Friday was graduation day. We all had to be well dressed and equally well behaved - haha ;) Once everyone had been seated things got underway quite swiftly. The school song started proceedings.
Each student's name was called, but he or she did not go to the stage; one representative from each class went up to collect the certificates. Things were very formal. Students neatly walked up the steps, bowed to the flag, then the principle before receiving their certificates. Something about this made me feel a little uneasy. However, one student on his way down from the stage held whatever he had received up in the air like an Olympic gold medal. I wonder what his teacher made of that. It seemed to me that the ceremony wouldn't last all that long. Needless to say, I was mistaken.
Following the name calling, standing up and sitting down by each student, several speeches followed. I wish I could understand Japanese. Things may have been more interesting that way. One Chinese girl gave a speech in Japanese. I didn't listen to her Japanese very carefully, but her accent was heavy and very hypnotic.
Perhaps, from start to finish it was about two hours. I don't even recall having much of a ceremony at school. It can't have made to much of an impression on me then.
The teacher-parent party was also very formal, with each 3rd year homeroom teacher having to give a speech. I wondered if they were all saying the same thing. An impressive range of food kept up spirits and each teacher received a bento box in the staffroom.
As soon as everyone had left, the teachers set to work on taking everything apart again - folding away the chairs, dismantling entrance tents, clearing away food and so on. I felt a little sorry for them when they told me that they had to start preparing immediately for Monday's orientation meeting for new first-years.
