Sports Day Rehearsal
Trip Start
Jul 27, 2006
1
14
93
Trip End
Ongoing
Tomogaoka,
Japan
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Sports Day, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to an event that each school holds in the fall relating to outdoor sports activities. As far as I can tell this day serves three purposes: 1) to welcome the students' parents to the school 2)for the students to show off their strengths and 3) for the teachers to show off how well they have managed to discipline the children for their parents. The day is not taken lightly- with all the preparation they have been doing you would think someone is getting married or taking the GRE. We have had shortened classes since school started so that the students can practice their events at least once a day. All students are here when I arrive and striving to master the steps of the MASS games which the elder students spent hours preparing over the summer break. To top this all off most classes have been cancelled this week and we spent the entire day Wednesday doing a Sports Day Rehearsal. We skipped half the events and shortened the rest, allowing only one group of students to do an activity that the entire school will end up taking turns doing, and we still ran from 9 till 3:00 so I'm curious to see how long we'll actually be at school until on Saturday.
Yup- I will come to school on Saturday. This event is held on Saturday so that the students' parents can come and watch. But no worries- all teachers and students will have the following Monday off as a substitute holiday. I'm not sure I'll need the time off however, since I've only managed to teach one single class this week. I haven't been able to attend any other classes because the students are not having them. Instead they're outside standing barefoot on the school grounds practicing their pyramid building skills. Or they're getting lectured on how they are not properly holding their arms at 45 degree angles. Oh these poor children- perhaps they are looking forward to having this all over as much as I am.
Hopefully this preface has given you a little bit of insight to the Sports Day that I will be reporting on after this weekend. I will hopefully be allowed to take pictures and videos to better show you the events of sports day. Oh and I almost forgot- I will be spending the next two days attempting to limber up my body for the relay race that I'm required to participate in. Yay- now all the students whose respect I am trying to win over, will see me stumble and fall or break a leg colliding with one of my fellow co-workers during a baton hand off.
Side note #2, with all this preparation, and overexertion- so far only one student has been severely hurt. Rushed to the hospital from rehearsal yesterday actually, after falling head first, onto the pebbled school grounds, from the shoulders of a classmate. Ahh, such is the intensity of Sports Day! Wish me luck...
