Pre-School Opening Ceremony

As I mentioned earlier, Monday was the pre-school Opening Ceremony. It seems that here in Japan, there is a ceremony for nearly everything. Each ceremony is taken quite seriously. I was a bit embarrassed to find myself being the only mother not wearing a suit. Oh well. I decided not to worry too much about it. I’ve been here six months and this was the first “Ooops!” I found myself having in regards to attire. As a woman, I think it’s much easier to dress in such a way that I’ll always fit in.

So, the four Felkers traipsed off to the clinic around 9:00 in the morning Monday so Ridge could see the doc about his “mizuboso”, as Chicken Pox are called in Japanese. Literally, the word means “water bump”, which, I have to say makes much more sense than “chicken pox.” We decided to all go together because the pre-school is across the street from the clinic. We arrived about 9:15 and by 9:25, when I left, the doctor was writing a prescription for Ridge (an anti-viral, which is very commonly used in Japan as a response to this particular ailment). Holt and I popped across the street for the ceremony.

As we entered, I saw a scene similar to that of the closing ceremony, which took place only one week previously. All of the new students were dressed to the nines. One of the little boys even had a bow tie – very cute! Not being prepared for the formality (really, I should have known better!), Holt was sporting a lovely little fire truck sweatshirt that used to be Ridge’s. At least it was stain free. The newbies were asked to wait in the hallway and were all given a paper flower to wear. At first, Holt refused, but I bribed him with the promise of chocolate mushroom cookies, his favorite. When the music began, we filed into the main room and walked between the rows of paper flowers that had been laid out for us. We then took our seats, with mothers in the back. The mayor was there, along with several other Important People, including the police chief from the village. Of course, the ceremony began with the same piano chord – bowing ritual that all other important school ceremonies have begun with. Holt, bless his heart, did his best to bow in time.

After several people spoke, and children squirmed, they new kids were given a brand spankin’ new yellow hat and reflective zipper pull. Holt let the Important Man put the new hat on his (Holt’s) head and give him the zipper pull, then said “thank you”. More gifts were passed out (later we were given Ridge’s gifts to take home to him, including this cake: Cake Picture) As they called the names of the other pre-schoolers, I heard that several were absent due to “mizuboso”.

Holt seemed to do just fine, and even sat still for a group photo. I think that coming to school everyday to drop off Ridge, and listening to Ridge talk about having fun really made things easier for Holt. Today, when I dropped him off, he barely complained. At the time I am writing this, he is still at school and Aaron should be picking him up at any moment. I can’t wait to hear about his day! Poor Ridge is still at home with the pox, but is improving quickly and will hopefully be at school next week. I think once he gets over his nervousness about naptime, he will really enjoy being at school all day with the other kids. The amount of Japanese he has learned is really quite amazing! The other day, Ryuya came over, and he and Ridge were definitely able to communicate better than they did when we arrived in August!

One final item of interest from yesterday: after the ceremony, the teachers entertained the kids while the moms had a PTA meeting. Since I had taken the day off from work, I joined in. I confess it was mainly so Holt could stay and play with the other kids. Anyway, it was interesting. New “officers” and a president were chosen. In order to do this, eight people volunteered to fill the needed positions. Then, the eight met briefly and decided who would be president, and so on. Apparently, if you have a child under the age of two, or a job, you are highly discourage from being in this group of eight. Actually, if you have a child under the age of two, you aren’t allowed. Talk about taking some pressure off! There’s always the expectation that everyone will help out, pitch in, and be a part of everything; I’m sure it makes it much easier for some working mothers, or mothers of young children, to not feel self-conscious or pressured to overextend themselves. What a great idea!

Unfortunately, I didn’t take the camera with me for the ceremony, but I’m hoping to get some from the men who were there immortalizing the moment (one of whom is Mr. Usui). If I manage to get any, I’ll be sure to post them.