It's hard to keep up with the Japanes

It's 8:35 PM and I just got home from my adult conversation class. It went pretty well considering there was no translator there (a woman named Mari who attends the class has good enough English that she can translate for me) and I speak no Japanese. So I basically relied on one of my students who attends the class to read my Japanese phrasebook (thanks Phil, most useful thing EVER) and translate what I was trying to say into Japanese.

~BUT~

To put this in perspective, I left my junior high school at 5:20 PM, 5 minutes later than usual (I was writing my Carleton statement of interest) and chilled at home until about 6:55 PM. I then went to my adult class for 1 hour and 15 mins, so until 8:15. I rushed out of class to prepare for a phone call to a former prof and went to the lobby of the BOE. Who do I run into?? like 10 of my students!! I look at them and I say "what the hell are you guys still doing here!? Arent you sleepy!?!??!" Theyre like "yes, oh, very sleepy". So I'm thinking... GO HOME!

I then proceeded to walk through my school yard home (since its the fastest way) and notice there are no less than SIX cars still there. My school only has like 12 teachers, so that means HALF the teachers were still there at 8:30!!! This kind of work ethic completely boggles my mind. I always tell my Japanese English teachers that teachers in Canada watch the clock count down, stay 15 minutes after the final bell then get the heck out of there! They get a good laugh at it.

Well to summarize, Japanese people work their asses off, especially the teachers. Teachers can not get enough respect in this country for the crazyness they go through! Most of them are there before I wake up at 7 AM and most stay past 7 PM.. 12 hour days.... EVERY DAY (including Saturday and Sunday...) They also have to lead a certain club, so there are additional responsibilities everyday they must attend to.

Side note - Tomorrow is my enkai (welcome party) with my school! I asked Mr Takagi today (one of my JTE's) if everyone would be drinking and he laughed at me and said YES! So you know what I'm gonna whip out? A little flip cup action! Yes that's right my fellow Canadians... flip cup is about to enter a completely Japanese realm. I hope they love it as much as we do.