Just West of the Midwest Chapter 6: My Town of Shintomi Board of Education Family

                                                                           Taken during a trip with my office family to Nagasaki.

Considering these are the folk I spend most of my time with, I thought it might prove helpful to offer a quick run down of My Town of Shintomi Board of Education Office Family:

Kuranaga-kacho (above left) is the office's section chief, a tiny, little, married man with coke bottle glasses. He is the "Papa-san" of the office. He has a devilish sense of humor and a HUGE heart. He is quick to smile, to test me and to tease me. When he and I spend time together, I've noticed his facial expressions vacillate somewhere between unabashed bewilderment and downright delight.

Oki-Hosa (above right) is the Assistant Section Chief. He is the family's nerdy, forty-something uncle with a buzz cut, a big, persistent, genuine smile and an almost noiseless laugh - nearly imperceptible without seeing his facial expressions and body movements. Married with children in some of my classes, Oki-Hosa has a penchant for doing everything by the book and has made it clear that as Assistant Section Chief, I am officially HIS responsibility.

In his mid-thirties and married, Hiejima-kakricho (above center) is the Board of Education's Chief Clerk. He is reserved in his words, his smile and his sense of humor. All of which are alive and well, yet wielded at the most unlikely moments.

                                                                                  At Kacho's house for my birthday celebration.

Yoshino-san (above right) is the office Mama-san, with a small but sturdy build, a boyish hairstyle, but a natural, feminine grace. She is single, thoughtful, quick to laugh and quick to scold. She is stern but nurturing and as loyal - and protective - as an old bulldog.

Akiko-san (above right of me) is the youngest in the office. She is single, has a slight frame and what seems to be common among Japanese girls and women, a page boy-style cut. She is sweet and soft-spoken, but has a sly, sisterly wit. She's been my local tour guide, a kindly tutor in all things Japanese and an excellent friend. I surprise her often, frighten her a little and make her laugh. A lot.

                                                                                              Tomioka-san "helping" me learn kanji.

Tomioka-san (above with me) is Head of the Town Hall's Computer Department. Even though he is not part of the Board of Education, Tomioka-san is a regular face in our office due to the fact that his office is just down the hall. He is the "cooler", more laid back uncle, the family's "black sheep" who shuffles rather than steps and always has a cigarette dangling from his left hand. He thrives on distracting people from their work with a joke, or a story. He always looks like he needs a haircut and would clearly prefer to be somewhere - anywhere - but at work in his office. He never fails to make me laugh.

I was given a load of praise from my bosses this week. They seem quite pleased with my performance thus far, despite the sleeveless top I wore to a recent school function. I'm quite sure my popularity has a little to do with the fact that Shelly, my predecessor, was apparently a very private individual. It seems she didn't go out very often and, much to everyone's chagrin, she also didn't drink.

I do both.

Happily.

Not that that should matter. But if the truth be told, a little alcohol goes a long way to relax people, take down inhibitions and let go of experience-stealing insecurities; and honestly, even though this job is important to me, even more important is that I grab all the experiences I can while I'm here. What better way than to immerse myself in the lives of the people who surround me? So, when they ask me to join them, I do. 

Otherwise... what's the point of leaving your own backyard? 

It's a lovely feeling knowing that I have an entire community looking out for me (not just my office) and although the attention isn't always easy, it's never unappreciated. At least not yet. 

Even though they feed me and feed me and feed me.

And then worry I might gain weight. 

They praise me, encourage me and gently correct me when they feel I've gone astray. 

They also guide me, direct me and lead me, for fear I might lose my way. If I have to go to the post office, someone accompanies me. If I have to meet an electrician at my apartment, two people tag along. When I had to go to Miyazaki for yet another orientation, Yoshino-san took the train with me, using the excuse she had errands to do in the city.

They do, however, let me go to the bathroom on my own. Ironically, this is where I would most like a female companion due to the fact that men and women share the same bathroom on my floor at the town hall. The women do have stalls, but in order to get to them, one has to pass by the urinals. 

Go figure.

Thankfully, a new building - with separate bathrooms - is under construction as we speak.

But I'm truly grateful for the caring guardianship. It's a far cry from what several of my JET colleagues have been going through. Poor Jeremy (a super lovely fellow from New Zealand), for example, has been having a really bad time with his host town. He and another AET, Janelle, have not only been systematically ignored by their office (hardly having a word spoken to them thus far), but are being given few school visits and are left with little to do each and every day. Add this to the fact that on the very first night of their arrival, the officials in charge dropped the two off at empty apartments, with no futon, no bedding, no furniture and, most certainly, no welcome dinner party. 

Jeremy said his heart left for home that very night.

How could you possibly blame him? Very sad. I feel very welcome and wanted here. They make me feel as if we're all in this together. Which makes me feel as if maybe I'm not that far from home, after all. 

