heh. So in a youthful decision of haste, I decided to run in the school’s annual marathon (マラソン大会). It’s not really a full marathon, nor a half marathon, but it’s long enuf to get the idea. The girls run 6km and the boys 10km. I ran 8km. I started with the first wave (the girls) and then when they turned around at kilometer 3, I kept going (like Forest, I suppose) for another kilometer (so not like Forest) to my post.
It was my job to cheer and support students as they ran by. And I was standing with one of the young math teachers. He was super curious about how math is taught in other countries, and he even taught me a thing or two. In India, multiplication tables are learned up to 29×29. Holy Schnikees! Japan does 9×9. Students came running eventually (only boys, and their heat started 10mins later), and I had fun telling jokes and trying to get them to smile.
When the last group of boys ran by, I joined them and ran the last 4km of their race with them. Waiting for me upon my return was a delicious pork stew made by a few parents. They used huge 50 gallon drums [clicky] to hold fires for the massive cooking pots, or cauldrons (it is about that time of year, and I still don’t have any plans - I doubt anything will materialize, tho I’d either go as Rupan or Napoleon Dynamite, friggin’ idiot, GOD!!). A good feed, and then back to school. No classes all day (we were running in great perfectly sunny weather - even got a small burn on my face!), so I promptly took a nap in the teacher’s lounge. That’s my thing now at school - whenever I don’t have anything to do, I sleep. Kinda nice, I like being a cat.