1st Day of School

Hey guys! Im going to be really quick because I am at an internet cafe right now cuz the internet wasnt working on base, plus its getting late here and Im tired. Anyways today was the first day of school! Right at 8:30 I had to go to the staff room for a meeting. It was during this time that I had to introduce myself to all the staff members at the school. It was really brief. I just told them my name, where I am from, how old I am, how long I have been living in Japan (2 weeks already can you believe it?!) and where in Japan I live. I also told them how excited I am to be working at their school. That was it, the rest of the meeting was in Japanese so I have no idea what they said. Then at 9:30 there was a earthquake evacuation drill and we had to go outside onto the track and field. I didnt know that during that time I would be introducing myself to the whole school! So I had to stand on this little tiny platform in the heat and give the same speech I gave the teachers, short and to the point. After the drill was over we went back into the school and I learned that everyday when school lets out at 3:25, the students have to clean the school. So during this time, the students were told and shown which part of the school they are responsible for cleaning. I have to oversee that the students clean what they are supposed to, and the section I oversee is one of the girls restrooms. I felt like the evil stepmother in Cinderella as I just stood there and watched these girls clean the restroom, and then when they were done with that they had to scrub the spots on the carpet outside of the restroom. I know kids in America would never even think about cleaning their school. Of course I watched as one girl sat there and scrubbed the same spot on the carpet for 15 minutes, and the 2 girls that sat in the corner and chatted, but I didnt say anything. After practicing the after school cleaning, I went back to my desk and did what I have been doing for the last week... sat at my desk and pretended to look busy. When Justin called I snuck off to the bathroom to talk to him, seeing as I had nothing better to do =) Tomorrow I have one class in the morning and all I am doing is introducing myself and showing the class pictures from back home, my family and my hubby! (thanks dad for the pics!) Then the students have testing for the rest of the day tomorrow, so Im assuming thats when the other assistant language teacher and I can get together and start some lesson planning. All of the students at my school are really nice. They smile at me when we pass each other in the hall, or say hello to me in either English or Japanese, and wave to me if they see me from a distance. Well I better get going. Its getting late and I have a mircowave to carry up 204 stairs...

Much love!! <3