"E" is for Elementary School

Some of my most heart warming moments in Japan have happened at elementary schools. I visit 6 elementary schools, most of which are out in the countryside. Two of them are literally in the mountains so far away it takes like an hour and a half to get to them. Schools in the mountains have some unique qualities. For one, they tend to have very few students (22 kids in the entire school!). Another thing I like about them is that I have never experienced so much NATURE as when I have gone out to these schools. Once I was running up the mountain path to the playground can nearly stepped on a snake that was sunning itself. The kids were like "no big deal" so I forgot about it...but later when I was describing the snake to the teachers, they were horrified and told me that it was a poisonous viper! Whoa. The last time I saw a snake like that, I was safely on the other side of the glass in the STL Zoo.

Every time that I even think for a moment that I am tired of being an ALT, the little ones at elementary school make everything worth it again. Their smiling faces, their adorable little voices, and their determination to tell me everything about their lives despite our language barrier warm my heart every time. Plus, they are just so darn funny sometimes. I laugh all the time in class! My teacher sisters and cousins can understand this perfectly, I think. They ask such funny questions, too: "Ella sensei, what is the best way to get the center of a tornado?" and "How long does it take you to get to Japan from America every morning?"

I wish you could all meet each and every one of these cuties.