卒業おめでとう！

もうすぐで四月になりますが今月は全校が卒業式で忙しかったです。　日本の卒業式を生で見るのは初めてだったのですがカナダの卒業式とはまったく違いました。　此処の卒業式はとにかく決まっている形と儀式があり、とてもformal（正式）に見えました。　まあ、平たく言えば日本で行われる「式」のほとんどはカナダ人から見たら比較的にはもっとserious (シリアス)で正式なのですが、私が経験/参加させてもらった式は全部大人が主要人でした。　それを普段は子供っぽく振舞っている生徒たちがあんなにきりっとしている姿を見るととても感心しました。


卒業式で生徒たちの輝いた姿を見られた事はとてもうれしかったのですが、三月の終わりは人事異動の時期でもあり、この何週間は複雑な気持ちでした。　せっかく仲良くなった教員や一緒に仕事をする人の何人ともうお別れをしないといけないのはとても残念に思います。それに、CIRとは中途半端な期間で採用されるのだと改めて思いました。七月の終わりに皆がやっと今学年に慣れてきた時に僕はもう帰らなくちゃいけないことを今考えるとちょっと辛いです。　

This month all the schools have been busy with graduation ceremonies. It was the first time that I’ve actually seen a Japanese graduation, and not surprisingly it was very different than the ones I attended as a student in Canada. Like most if not all of Japanese ceremonies, they were more structured and formal compared to their Canadian counterparts. While I’ve already witnessed many Japanese ceremonies that were just as formal, I was most impressed with these graduations because they didn’t involve fully grown adults but kids who normally acted appropriate to their age.

While it was nice to watch my students behave so well in what were emotionally moving ceremonies that reflected over the 11 month long Japanese school year (seven of which I was here for); it was also a reminder that next month was the start of a new school year with new teachers and co-workers. It’s unfortunate that I have to say good-bye to many people that I feel like I’ve just gotten to know. I’m reminded of how the JET programme’s scheduling of contracts is revolved around our (English speaking nation’s) yearly schedule rather than Japan’s. I can’t help but anticipate further feelings of disappointment when I have to leave this country all together in July; at a time when I’d be just getting the hang of this coming school year.