In April and August of every year, all the AETs in Koshigaya must change schools. April is the start of the new school year, which means that all the 三年生 (third graders) are graduating. This whole semester has been strange, because the first half was the most intense studying, for the high school entrance exams, and since the tests it has been a huge party. But yesterday was an actual party. It wa a big assembly with all the teachers and students and some parents. All the students and teachers (but thankfully not me) do performances. First there was a really boring play that I couldn't understand, then there was a band concert. After that, the band played some fast songs like "tequila" and all the third graders danced. Then the first graders had a chorus concert, and reenacted the undokai from the beginning of the year. Their reenactment somehow managed to include more falling down than the original though, complete with banana peels. After them, the second graders did a really cool thing with a bunch of colored flashlights and some tinkly music, and then they did an elaborate shadow puppet show which I found fascinating but completely indecipherable. After that it was time for the third grade teachers to put on their performances. Tobari and Negishi sang and played guitar and then all the teachers did a really bad but amusing magic show, part of which involved teachers being faux-hypnotized and compelled to imitate the famous singers of the day. After that it was the third graders turn. They did a very long skit featuring mocking impressions of all the teachers, including myself. The kid who did me is named Kan Kan and he did a perfect job. All year people are always telling us that we look alike, because we both have big mouths and spikey hair and glasses, but on stage he really nailed it perfectly, from my clothes to my posture to how I hold my book when I am reading. It was cool. Of course, I kicked his ass afterwards. Seriously, we are kinda pals, and I gave him my tie after as a present, so he can continue to imitate me. Although now I don't have a tie to wear to graduation on Saturday. Finally the third graders all lined up and sang a Smap! song and then left. They have two more days of school and I am getting really sad about it. But I think that I can stay friends with some of my students.

I found out which will be my new school. It is called Ei-Shin. This name is confusingly similar to Shin-Ei, my current school, and often causes people trouble. Anyway, having this school puts me in a bit of a conundrum, and I can't decide whether it is good or bad. The school is really big, so I will be busy, but the teachers are all supposed to be really nice and all that. Supposedly the kids aren't as smart as Shin-Ei, but we will see. The weird thing will be the fact that this school is about 5 feet from my house. I literally can hear their band practicing from my house, and I can see it out the front door. So, there are good and bad aspects to this. One good thing is that I will be able to get to school much more quickly, and if I forget stuff I can go back home. But the downside is that if I think I can get to school quickly I may cut it too close in the mornings. Another downside to this is that I won't get the great exercise I get rushing to school in the mornings because I am perpetually running late. But on the other hand, I won't get to school all hot and exhausted from riding hard on my bike for 15 minutes. Which is good because soon it will be summer and it is going to be as hot as hell. But, another downside is that all my students will live in my neighborhood and right around my house, so I will always be running into them all the time. In fact I know a lot of them are already familiar with me because I see them every day going to school. Some of them even say hello and good morning to me. So I will have no privacy or freedom from my students at all. But if they turn out to be cool we can hang out a lot. So I don't really know whether to think it is good or bad, but in the end it is both, and that doesn't really matter. Really, it just is, and I can't change it. Nor would I want to. It will be interesting.

Another item of passing interest: Friday is White Day. On White Day, all guys are supposed to get white chocolate for all the girls who got them something on Valentine's Day last month. It is a very interesting take on the holiday that they have here. I like it though. The only thing that is a little weird is that the girls are expected to make something, and then put themselves on the line by giving it to guys that they like, while the guys can sit back and wait from the homemade goodies to roll in, then buy only the people who gave them something a crappy box of chocolate in return. If I was a girl I would be a little irked.