Heya peeps,
While working to improve this blog, I noticed that it was still getting hits within the last couple of years. Seems that I need to step up my game!
I plan on transforming this lost gem into more that a Japan blog, but I need a little time and patience to do so. After January's Hail Mary of a return...turns out that my 3 year old thumb injury hates typing. Couldn't dare move my hand for a few weeks following the post due to the pain.
So, as I try to worm my way around this awfully wacky national healthcare system here, I will be finally drawing out and finalizing my age-old banner for this site and prepping more to come.
While I am here, let's talk about the elephant in the global room: that ... virus ... Covid-19. As of today, it is here in my town. And just as we started in on the new school year, too.... March 31st marks the end of the national fiscal year, so it is only natural that the school would end on the same day.
Typically in March, we have two major ceremonies and a final school assembly. These are student body-wide events and are in the following order: Graduation Ceremony, Closing Ceremony <final assembly>, and the Staff Goodbye Ceremony. They happen in during the last three weeks of the school year and usually take place in the school gym.
But, this year...this year...thanks to our 'favorite' new plague, all classes were canceled from March 2nd til the end of the school year. The graduation ceremony only included the graduates, their families, and our school staff, rather than letting the whole student body say their thanks and goodbyes. Not even the typical city officials were present as guests this year.
Amazingly, the 1st through 5th graders were allowed to come back for the Closing Ceremony assembly...but it wasn't an 'assembly' this year. It was conducted over the intercom instead.
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......A side note regarding the closing ceremony. This assembly is held three times a year, one for each of the three trimesters. Likewise, there are three opening ceremonies for each of the trimesters. What makes the first Opening Ceremony of the year and the final Closing Ceremony special is that one grade is not present in each. The Opening Ceremony occurs before the yearly Entrance ceremony for the new first graders- in kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools- so naturally there are no first graders present at the school nor at the opening ceremony.
The opposite is true for the final closing Ceremony. It occurs after graduation, so the graduates are no longer at the school nor are students of the school. Hoorah!
......
...Returning to March's school events, the last one of the year is the Staff Goodbye Ceremony. Typically taking place on March 31st, all of the current student body, the recent graduates, and their parents come back to school learn which of the school's staff are leaving and send them off with much support and gratitude. Why do I say "to learn of who are leaving"? Great question! Japan loves ceremonial pomp and circumstance. They love spirit. Naturally, secrecy makes for great spirit and raw emotional charge. Thus... Honestly, I am not entirely sure of why, but...the staff is not legally allowed to share the fate of their position at the school to anyone, including fellow staff members, until it is made public in the local newspaper on March 31st....
This year, my school had originally canceled the event because of the novel virus, but reversed the cancellation a mere week before we held the ceremony. It was conducted outside on the school grounds to ensure that we were not trapped within germ-infested indoor air.
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The next foolish day- April 1st- is the first day of the new school year. After just saying goodbye to all our beloved staff, the returning staff are introduced to their new comrades first thing in the morning and together we start prepping for the new school year. The joke's on us for thinking there's a vacation in 'Spring Vacation'. Sarcasm aside, March and April become a highly emotional time for all of us in Japan.
And, yet, here we are...still wondering what day will bring thanks to this new virus. Now that Tokyo has chosen to delay the start of all high schools in its prefecture until May, my city waits with bated breath to see if classes will really start next week.
As always, thanks for reading my dinky lil' blog. I hope to be physically able to publish more this year and further expand this site into something new!
Until then, later peops!
