“Just do what everyone else does, you’ll be fine.”

We just finished our first week at school. Basically we’ve both just been giving our introduction speeches to various classrooms of students the whole week. On Friday, during my 15th presentation to one of the classes, I leaned over to the teacher and asked her, “Did I tell them about my family yet?” She looked at me like I was nuts and said, “No, I don’t think so.” Hey, you try giving the same speech that many times and try to remember what you just said. It’s difficult.

Our main mission at school this week was trying not to offend anyone, accidentally of course. There are so many subtleties that you need to look out for over here in the work place. Like, take suggestions seriously, because they’re not actually suggestions after all. And, there is no good reason for being late to work so make sure that you have two or three alarms set and one or two backup modes of transportation ready each and every day. And as I learned on Wednesday, you do not talk about last Sunday’s historic national election in the work place…oops…sorry…I mean, gomennasai.

Overall, our week at our respective schools has been very positive. Basically, we just tried to watch what the other teachers did and tried to follow suit the best we could. So far, that seems to be working for us pretty well. Only a couple of small problems arose due to some language miscommunications. So, we’re off to a good start.

Okay, quiz time. What kind of bicycle does Jon use to get himself to school? A.) a mountain bike. B.) a ten speed. C.) A bicycle with a big basket on the front, a grocery rack on the back, and a bell. I would love to tell you that it isn’t C but I can’t. Believe it or not, the type of bicycle that I have is the most sought after bike in all of Japan. In this country, practicality is king. O.K., next question. How many hours per day is the average Japanese middle schooler actually at school? A.) 7 hours. B.) 9 hours. C.) 11 hours. The answer again is C. But don’t feel bad for these kids, much of their day is spent doing club activities and sports. They get plenty of socializing in and they don’t have any time left to thug around and get into trouble after the school day is over. I kind of like it, as long as I get to leave school before they do (usually around 4pm or 5pm). Keepin' this show rollin'...What does one Japanese person say to another after one sneezes? A.) Nothing B.) Bless You C.) Don't do that again (in Japanese of course). The answer is nothing. Why? Because it's absurd to draw attention to something that could be viewed as embarassing? I really like this philosophy myself. I wish we followed this one in the U.S.. Okay, last question. You still have a chance to get at least one right. In an average box of cookies containing ten cookies (yes, that is the typical size around here), how many wrappings and/or trays are contained within? A.) three B.) thirteen c.) five. Well, if you include the box itself, it's thirteen. Each individually wrapped cookie sits in a tray that is sealed inside a plastic wrapper which is all housed inside the exterior box that you see on the shelf. In a country that founded the lean methodology (i.e. being more efficient and cutting unnecessary waste) this one really makes you scratch your head. However, this does help control binging.

As Veronica and I begin our second week of school, we are mindful of one of our long term goals while in Japan. We'd rather not have to wear a surgical mask to work if we can avoid doing so. Why would we ever do that? Well, since being sick is not a valid excuse for missing work, people in Japan simply sport a surgical mask all day long to help from spreading whatever they have. The funny thing is, you see people with Michael Jackson type masks around everyday and nobody thinks it's the slightest bit strange. Well, that's all for now. Tune in next time when we reveal the mystery of the people with dripping wet hands who exit public restrooms.