Thanksgiving

I went in to watch the end of basketball practice today at #2 Middle School. I took off my shoes and set them on the wooden rack, peeked my head into the gym and tiptoed inside. A chorus of 'konnichiwa's rang out, so I gave up trying to appear invisible, stood up straight and weaved my way to the far side of the gym towards the stage.
Not one minute after I jumped up the side to take a seat on it did a student run to the back and bring a chair for me to sit in. Because I am a teacher, I shouldn't sit on the stage floor where it might be dirty or uncomfortable. The students consider it their job to take notice of their teachers' comfort, especially a guest teacher, and we also consider it our job as teachers to take care of them and do our best for them. Now I understand, it is not that we are not human, but we all have a job to do. The student's job was to get me a chair. My job in turn, was to be grateful for the favor and accept it. I don't mean to be presumptuous. This culture is still as foreign to me as the first day I set foot here in so many ways. Yet, I've finally learned how to accept a favor because I know I will eventually have my turn to give one. This makes living in Japan make sense. There is hardly room for independence because we all work so hard to fill each other's needs. The Japanese people I know seem to love to need each other.
Perhaps you'd be shocked, like I was, the first time I asked the students to answer questions aloud in class. Undoubtedly, after the question was asked, the student would turn to her friends who would promptly give her the answer. She would then turn back to me and repeat what they had told her.
If they are working on an assignment, students lean over and copy each other's work. Sometimes, while doing classwork, a student will get up, walk to his friend's desk, read his paper and go back and sit down. This is TOTALLY ALLOWED. It happened today in school; it happens every day. The teacher's don't pay attention. The students are supporting one another and it makes the teachers feel happy, regardless of whether anyone's learning anything. This is culture. It effects everything, it is seeping through every interaction, every word said or not said, and it's impossible, confusing, amazing and enlightening to me. I see the world from such different eyes than I thought.

I thought about Thanksgiving in the cafeteria today. I remembered several things that I am thankful for. Looking around me, I felt thankful for the smiles surrounding me on the student's faces, which reminded me of my cousin Jody's beautiful smile. Then I remembered the sound her sister Rebecca's laugh, and I felt grateful for that memory. Of course, that led me to think of my Aunt Cheryl, who sends me lots of reassuring emails and also has quite a wonderful laugh. Her brother, my dad, is wonderful because he keeps being curious about everything in life and he spreads that curiousity to me and my brothers. My's dad's wife is the same way, and she also helped him find a lot of himself, I think. My bro Jason. I trust him so deeply. After all this time he seems to be okay with looking out for his little sister. Zach, brother-o-mine has a beautiful heart, full of righteous love. And my mom. Do you know she sends me letters every week?? I find my mother's love defies definition. Now, I'm forgetting the unforgetable Uncle Bill and Uncle Larry, who both offer support to the entire family in different ways, tangible and intangible.
Finally, I would like to take a moment for squirrels. I know two people that are made very happy by them, and that makes me happy.
I think about people at home every day. I think about this beautiful culture here, and how it has made me feel grateful for others in ways I never conceived of. I believe in Thanksgiving, because it gives us a reason to speak up and say how we feel, as long as that feeling is one of thanks. So I'm happy I have a lot to say thanks for this year(family, aikido teachers and friends, music friends, friend friends, friend friend friends(you know who you are)).

I got up and folded my chair at about 6PM. The teams were just about to start playing again. As I jumped off the stage and began to walk towards the door, the basketball coach and one of the English teachers I teach with stopped me to ask if I'd like to come out with the teachers sometime (to drink!). I said 'sure!', as the buzzer went off and the kids bolted to midcourt to resume their game. I continued walking slowly to the far door, hoping to avoid being noticed and causing a delay in the game. Instead, I heard the squeak of 22 sneakers dash up behind me and the squeak/clomp of one student with a foot in a cast. I turned around, taken aback, as they all stand in a line before me. I then heard: "Kyotsuke! Rei!(Call to attention! Bow). "Thank you very much [for watching]!!"
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone