Graduation Day

In Japan, schools are year round and early April marks the start of a new school year. Wednesday was Graduation Day at the kindergarten! The school has three grade levels of students, so only the oldest group ( 5 and 6 year olds) are leaving. Since they have been at the school for three years now, this group, Shion as they are referred to, has had experiences with other Spring Arbor students coming in and out. Because of this, the Shions get that we can't understand them and have been able to try different ways of communicating with us. It was a little sad to see these kids go because Mike, Lori and I have enjoyed playing with them on the playground, eating lunch in their classes and teaching them English in exchange for Japanese words.

We had gotten the impression that Graduation was going to be a pretty big deal, as many parents often show us for smaller assemblies with video cameras and such. The Shions and their teachers had been practicing for weeks on their march in and different songs and prayers they were to recite. Lori, Mike and I had a few roles in the ceremony. Our first and most nerve racking was to read a Bible verse in front of the crowd, first in English than Japanese. Now, I really don't get nervous speaking in front of people, but in Japanese in a bit different. For those of you who have been keeping up on my blogs, you'll know that I have had the best record of speaking Japanese in front of a crowd! I practiced several times beforehand, but my heart was pumping quite fast as the ceremony approached.

The kids looked so cute in their little caps and gowns! Here's a few pictures I got before the ceremony...

Kaiya, the boy on the left hugging his friend, is one of our favorites. He always hides when I try to take pictures of him, so I was happy to get one where his arms aren't covering his face!

Some of the moms were excited to take pictures of us with their kids. Sayaka, the girl doing the peace with me, is another favorite.

The ceremony started with the traditional graduation song to march in with. In their hands, the students held branches with leaves on them. I'm not positive of the significance, but in our copy of the program it said that the buds are eaten as a vegetable in Japan's spring season. So maybe the two are related. The ceremony was held in the outside dome, which was just big enough to fit about 100 graduating students and their families. Parents were dressed up (a very moms had traditional kimonos on!) and there were video cameras everywhere. It was definitely a big deal. Mike said it reminded him of the movie "Best in Show," except for children instead of dogs! Of course, if I had an adorable Japanese child, I would want pictures and videos full of him or her dressed in an over-sized cap and gown too.

The Bible readings went very well for all three of us. We had been told to speak slowly, which was no trouble when speaking in Japanese. Lori and I had verses from 1 John and Mike's was from Isaiah. I haven't been that nervous in a long time! About halfway through (which wasn't that far because it was only one verse), I started feeling really good about myself and began cheering myself on in my head. I didn't dare look up from my paper at the audience, though. I was really relieved when it was done and I could go back to my seat and enjoy the ceremony. However, I should keep in mind though that many of the parents are not Christians, so even giving them one Bible verse is something I should look forward to, not be scared by.

After our reading, the students recited the Lord's Prayer and then received their diplomas (or maybe they were just certificates). Then the real fun began when the students sang and danced to "Bless the Lord." Here's a short clip of it that I took on my camera:

After the ceremony, our second job was to sing with the Gospel choir at the tea ceremony. The tea ceremony was kind of like a reception, but since we were warming up I didn't get a chance to see, or try, what was being offered. Gospel choir has been going fairly well. I haven't been asked to sing a solo yet, which was something I was warned about by my friend Stacy who came on this trip last year. There are a couple of songs that I know most of the words to, I just don't know what I'm saying. Others I feel totally lost. The first song we had to sing was one of these. It's a very fast song, so I'm proud of myself when I can just keep track of where everyone else is. The second is one is a bit slower, so that was nice. The final song we sang with the kids. There were many moms in the choir, teachers, and parents in the audience getting teary eyed when we sang this song. Mike was curious about what the song's words were and if that's what was making everyone so sappy, or if it was just the spirit of graduation.

Monday starts Spring Break, which is three weeks of no school. The teachers still work, so its really not a break at all! But when we start school up again in April, there will be new students coming in.