Outting

We went on our annual school outting on Friday. The whole school hoofed it the forty minutes to Akahama (which means red beach), played some games and had a picnic. The purpose of the outting is to welcome the new first-year students to the school, and to give all of us pasty people the first sun burn of the year. Done and done! Here are some photos of the day:

This is a game of tag. Japanese students play with an interesting twist. Students who are tagged, must start lining up at the red cone. If someone (who isn't "it") makes it to the red cone without being tagged and touches the tip, all of the students previously tagged flee. It's really quite fun, especially with teachers standing around with a cordless micraphone screaming, "RUN! RUN!" when the cone is touched.

Here are some lovely third-year students. They are the seniors of the school and are in charge of hazing the new students. Haruka and her friend offered me a part of their towel. I suppose they thought I was getting too burned. Haruka hopes to study English after high school.

Here's Chiharu and two of the cuttest kids on earth. Chiharu is walking Koma and Aika back to their parents (two teachers at the high school) after getting lollypops. Because the ilsand and the high school is so small, everyone gets to know everyone and their famlies. It's a totally rural corner of the world.

Here's Daichi, Yotaro and a boy who's name I should really know. They are all third-year students (or seniors). I inturupted their game on the beach. They were throwing rocks into the ocean and having their friends try to stand on them before the next wave came in and covered the stone.

Here are my toes in the red sand.

This is Miyuki and I. She's a second-year student and really into English. We practice English pronounciation every day after school. She brings me her textbook and we read senteces in English. She's got one of the most energetic personailites I've ever come across. I'm so happy to have met her.

DUDE!! For some reason I can't enter more photos to this entry and I'm so sad. I'll add more later. I swear.