Second day on school + speech

12 april
2012

Today was my (third) second real school day. Today I have to speech for the entire school. Strange enough I wasn’t very nervous, perhaps because I thought I had to speech last Monday for the entire school. Then I was really nervous!

I have to get used to traveling by train because at 7:15 it already very busy, but I was lucky to have a seat. At the next stop a creepy guy (about 30 years old) entered the train at was standing in front of me and later sat down next to me. He looked very ugly and his hand was a little too close to my legs and he kept staring at me. On the other side was a student from another high school. I finally went a little closer to the high school student. At my step over the man followed me. I looked at him with my deadliest look and ran away.

Today I started with gymnastics, two hours in a row. People at my school in Holland know how much I hate gymnastics. Rachel and me are having gymnastics together with two third year classes and on Thursday with two classes of the second year but not with  my own class. Boys and girls don’t have gym together, just because the boys are much better.

We had to line up in ascending length. We had to stand straight up and when the teacher yelled something you had to stand different. I seemed to me more like a military training. Next we had to stretch two by two. One helped the other to stretch as much as possible. I am really NOT GOOD AT stretching and was glad the other girl was very precautious. The second hour we went outside and had to wear our outside shoes. Most of them wear sports shoes and some wear loafers, those are these ugly shoes you wear with your uniform when you are outside. I just had these loafers and because they are brand new they hurt a lot. They then borrowed me shoes that I can keep for outside sports.
I thought we were going to run outside or some other intensive thing but we only walked around the golf court. We probably go out playing golf with school. The golf court is funny. The practice tee is four stories high and a huge net stops the balls. I wondered why it was four stories high but that has to do with space. I will make pictures some day.

The third hour I had modern Japanese. The teacher is very… strict. She got very angry at me and started to shout in Japanese. Later I understood that is was for my skirt being too short. (It goes until my knees). Fortunately my fellow students told her that I don’t understand Japanese (yet). The rest of the lesson she ignored me.

The fourth hour I had private lessons again with Yamazaki sensei. The fifth and sixth hour we went to the gym again for speeches, including mine…

Dunun, the boy from Kenia, and I had to sit along the side line along with other Yamanote students and the principal. This time it was including the first year students that makes about 1000 people.
The brass band started by playing a song followed by speeches by students and the principal. Later we had to go onto the podium. We were introduced and had to do our speech. I brought a little paper with notes but it went perfect. I week ago I rather be found dead than doing my speech, but now I am very glad I did it! Because when I now walk in school everyone says ‘Micheru!!’ of they ask me something. On my way home everyone is very enthusiast and talk to me.

Today was also club introduction. For those unfamiliar with Japanese schools, all sport clubs and cultural clubs are on school.
Everyone asked me to join their club, the rugby coach of the girls team asked me to join their team! And EVEN de baseball club asked me to join despite its for boys only! I have not decided yet. I am think I will choose between girls rugby, yes really, because their you learn to know a lot of people. Or badminton or track and field, running. Honda sensei (my counselor) said chorus would be nice. But I can’t sing at all so that’s not going to happen. I first of all wanted to play tennis, but only boys play tennis, and it is not real tennis but in between tennis and squash.

I came home at 17:30 went we immediately left for a welcome party at the Hokkaido university for exchange students. Sato-san organized the welcome party and asked us to come along. I was still wearing my school uniform because we had to leave immediately. They were more surprised about me in my school uniform than the other 20 exchange students. There were many Chinese and people from Russia, America, England, Korea and other countries. I had a short talk with each of them, They had to speech too but I think my speech went better! And then you have to known that they already studied Japanese for at least two years.

I also talked with some host families and they praised my guts to come to Japan, even more because I am only 17 years old. That I am from the tiny Netherlands surprised them.

We came home at 11 O’clock. That is pretty late if you have to take a shower before you go to bed and have to go up at 6 O’clock.

Honda sensei took some pictures of Dugun and me when we had our speech. She will send me these next Monday so you have wait for them!

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