Spring Time

Ah Spring, one of my favorite seasons- especially in Japan. Spring to me is a time of change and activity. It means climbing into my loft and switching my winter cloths for my spring and summer wardrobes. This is extremely time consuming considering the size of my wardrobes and the height of my loft. In the same vein it means that my space heater can also go back into the loft. The walls on Japanese apartments are so thin that the temperature on the inside very closely matches the temperature outside. I spent about two and a half weeks with my fingers turning blue because I was trying to save money on heating. Spring means the end of times like these, and it comes before the blistering wet heat of summer when we all hide inside near the air conditioner.

The Spring semester also brings a whole new crowd of students to my school. The Japanese School year begins in early April. The spring term is the first (unlike in America) and it runs through late July. It is followed by the fall term, which is also the longest and runs from early September to mid December. The final term, which we have (kind of) recently finished is the winter term which runs from mid January to early March. It was hard for me to get used to at first, especially since I started work during the second semester and had to work with kids who were used to a whole different style of ALT.

As I have acclimatized to the Japanese way, though, I have to admit I really like it. Unlike the American system with its paltry vacations for winter and spring, and the insanely long summer semester, my students have three breaks that are about two to three weeks long. It is a long enough time for the kids to get a part time job, or travel (like me ...), and generally wind down from the semester. Starting up after the breaks is a little weird, usually the third years start the fall and winter semesters first so they can study for their university exams. The second years come next, and the first year students (mine) always start last and end last. I don't know why the second years start earlier than the first years, but I am making it my mission to find out.

Spring also brings to mind Cherry blossoms and school sports. The Sakura are late in blooming this year due to weather that was colder than average. This weekend may be the premier weekend to view the Sakura, but I get a bonus view because my school has an excellent view of a pond ringed by them. As the weather teases the trees into blooming it also encourages the soft tennis team to begin their full team practices again. Japanese students take their sports very seriously. Sometimes their zeal is comparable to fanaticism (the soft tennis kids are a good example). Even if they rarely win a game (take a bow baseball club!) the kids are always out there in the morning and afternoon for long, long hours. This goes on in the balmy spring, the blistering and wet summer, the semi blistering fall, and usually for at least part of the cold, cold winter. They generally only have time for one sport or activity, so it makes a very different high school experience from the American version.

This year is shaping up nicely. My new students seem poised and ready to begin their high school career. The ones I have talked to assure me that they are ready to study English very hard! I know this determination will fade as the weeks go by, but right now we are off to an excellent start.