A Little Anxious

Tomorrow is the first day of school, its called opening ceremony. I will introduce myself in English and an English teacher will translate for me. I will wear a tie for the first time since the last time, the day I interviewed for this job. Poor Sister Carmen, one of my fellow teachers back at Lincoln Middle School, I can just see her now. She’s thinking someone died. It’s just the first day of school.

Today, Chrissy read the last 400 pages of Harry Potter. She is now available for discussions about the book. She can also focus on other priorities. I listened to a quarter or so of the USC-Idaho game and the last half of the Kansas State-Auburn game on the Internet. That will be the essence of my football experience for me this year.

I rode my bike over the ridges to a town to our north, Tarakazuka. It took nearly two hours. The neighborhoods in Tarakazuka look much like the neighborhoods here in Nishinomiya. I couldn't tell where one ended and the next began. I did ride through a golf course on the crest of the third ridge, very beautiful. The day was not nearly as hot as it has been; it peaked in the low 90s. Tonight almost feels cool, I think it is in the low 80s with a slight breeze.

Off in the Pacific there is a typhoon brewing. Right now, it looks like our part of Japan is in the center of the forecasted track. According to my ability in Japanese and my ability to interpret satellite images without assistance, it is still 3 to 5 days before it nears the coast. Even if they call school on account of the weather, teachers are still required to report to work. Don’t let our new Principal Grow see that. A typhoon just means that I will have to wear my rain suit over top of my clothes on my bike ride to work. I won’t even get a day off from my days off.

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I am a little anxious, just like the first day of school every year back home.