A Miserable Day For Flag Duty...

Yes, it is my final flag duty of the year and this morning threw up a bit of a quandary...

It looked like it was going to rain but I don't know if their are rules about what you can and can't do when it rains, like - can I use an umbrella or do I have to use a raincoat?

I asked Ebi-kun what he thought and he said "raincoat, maybe"

But then he came out with these words of wisdom...

"But use an umbrella if you want, be a rebel!"

Hahahaha, no mistake whose kid he is!

I took my beautiful Pantone orange brolly with me (goes lovely with my bright pink hair!) but it had stopped raining so no rebelling was had!

I know I have been slack with the posting this week, I have LOADS of stuff going on just now, a big project and redesign of my site, which is under maintenance mode at the moment. I hope I can pop back later and reveal the new look...

How To Scare A Bunch Of Kids…

For those that are new here… in Japan the kids walk to school, they are organized into walking groups with an older child who is in charge and they have to walk along a set route. On a whole I quite like the system, Ebi-kun doesn't have to walk too far, takes them about 20-30 minutes and it is pretty much flat all the way.

There are points along the route that are deemed dangerous and of course, first thing in the morning the traffic is much busier so parents have "voluntary" (you have to do it) flag duty. There are several of us along the route, and we are placed where the kids need to cross the road or if there is a dangerous bit of road that they have to walk along.

We get a high viz jacket, cap, PTA sash and a yellow flag - oh so stylish! And as the kids walk past we are supposed to say ohio gozimasu (good morning) and they are supposed to reply. As I am one for not following the rules I wear the sash and take the flag and I also say Good Morning in English to the kids - with amusing results….

1st & 2nd graders look at me terrified, eyes about to pop out of their heads!

3rd and 4th graders - the girls giggle and answer in English the boys try to be cocky with their Herro and Good-bye comments.

5th and 6th graders - the girls look at me with mild bemusement and the boys roll their eyes in that 'oh you are so not cool' kinda way.

Keeps me amused! Other observations I made today…

• Turquoise and blue in on trend for boys
• Pink and black for girls
• 6th graders look ridiculous wearing the hat they started school in because it is way too small and their back packs look daft too.
• Workmen must find the PTA sash and flag attractive, I had several wave to me this morning!
• Junior High school kids on bikes are idiots - non of them stop, it is a blind junction onto a busy road and they just fly straight over to the wrong side of the road - only a matter of time until one of them is being scraped off a car bonnet.

Other news… The Kitchen Bootcamp kicked off yesterday - some amazing before and after pictures already, the Facebook group is a hive of activity and I am loving everyone sharing and encouragement, what better way to tackle the cleaning? If you want in, you can still join, click HERE to register.

Run Boy Run…

Had a full on day Thursday. It started off with me on flag duty. Almost all the elementary kids walk to school in Japan, they have walking groups and have to go along a set route. In the mornings there are parents dotted along the way, especially on busy intersections to make sure the kids are safe but they don't walk with any adults. Usually about half the kids mumble 'Ohio Gozaimasu' (good morning) and I usually do the same back but this time I thought I would liven things up a bit. So instead of saying it in Japanese I said it in English in a very over the top chirpy voice. It was hysterical - most of the kids are in zombie-half-asleep mode and it made them jump out of their skin

Sometimes I feel like the real me gets squashed here because how I would naturally act in a situation is not 'the Japanese way'. So after waving the flag and scaring half the kids in the neighbourhood I went back home and got a bit of work done. In the mean time hubby was getting some city hall paperwork done and renewing his license, he picked me up in time to go to school to watch the kids doing the marathon. They say marathon, I say running round the block. We cheered Ebi-kun on but when we spoke to him later he said he didn't know we were there!

Then we went for lunch, popped over to Yamaya to buy a bottle of baileys, came out of there with 4 bags of shopping and a much lighter wallet! then it was back to school for the parents meeting. Everything is going well, the bullying seems to have stopped. L-chan, the instigator in his walking group has come to her senses and we haven't heard any more complaints about her for a good while. Academically he is doing great but sensei said his Japanese writing could do with being neater! I fell about laughing at this, hubby's writing is terrible, never mind and engineer, he should have been a doctor and it looks like Ebi-kun is the same BUT Ebi-kun's English writing is beautiful! What can I say?

After school we had to go and buy a new pencil case - it has to be a specific style, not any old pencil case. Then the boys went to play football and I whipped up a new bag. I prepped dinner, hubby cooked and Ebi-kun did his homework. We got to sit down and eat together, lovely change on a Thursday evening!

Enough about me, how has your week been?