It's a Festivus

We spent a sunny Sunday afternoon at my school's festival (one of the few sunny days we've had recently. as people love to tell us, Akita has the highest suicide rate in all of Japan -- for 11 straight years. "Winter in Akita, no sun," Sasaki sensei likes to say). The students spent Friday and Saturday preparing for the big day, which for some reason, featured a lot of cross-dressing.

Then main event on Saturday was an art competition (a workday for me. ostensibly, i get Sunday and Monday off, but like I said, Sunday we were at school for the festival, and Monday I'm playing in an inter-teacher baseball game, and later, a teacher drinking party). Each home room spent an afternoon on these, and they were pretty amazing, in my opinion. I was one of the judges for the competition, and below is the painting I voted for. It didn't win.

Neither did this one, yet I like it. I'm not sure why the kids decided to paint Arnold, but I thought it was a pretty good 80s likeness.

This one did win, and I nearly voted for it. There was a complicated story behind the creation of it, which I didn't understand. The little guy in the corner holding up the peace sign teaches mechanical engineering, and apparently, is very will liked by the students.

These two were left over from previous years.


Two other paintings (not pictured) were ceremoniously booted out of the competition. There was was a real buzz surrounding them before the judging took place, and when they were unveiled, I realized why. Due to their graphic content, Tricia has forbidden me from posting them on our blog. I did manage to snap shots of each with my phone, though, and when Tricia isn't looking, I'll throw them up here. They're actually not that bad. Most of the teachers were laughing, and even the principal managed a smile. In fact, the biggest controversy was that I used my cell phone to take pictures of them during the unveiling. Cell phones are forbidden, even during a festival, apparently. My supervisor kindly told me I needed to put it away, then added, "Don't worry. No one will care. They understand why you would be interested in these paintings."

These guys were selling curry. I asked them if they made it. They said yes. I said, no thanks.

This girl (name forgotten) always tries to talk to me, I think, because she's in the brass band, and I told her that I knew how to play the trumpet. We also both like Radiohead.


Jonas loved these girls dressed as Pokemon and Poo. They were very sweet. And short.




So students at this school study all sorts of engineering, computers, drafting, architecture. It reaffirms, for me, that we seriously need to rethink education in America. This is the positive side of tracking, in my opinion. In addition to academic classes, students here work on projects in whatever field they're interested. Below is a solar-powered car built by a student I'm trying to help get into Akita International University, where all the classes are taught in English. It's a prestigious school, and I really hope he makes it. He works unbelievably hard.




And finally, a video of little Jonas, playing in a puddle.