First Day

(Disclaimer- This post is looooong and I was too lazy to edit it and split it up)

So I'm heading to my first day of classes! I've got the usual butterflies, going over all of my supplies to make sure I've brought everything:

Pencil and eraser. Check.

Pen and Ink. Check.

Ruler. Check.

Paper. Check.

USB Recording Device. Check.

Yes, that's right. I was so nervous about not understanding what anybody said in class, that I bought a recorder and planned to record and re-listen to the teacher's lectures, etc. as the need arose. On paper, this was a good plan. I was confident it would work. There was no way, my super A+ Recording Plan could fail!

As I entered the classroom and took a random seat, there were pockets of nervous conversation, but mostly silence. I read some One Piece while waiting for the teacher to show up. Once he did, we soon learned that we would have assigned seats for the first half of the year. To make it easier for him to remember our faces and names. Not that I think he would have much trouble picking me out of the crowd. (^_-)

Okay. Since forever, I have been a back-of-the-classroom kind of guy. I just don't like sitting under the teacher's nose. I like having the freedom to space out every once in a while without anyone noticing. Yes, it's not the best habit in the world. But it's how I am, and I can't really help it. Luckily enough, as my name comes towards the latter end of the Japanese alphabet (they arranged me by my first name, since Japanese names are reversed) I got my wish.

So far so good. I've understood the relatively simple Japanese used up to this point (mostly just calling of names and pointing to seats) and was confident and ready for the lesson to begin.

Recorder on.

Aaaand, the teacher starts talking.

Aaaaaaaaand I have no idea what he is saying.

As luck, or irony, would have it, my new teacher was a mumbler. He mumbled all his words into a mush-jargon pile of Japanese that I could barely make any kind of heads or tails of.

Crap. Crap. Crap. Wait. Calm down. I have the recorder. I will probably be able to make out what he's saying later. Things will be okay. I'll be fine.

So I listen and try to understand what he's saying. Its no use! Argh! What to do?!

And then I am saved! Behind me, one student asks another.

"Do you understand what he is saying?"

"Nope."

"Me either."

Yesss! Okay, its not just me. I have a life-line! I wait for the teacher to stop speaking. There's the usual class mumblings and clamor of speech as they are no longer expected to be silent. And as my luck would have it, the two who had no idea what he was saying, called the teacher over and asked him to explain what to do again.

I never listened so hard in my life. This time I would get it for sure. Okay, I understand about half. I got the gist. We are supposed to draw a character, give him some kind of personality and then do a few head shots of him with different expressions. Everybody is busy drawing so I waste no time and set my pencil to the paper.

I decided to draw some lazy teenager sprawled out on a couch who thinks work is annoying and would rather sit around at home doing nothing. The class is given about an hour for this task and when the hour is up, the teacher tells that we are now going to come to the front of the class, show our drawings to everyone and do a brief introduction about ourselves.

Oh great. First day and I'm already doing public speaking. At least I'm near the end of the list. So I have some time to prepare what I'm going to say.

I'm not going to describe everyone that went up there, but let's just say there were some talented people and many - what's a nice way to say this - we'll say "hopeful learners." Not to toot my own horn, I know better than anyone else I still have work to do and room to improve, but some of these students were drawing at a level a lot lower than I originally expected. And, of course, the opposite was true - some of them were amazing.

As my turn came up, I made my way to the front. Put my drawing up on the projector. And started talking.

Translation:

"Hi. I'm David. Um. I'm from New York. Um. (Mind racing furiously) I've been in Japan for two years now. (Crap say one more thing. One more thing and you're golden) I'm um... colorblind."

Silence.

Well better than laughter I suppose. I go take my drawing back, and the teacher speaks to me. "Wow, David you sure are good at Japanese! And you've only been here for two years? I can't speak English at all! Are you a genius?"

Wait. Pause. Yes, he asked me if I was a genius. I guess I should have been flattered. But I was mostly shocked. How do you respond to that, especially to a teacher, and doubly so when 9 times out of 10 you actually have no idea what he is saying? I stuck with the Japanese way of accepting compliments by not accepting them.

"No, no. I'm just a regular guy. Ha ha."

Damn, I hope he doesn't start using really hard words when he talks to me. The rest of the day wound down as all the students took their turn at the front. With great relief I turned off my recorder and packed up my things.

"Hi"

I look up, one of the students had started talking to me. Sweet.

"Hi," I sad back.

And then he started speaking in sentences. Oh man. My luck was just not strong today. This student happened to be from Shikkouku. An Island in the south of Japan. And just like in America or England or anywhere really, different regions of the country have very different dialects and pronunciation. I was struggling to understand even the simple things he said to me. But he was nice, and asked a few questions about me, and I tried to return the favor as best I could. I was grateful just for the fact that he even spoke to me. Many Japanese people are too shy to initiate conversation with a foreigner.

Somehow I managed to get through it. We said our pleasantries and headed our separate ways and I ended the class on a high note thinking I'd taken the first steps towards making a friend. Time to head home.

Leaving class everyone made their way to one of the train stations nearby, or to their bicycle, and as things usually go they start to form groups. I'm waiting on the train platform and soon to come was a small group of students from my class also riding the same train home. I really did not expect them to stop and talk to me. And I can honestly say, I was pleasantly surprised when they did.