This is sapovirus. Isn't pretty? It's so purple. Don't you just want to smell and touch it?
Yeah, I wouldn't either.
This little demonic bastard infected both the elementary and junior high schools, then spread to the kindergarten and family members. It closed the junior high for almost an entire week. The last week in this school year. Awesome timing.
It started when I walked into school Friday morning and the principal asked me if my stomach was ok. I looked down, thinking "do I look fat? does he think I'm preggers?" The nurse replied,"no, no, she brings a bento." So.... I'm fat because I bring a bento? WTF?
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| Don't eat a bento--you fat! |
Every person that walked in the room was asked the same question. Thoroughly confused, I look around and notice teachers are missing. When my JTE arrives, he is asked if he is ok, says no and asks for nenkyu. Kyoto sensei hisses and sucks his teeth. (which means no in Japanese). After it's clear the other teachers aren't coming, we stand up for a meeting.
Then, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in Japan occurred. My JTE stood up, grabbed his briefcase, flipped his sign in card and ran out of the room shouting, "nenkyu!" In the middle of beginning a meeting, after Kyoto sensei said no... amazing.
Then we have the first of a week's worth of endlessly boring meetings about the source of the epidemic. It's clear it was carried through school lunch, as everyone was infected at the same time in multiple places. That's the only thing that is clear.
For a whole week of no classes, no clear direction, no translation, and endless schedule changes, I try to do my best to pretend like I have a purpose. I figure out the schedule as best as I can, but the schedule on the board is never the schedule anyone follows. There is a magic invisible schedule that can only be seen by members of the collective... of which everyone else is a member, but sadly I have not been extended an invitation.
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| Shit, the foreigner can speak! |
Television cameras came and filmed us cleaning, we made several newspapers, but I still had no concrete information. I shocked most everyone I think, by becoming desperate and actually speaking multiple sentences in Japanese to the other teachers in an effort to figure out ... anything. However, the reaction I receive when I speak to any of the junior high teachers in any language is the deer in the headlights look, followed by stammering in Japanese speckled with English. It's a highly ineffective means of communication, but I really do think they are as nervous to speak to me as I am to them.
After spending a half hour Thursday sitting in the library staring out the window to get out of the teacher's room, I notice the P.E. teacher walking around with a bucket and gloves. What? Cleaning again? $#%%^#@... I run down the stairs and slide into the teacher's room.
I spent almost 90% of the day in the teacher's room to try to be present for the endless schedule changes. These changes never occurred during that time however. I went to the bathroom... I got called over the intercom for a meeting. I go to the library... and it's unscheduled bleaching time.
Nearly at my irritation limit, I go to share disinfecting equipment with the Japanese teacher. She asks me if I'm tired, and points to the circle under my eyes I've been too irritated to hide with my usual make up. And then, for only the second time since arriving, I let my emotional control slip and say, "No, I just hate it when we don't have classes and we have only meetings and I don't know what's going on and I want to help." Then, realizing my error, I covered my mouth and ran away to blot out the memory with bleach.
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| Slinking... |
That night, I received a long, apologetic email from my JTE about not telling me the schedule or being around to help me. Fantastic, I thought, the Japanese teacher understood me perfectly. I appreciate her help, but hope she hasn't told anyone else.
When I arrive to work on Friday, I receive personal apologies from my JTE and Kochou sensei as apparently my moment of frustration was shared with the entire staff. I want to die, melt, blow away... perhaps all of the above. That afternoon, I receive permission to leave *early* (which is never never allowed) and not attend the additional teacher's meeting. Embarassed, I slink out of the teacher's room before everyone else.... which turned out to be a good thing as the sapovirus (nope, it's not gone yet) had finally taken root in my stress-weakened digestive system.
The bottom line is, I think it's important to understand and appreciate cultures that are very different than your own. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to *like* all the aspects of that culture. And I've decided that someone as opinionated and emotional as I am has a difficult road to follow in Japan. Every culture has challenges, but I've worked very hard to *not* be introverted and quiet, and I feel like I've taken about 7 steps backwards. In the future, I will try for more moderation... as I am not a Vulcan, and when I try to suppress emotions, things go badly.
