Daily School Life

Daily School Life

Hello everyone! I have gotten settled into the daily life of a Japanese high school student. What follows is what a typical weekday looks like.

I wake at 6:30AM and talk to my friends in Spokane. Due to the time difference this is usually the only time I get to talk to them. At 7:00 I walk down some extremely steep stairs down to the bathroom sink. I wash my face and try to fix my funny bed head. I put on a white t-shirt and my school uniform. This consists of black dress slacks, a black belt, and a white quarter button up collared shirt with the word Higashi written in blue lettering on the sleeve. I then go down to the kitchen where my amazing host Mom has prepared breakfast for me. In America I usually eat breakfast at school during my first period. It was a little weird making the switch just because I am not hungry that early in the morning. Breakfast consists of orange juice, an english muffin, either a egg and bacon or 2 sausages that taste like hot dogs. After breakfast I clear my spot and thank my host Mom. I then brush my teeth and pack my school work into my backpack. By this time it is about 8:00 AM. Nori and I walk the mile or so to school. Most days some of his friends will join us. 

Once we arrive at school we always go get a sip from the drinking fountain before heading to the shoe locker area. In Japanese high schools, inside shoes are worn during the day. Everyone wears croc like sandals inside. I then walk up a few stairs (separating the inside shoe and outside shoe area) and head to my homeroom. This is where I spend most of my time. My classroom has a large green chalk board and sliding doors. The windows overlook the dirt baseball field and track. My desk is at the back of the class room next to Nori's. There are 43 students in my class including me. In America I normally have 30 in each class. Another difference is that my teachers move from room to room. I stay seated and quiet for 65 minutes while the sensei or teacher gives a lecture like lesson. In my Japanese school the daily class schedule varies a lot. I have not started a school with the same class as the day prior. I only understand 3 classes, Math, English, And P.E. Math is hard because I don't understand what they want me to solve for. After 3rd period we eat lunch in our classroom. I eat a bento box that my host mother prepares for me. For those how have never eaten a bento box, it can really contain anything. Mine is always the same as Nori's. It has rice and fruit and depending on the day some type of meat and vegetable. After lunch we have 2 to 3 more classes depending on the day.  

After school most students go to a club. This could be a sports club or music club. What I do varies day to day. On Tuesday I spent 2 hours after school playing soccer with Nori and some of his teammates. After we were done I was very hungry and tired. We walked across the street to a large mall and ate donuts and McDonalds. Healthy! Then we made the mile journey back home. Once I get back, I usually go into Nori's room and we will do homework and play card games while listening to American music. I eat dinner between 7-9 depending on the day. After dinner I shower and get ready for bed. It never takes me long to fall asleep because my days are so jam packed. In addition, it takes a lot of energy constantly learning a new language. Each day I have learned more Japanese and learned something new about this amazing foreign culture.