Day 53: They are Here

This morning I woke before some of the other teachers, so I would have time for a bath before breakfast. Most Japanese people only shower or take a bath at night, but I still like my morning showers. The view of the mountains along the shore is breathtaking in the morning here. I walked outside for a few pictures. I also took some time to take advantage of the free internet in the hotel lobby. I could smell the fish and other traditional Japanese foods being prepared for breakfast. The teachers and I had sashimi, rice, Japanese pickles and miso soup with lobster. The food here is good, and hopefully will supply me the energy I will need to swim long-distances.

We walked the path along the water to the beach to prepare a few more things before the students and other teachers arrive. We laid tarps out under each tent so the students would not have to sit in the sand everyday. Then, we moved the buoys out deeper into the water; The tides keep moving in and out, forcing us to move the buoys again and again. We even cleaned the seaweed from the beach and bagged it up. I found a perfect sand dollar today sitting right on top of the sand. I also found one yesterday. Hopefully the sand dollars will serve as good luck charms here at the sea.

Back at the hotel we took showers and cleaned up a bit. We each had to move to a new room as well, seeing as the kids will be filling the rooms and other teachers will be joining us. The students arrived around noon. About 160 students came in five buses and gathered in front of the hotel for pictures and the opening ceremony. Today was really hot, but we had some swimming today anyway. First, we all headed inside for a lunch of rice and noodles.

All of the students went to the beach and prepared for their first encounter with the cool, unpredictable waters of the sea. I think they were all a bit nervous standing beside the seemingly infinite body of water. I was comfortable here already thanks to a practice swim yesterday, but the kids were somewhat anxious to get started. The students bowed to the teachers, as they always do, " Yoroshiku one ga ishimasu," which loosely means they wish us to treat them kindly. Then, they all did something that at once surprised me, and made perfect sense: they turned to the sea, bowed, and spoke the same words. It was a special moment for me to witness, and it speaks to the Japanese respect for one another as well as things less temporal than mankind.

Today I swam with the A1 and B1 groups two times each. The water was cooler than yesterday, but hopefully will not stay that way. Each of the groups swam around the buoys for about thirty minutes today. It was only a short practice for the students, but an important chance for the students to get acquainted with the water. The swims were easy for me, and swimming with the kids was fun. Within a few minutes, the students relaxed a bit as their anxiety was laid to rest...for now at least. The students walked back to the hotel, while a few teachers, volunteers, and I moved the buoys back into shallow water.

Our bathroom doesn't seem to get hot water, but I took a shower anyway. The front desk told us to wait a few minutes, but the water temperature didn't change. I brought my computer along on this trip, not for fun, but to try and keep up with my work. I had a half hour or so to type before our dinner. Following dinner, a businessman from the town came to speak to the students. I have heard that the man is such a great speaker, that he makes all of the students want to live near the sea. Mr. Yukita and Shimizu Sensei translated the man's stories, but Mr. Yukita and I left before he was finished. It was not mandatory for the teachers to be present during the speaker. I wanted to listen to him, but even Mr. Yukita could see the weariness in my face. I did not sleep much last night for some reason. I went to bed really early tonight lying with the balcony door open so I could hear the waves breaking on the shore.