First Day of School

We made it! The kids started school today and seem to have survived. Big, big day.

The kids are attending a local public school. There is no English spoken there. None. This is complete immersion, and as one could imagine, it has been a source of anxiety for all of us. One by one, we have each had our meltdowns, caused by varying combinations of nervousness + anticipation + jet lag + frustration for having to rely on Jeremy for information (OK, that’s just me…the kids don’t really care about this one.)

We walked the kids to school this morning. They are attending Suita East—yep, EGR friends, we are back in East! The school is about a 15” walk from our apartment. Positioned along the way were local Parent Teacher Organization representatives, dressed in white uniforms, there to ensure the kids’ safety. And, the kids wore their standard yellow commuting hats (kind of like wearable versions of a “Baby on Board” car sign), also for safety. We passed groups of children along the way, all of whom were fascinated by us. Some tried out a “Hello!” All stared. The staring is about curiosity not ill will, and I explained this to Eli, without adding that in 20 years of going to Asia, it’s something I have never gotten used to.

The school, as far as I can tell and from my own experience, is a pretty typical Asian school building. Cement walls. Open hallways around a courtyard. No heat. Simple rooms with desks in rows and not much decoration. It is very, very different from our Michigan elementary school, with its carpet and climate control, colorful bulletin boards and decorated classrooms. I’ve taught English in similar looking schools in China and Taiwan countless times. It’s strange to think that my children are now members of the student body.

Our day started with a trip to the principal’s office. Jeremy translated as much as he could, and I understood an ounce, but mostly my role was to explain to the kids whatever I could glean, and otherwise give them nods and winks of support. Then, the principal invited in the the kids’ teachers for a chat. Mikki’s 1st grade teacher is Meguro Sensei, who immediately came across as warm and friendly. Eli’s 4th grade teacher is Ibusuki Sensei, who looked very young and hip—he wore jeans and stylish glasses. Still, as nice and friendly and kind as the teachers seemed, when they left the principal’s office 15 minutes later, taking the kids with them, I had this overwhelming feeling that I was feeding my children to the wolves. I had been sitting listening to others actively participating in a conversation that I couldn’t understand for all of 20 minutes and I’d HAD it. How were the kids going to get through an entire day, let alone 6 months of entire days? As they departed, my kids looked nervous, but fine. I, on the other hand, fought back tears. After we left the school, I stopped fighting and let ’em flow. And then I texted my mom, because in the end, don’t we all just want our mommy whenever we’re feeling overwhelmed?

Jer and I spent the day shopping in downtown Osaka. We were both OK, and admittedly, enjoyed our time sans kids, but everyone once in a while, visions would pop into my head: Eli sitting alone and unnoticed at a lunch table. Mikki backed into a corner being taunted by other children. Both kids breaking down as they were called to the front of the classroom by their teachers and teased mercilessly when they didn’t know the answer because…don’t they do that in Japan? So it was with absolute trepidation that we returned to the school in the afternoon to see the damage. I expected the kids to come running out to me, crying. Even Jeremy, calm and stable and reasonable Jeremy, was nervous and expecting the worst.

The grades let out at different times, so Mikki came out first at 2:30. She approached us calmly and happily and with (and I am not kidding here) a gaggle of Japanese girls following her. The child does not speak a word of Japanese and yet, true to form, somehow managed to accumulate more friends in one day than I have accumulated in a life time. Her teacher came out, too, and reported that things went just fine, but could we please just send her with a pencil case and some pencils tomorrow?

Pencils? Seriously? That’s IT?

Getting information from Mikki was, shall we say, a process, but here’s what we learned:

• She learned how to write her name in Japanese.
• She drew pictures.
• She liked lunch.
• She had fun.
• She spent the entire day essentially in the same room, though she got to move her desk a couple of times.
• She was cold. (No heat in the building!)

All in all, she just seemed to power through and learn by watching. And there seems to be no fear about tomorrow, so I’m taking this as a very good sign.

Eli’s class let out an hour later (this was expected). And when I asked how it was, the reply was none other than: “It was awesome!” He made two friends, both of whom spoke a tiny amount of English. (Maybe they learned it from one of the TV shows that my kids were mocking the other day?) The boy who sat next to him was very friendly and spent the day trying to teach him words. Most of it what he said went over Eli’s head, but he appreciated the effort. The teacher wrote a bit of English on the board, but other than that, Eli just followed along by watching what the other kids did. Here’s what we know:

• He went to music class and started learning to play the recorder. (“It was good, but I’ve had better music teachers, Mom.”)
• He wrote kanji (Chinese characters) though didn’t know what they meant. Given his love of manga and anime, he was most excited about this.
• He showed the teacher where Michigan is on a map, and during Social Studies, the teacher showed the entire class.
• His teacher didn’t do much to quiet some of the giggles and chatting in the back of the room, much to Eli’s delight.
• A couple of kids gave Eli a tour of the school during recess and they visited Mikki’s classroom (much to Mikki’s delight).
• He liked lunch.
• He was hot. (I have no idea how.)
• He wants to walk to school on his own tomorrow, and under no circumstances are we to pick him up at school either. He will walk home with the other kids, thank you very much.

As we were walking home later this afternoon, two boys rode past us on bikes and waved as they called out “Eli!”. We now officially have friends in our neighborhood.

So we made it. First day is done. For not one second do I believe that we’ve had our last school-induced meltdown. There will be low days and frustration. But we made it past the first-day hurdle. And the start of school means that we will start to get a routine in place. Jer and I start working next week. Looks like we might have some semblance of a regular life here after all. Onward!