22km School without pictures!

On Tuesday morning I arrived at Tabe High School feeling a bit tired from another late night (I really should do something about my caffeine addiction and insomnia). I like all of my schools because they all have very different characteristics, but Tabe is unique in that about 90% of the students are girls. The girls at Tabe are usually very genki (active/happy) and always seem happy to see me which makes Tuesdays enjoyable. When I visit Tabe I am made to feel very welcome and I am like a special guest in the school. My supervisor always thanks me for coming and the students go wild when they see me.

Not long after I arrived at this school last year I became good friends with the geography teacher, Miyake Sensei (who sadly left during the annual re-shuffle this year). Miyake Sensei once described the school environment to me. I will never forget his words 'Tabe High is like a zoo, the girls are like wild lions and the boys are passive zebras'. You couldnt describe the school better. For me in class it's often like Daniel in the lions den, but it is always a lot of fun and I have a great team teacher Kuboi Sensei.

Anyway, back to the point of today's post...

So I arrive in the morning at the usual time and I am met by supervisor in a tracksuit walking out of the door. I muster a genki 'Ohayo Gozaimasu' (good morning) and I am again thanked for my presence. This always seems a little strange that someone should thank me for turning up to my job, but it's nice to hear and it makes me feel welcome. My supervisor follows me to the genkan (entrance) and before I take off my shoes he tells me that he has an apology to make as he forgot to mention that I have no lessons because today is the students annual 22km walk. He seems quite excited and says 'the students would really like it if you walked with them, but you dont have to if you dont want to. You can come with me in the minibus if you like.' I love hiking and to me the idea of a walk in the mountains on a lovely sunny day is bliss and the best bit is that I'm paid to do it! However, many of the students were less than thrilled at the prospect of walking 22km in the heat.

I set off with the 3rd years at 9.30am. The whole school took part in the walk, but I was the only teacher. This gave me a great opportunity to get to know a lot of the students on a one to one basis as there was plenty of time to chat. The conversations along the way went something like this (in Japanese and in English since some of them refused to speak English despite my best attempts): How are you? ... I'm tired ... It's hot... I'm hungry... Is it far? It's hot.... It's really hot! How old are you? It's hot... Do you have a girlfriend? I'm tired... Do you have any brothers or sisters? I'm tired...

I told the students they had to give me 200 yen for everytime they complained they were tired and 100 yen for every time they complained it was hot. I would have been a very rich man had they of all paid up at the end! Some of them learnt to use 'I'm knackered', 'I'm done in', 'I'm shattered' and I really enjoyed the more in-depth conversations with those students with better English skills, but even for the students that refused any English (mostly the 1st year boys who didnt think it was cool) we had fun and they were able to laugh at my formal un-cool Japanese!
Tabe is set in a valley surrounded by mountains and the views are amazing. We saw lots of butterflies, flowers, dragonflies, birds and a few small snakes. We also passed through forested areas and lakes. Surprisingly, despite none of the teachers walking the route, I think almost all the students managed to complete the course - most of which didnt have a map. I returned at 1407 but when I left for my bus at 1630 many students were still walking back. Having stopped at 7/11 for a coffee break and regular toilet breaks (which I later found out was strictly forbidden for the students - whoops!) I came in 3rd place with 2 large blisters due to a lack of suitable shoes and prior warning! Despite that I had a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to meeting my new 1st year students in class.

Damm losing my camera!