School and Such

I was bored during Biology and English class today, so I wrote an actual article in my notebook. So here is a real blog entry, not just a few ragged senteces.


One of the most integral parts of being a Rotary Youth Exchange student is, of course, attending school. Last Wednesday, I started classes at Hamamatsu North High School. I usually take the public bus to school because it takes only ten minutes. Sometimes I walk and that takes twenty minutes. At 7:50, I arrive at school and change my outdoor schoes for comfortable school sandals. It's not unusual for students to take off their sandals during and school and stroll down the hallway in their socks.
I climb four flights of stairs to my homeroom, 1-10, where I say goodmorning to my classmates. At 8:10, homeroom begins. Kamimura-sensee, the English teacher and homeroom teacher, enters to greet the class. WE bow to each other. In Japan, students stay in the same room and teachers move around to the classes. However, my Japanese and Math classes are in a different building and PE is of course, outside.
There are 41 (including me) in my homeroom. It is an ichinensee class, which basically means they have the maturity level of American freshmen. Althought they are quite friendly and I have made many friends, Kamimura-sensee is going towork with me so that I can take a few classes, such as Spanish and possibly calligraphy if I get my way, with students my own age.
At 12:30, I have lunch. We stay in the clasroom, but I could eat in the cafeteria or outside if I really wanted to. Classes end at 3:10 (sometimes 4:10) and I got to kendo until 6 pm. Laurent (exchange student from Belgium) and I go together. WE have not acquired kendo uniforms, but we are working on mastering our footwork, etiquette, and swing.
Japanese school students are quite a far cry from their stereotypes. Hamamatsu North is supposedly the best school in a city of 800,000. Students, however, fall asleep, talk quite loudly, and even scream during class. The teachers do not care and just laugh. Yesterday my friend Megu (and kendo buddy) left her cell pohne to charge on the teacher's podium and the teacher simply asked whose it was because it was in her way. Although there is a uniform, students pay no mind to it. Shirts are often untucked and boys often roll their pants up to their knees. Students, however, are often more trustworthy than their American counterparts. Teachers give the students much independence and are not afraid to leave them unattended.
My participation in class depends on the subject. Biology class is horribly boring because I've already studied Mendel and his precious peas. I participate fully in physical education. During English class, I am often called upon to help the teacher explain a concept or word. History class: I understand nothing. However, it is interesting to note that the Japanese say that Pearl Harbor was on December 8, because it was the 8th in Japan and the 7th in USA due to time zones. Math class I partcipate in because math is the international language. Japanese literature/grammar class is the bane of my existence. Home Economics is so blah but we're starting sewing projects soon. IF I don't partcipate in a class, I usually study Japanese of contemplate the meaning of life (ie stare intently ahead of me for one hour). I also attend Japanese lessons in the library twice a week.
That's all for now. Right now Im on the family latop watching Japan beat Qatar in soccer. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
Oh, the other day I met some really famous Japanese soccer stars at some sort of event at a hotel in Hamamatsu. I had no idea who they were, but all my classmates were so jealous when I Told them. I won a jersey and got the athlets to sign it. THen after that I went to a rooftop BBQ downtown. I love Rotary. It's seriously the best organization for exchange, EVER. They've given me so many experiences, like Mount Fuji, free stuff, Japanese soccor stars, rooftop bbqs, private dinners, etc.
OK thats all for now. Seriously.