Don't Forget to Bow on Your Way Out

Today was a usual walk-to-school-with-Moto day. Except for one thing: Today was the last time we'll be walking to school together.

Why? Well, even though Moto isn't changing schools, he is changing jobs, sort of. See, he's becoming a "hausumasuta," one of the six teachers who live in the dormitory. (I need to write about them someday soon.) Which means he has to move. And for whatever reason, he has decided to take "nenkyu" tomorrow and Friday to do so. So today was our last walk together. (Which also means today will be the last time we both appear in the picture I take every morning in the same spot on the way to school.)

I'm not sure why Moto is taking nenkyu to move. I mean, he's basically only moving about a mile down the road. I can't imagine it will be very difficult or time-consuming for him and his wife to move everything from their apartment to their new place in the dorm.

Why can't they move their stuff after school? Why can't they move their stuff this weekend? Heck, Moto's wife is a stay-at-home mother, so why can't she start bringing things over to their new place as I write this, for instance? Well, I think there is one answer to all of my questions: This is Japan.

A while back, probably around January or so (I never saw it so I don't know for sure when), the principal sent a "wish list" around. Teachers were supposed to indicate on the form such things as what club they would like to be in charge of, as well as if they were interested in being a homeroom teacher or hausumasuta, for instance. For whatever reason, Moto checked "yes" under hausumasuta. But I know that as the weeks passed, his desire to take on the job wavered. And from what I understand, his wife was not always keen on moving to the dorm, either.

But when the time came to make up his mind, Moto agreed to the move, reluctantly or not. Actually, if you ask me, Moto had no choice. The same day the teachers got called in to see the principal to find out where they were being transferred to, Moto got called in to find out he was being "offered" the new job/responsibility. (For a split second, when I heard Moto's named called, I was confused: "Huh, Moto's being transferred? What the ...? Oh, I get it, he's the new hausumasuta." And in the next split second, I was rather relieved: "That must mean no more teachers are being transferred. Whew! 'Bonzai' made the cut. He's staying! Cool!")

Moto told me that, when the time eventually came, he would have the opportunity to turn down the "offer." But, naturally, he accepted.

If you haven't figured out by now how things work over here, let me remind you: This is the military. There is no such thing as an offer. To survive over here, you simply do as you're told.

And be sure to say thank you.

And don't forget to bow on your way out.