanese, I never felt the need as badly as I did right then, just so I could find out what was wrong and console the little runt. Well, nothing I can do… and I hate myself for it at the moment.

Another example of how hardcore these kids are can be seen sitting next to me. This girl got hit by something, I don’t know what, but she has this massive bandage covering a large amount of her face. And there is no way she is complaining. Hell, as far as I can tell, she wants to get right back out there, despite the fact that she seems to be bleeding from the forehead and can’t see through the bandage. What’s more, the teachers aren’t paying her any mind. Like I said, hard-fucking-core.