All in all, the initial fears I felt since all of this began have slowly melted away. We're discovering that despite the vast differences in our lives, we come from the same world where people laugh when something's funny and cry when something's sad. Where the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. 

The only difference for me is that around each corner, at the start of each new day, with the learning of each new word, I'm greeted by a new adventure and filling the void I've been feeling in my life for so long.

Not-So-Side Notes:

• I began classes last week and found my students very noisy, but anxious to listen. Let's see what happens after the novelty of my first few visits and the excitement of hearing about where I'm from wears off. I'm quickly learning how very important the teacher is to the fabric of the Japanese family. Parents look for guidance and advice from their children's teachers and welcome regular home visits. Together, they talk about everything from behavioral and familial issues to future goals and expectations. Teachers are highly respected in Japan - revered even - and rewarded with high salaries and excellent benefits.
• There is an undeniably military feel about the Japanese School system. Not only in how tighty things are run, but even in how things look. Especially with regard to the students.The typical boys' elementary school uniform is black pants, a white shirt, white tennis shoes and a black Nehru jacket. Even their serviceman-style buzz cut reeks of the armed forces. Girls' uniforms may vary in color, but the theme is always nautical in nature, complete with sailor tops, pleated skirts, as well as the quintessential Page Boy cuts.
• Fascinating to me is the fact that all of my students are responsible for cleaning their schools. Each day, the entire student body grabs their assigned mops, buckets, rags, etc., and clean the classrooms, bathrooms, the offices and hallways. They wash blackboards, scrub floors, scour toilets, empty trash. I think it not only offers a sense of pride - ownership - of their school, but it also teaches one to respect the process and all it takes to make things work.
• There is a strong sense of community, and an even stronger sense of conformity woven into the fabric of Japanese culture.Yet I can see inklings of revolt in the younger generations. Slight and more than slightly tinged with likeness. But change is coming and the desire for individuality, perfectly understandable.
• I saw a rugby match last weekend. Pant, pant, pant. Grunt, sweat, grunt. (And that was just me watching from the sidelines.) I went to the event with Akiko and, afterward, we chatted with her Rugby friends who invited us to a party. It was at that very moment that Akiko helped me to understand something I read about the Japanese culture before arriving, but was not sure I understood.Their reluctance to say, "No." I jumped at the party invitation and turning to Akiko, asked if she wanted to go. With a look of absolute terror on her face, she said the word "hai" (or yes), but was shaking her head "NO!"  I was confused. I was stymied. Eventually, I took the international symbol of frantically jerking one's head left to right, then right to left, and so on, as the stronger of the conflicting responses. Afterward, as we climbed into Akiko's car, she let out a nervous giggle. Followed by a reeeeeeeally looooong sigh of relief. I knew then I had made the right decision.
• I went to a Benneltons in Miyazaki and saw lots of cute clothes. Unless I can amputate 30 pounds and several inches from my body, I won't be buying anything of them.
• I received word from DePaul University. I passed my comprehensive exams and officially have my Master of Arts in English. And there was much rejoicing.
• Sam and I decided on either Bangkok, Singapore, or Burma, for our two weeks off during the Christmas break. Wherever we go, we hope to find long, deserted beaches, stores that carry clothes our size and men who know how to follow through on flirtations.
• I attended a Kendo (Japanese fencing) lesson because I thought I might be interested in learning this ancient art. I quickly learned I would be consistently hit on the head with a bamboo pole. Maybe I'll try Kyudõ (archery).
• If anyone cares to send a care package I would love to have a decent sized towel. The ones I find here barely wrap around my head, let alone any other part of my body. Also sparse in these parts: decent toothpaste, effective deodorant, ingredients for pasta sauce, good music, Woody Allen's "What's Up Tiger Lily?" AND, of course, LETTERS!
• I'm desperately trying to get used to having to constantly remove my street shoes (be it school, office, or someone's home) for a pair of incredibly unattractive rubber slippers which I regularly launch ahead of me into the path of innocent bystanders.
• I met a Major based at Nyuta Baru Air Force Base here in Shintomi and he's invited me to visit. Let's see... me and hundreds of American Fly-boys. What to do, what to do...
• Although I don't have to make a decision until December, I'm thinking I might sign up for another year.
• I went to the beaches of Kojima with Sam and Ted where we saw wild monkeys. When the tide was out, the three of us walked out to the island where the monkeys live. Beautiful, but slightly stressful knowing our adventure had to be timed with the tides, otherwise we'd be spending the night with our primate pals.The beaches were stunning and almost completely deserted except for a very kind and generous family who shared their picnic and their jet ski.
• I was recently invited to a chicken farm where I was gifted a dozen freshly laid eggs. The gesture brought a tear to my eyes. Or was it the tons of pungent chicken shit wafting through my nose?
• How about that crisis in the Middle East?
• Also heard about Stevie Ray Vaughan... bummer.

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