As I walked towards the Tamagawa elementary school building, one thought flashed through my mind: “Wow, Tamagawa is as charming as ever!”
When you walk along the path that leads to the elementary building, the first thing you see is a dirt sports field on your left. The students play there first thing in the morning before school starts, and they also flock there during recess. In the morning, the students gather there for a “choure” (morning meeting) which is comprised of a singing of the Tamagawa Gakuen Anthem and the introduction of any transfer students, new students, or visitors. After the choure, the kids march to class. (They literally march.)
However, unlike last year, I did not attend class with Julian and Elena. After a quick meeting with the teachers, Mrs. Powell and I took a quick tour of the elementary building. (Mrs. Powell was impressed by the silence inside the building: “Christina, is this the only class in this whole building?”)
A few hours later, I met up with my ambassador from last year. However, when I entered her classroom, I shocked quite a few people. (“Christina, is that really you? What happened to your glasses? You grew a lot!”) One student even said that he didn’t remember me at all! Regardless, I had a great time catching up with the students I knew from last year.
Then, I went to a Japanese culture/games class as a “special guest”. However, this class was a bit different. Instead of taking it with Tamagawa students, I took it with several other exchange students from France, Australia, Britain, and America. We played daruma otoshi (a game in which you try to knock down a circle of wood from a pile without making the whole tower collape), kami fusen (which literally means “paper balloon”), koma (tops), and many other various games. Time passed quickly, and it was soon time to leave Tamagawa and return to our hotel.
My last thought as I left Tamagawa: “That was great!”
~Christina
(Note: My dad was the one that took the picture, so he isn’t in it.)
