This is No Way to Live!

(This wasn't exactly what I wanted to post first after my long hiatus, but this topic has been burning inside me and just had to come out. So here it is. Sumimasen.)

If I'm upsetting you by writing this, well, my apologies. Don't take it personally.

What I have to say is this: Japan, or at least my(!) Japan, is an utterly ridiculous place at times. Especially in the winter. Especially now.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

When I arrived at school today, I was in pretty good spirits. But as soon as entered the building, my mood changed for the worse. Why? Because the first thing I noticed was how cold everyone was. Students were shivering, teachers were sucking in air (as if that would help them warm up), and several people mentioned how cold it was. And then, when I entered the teachers' room, I saw a few teachers huddled around the pathetic little heaters we have. And I also noticed that a few teachers were either wearing or in the process of putting on heavy jackets.

This is no way to live.

Let me repeat that, with a little more gusto: This is no way to live!

If you've been following my blog, you already know that I walk to school, and that just about every other teacher at my school does not. And, well, seeing as it's winter, I can assure you, I am positively the lone walker these days. Because all the other teachers think it's too cold to walk to school.

Well, folks, let me clue you in: Walking is a form of exercise. Not only is it good for you, it warms your body up. So when you arrive at school, you're actually taking layers off, not putting them on. And while everyone else is bitching about how cold it is, you're feeling your natural body heat in action. Granted, that warmth goes away rather quickly on colder days, but it's certainly a reminder that, if you're cold, there are several things you can do to warm up.

So let me list some of them, for all of my fellow comrades out there who haven't discovered the ways:

1) Motion. As the ol' physics saying goes, bodies in motion tend to stay ... warm.

2) Hat. A great deal of your body heat escapes through your noggin. Trap that heat by wearing a hat.

3) Gloves. Even those cut-off variety of gloves are useful, since they let you use your fingers (to type blogs, for instance) and also help to keep your hands at least semi-warm.

4) Layers. Look, it's winter. It's cold. Stop worrying about looking "professional" in your suit and tie and puts some more friggin' layers on. You'll feel much better. For instance, you could put on an extra T-shirt underneath your dress shirt. And how about adding a sweater? Or two. And a jacket. Or two. Come on, don't be shy!

5) Shoes. I've made the remarkable discovery that shoes keep your feet much warmer than beach sandals do. (Why didn't I realize that last year?)

6) Heater. It's amazing how much warmer a room can get if it's heated up. Duh!

7) Doors. Keep the doors closed and the building will stay warmer. A rocket scientist told me that and I believe him. (Pardon me while take a break and mosie on down the halls to do just that: close some doors... I'm back. Doors closed count: Three.)

(For those who can't remember my seven tips, here's a mnemonic: MHGLSHD. What does that stand for? Beats me! I think I need to buy some vowels.)

The problem with my tips is that most of them don't apply to the students. Their uniforms are simply way to skimpy for cold winters. For instance, from what I can tell, the poor bastards aren't allowed to wear hats, gloves (although I occasionally see a student or two wearing cut-off gloves), or coats (they are allowed to wear their coats in the hallways but not in the classrooms). And the only real addition to their uniform in the winter is a sweater and sport coat, both of which are rather flimsy. And they wear the same indoor slippers all year long. And they love to leave the sliding doors open when shuffling from class to class.

I often feel guilty walking around the school in my jacket(s), and even wearing one in class, especially when I see the kids obviously suffering from the cold, sometimes feebly trying to at least keep a bit warm by draping a big towel or small blanket or even their jacket around their legs. But why should I suffer just because the kids have to? I'm telling you, it's a crime that the kids' winter uniforms aren't designed to keep them warm. A crime!

By the way, today is December 8th. Which means, according to last year's schedule, this should only be the eighth day that we have had heat in the building. But this year, something remarkable happened. The heaters appeared on November 19th, nearly two weeks early!

"How the heck did that happen?" you ask? Well, it was pretty cold that morning and we saw our first snow, or rather sprinkling of snow, that day. And it was noticeably colder in the building than the previous few days. So I guess someone decided enough was enough.

I'm not sure who made the decision to bust out the heaters, but I think it was the new vice-principal (the one who arrived in April), because it was he who made an announcement using the intercom at around 12:15 p.m. I had no idea what he said, but before I knew it, a horde of students came pouring into the library, took the heaters out of storage, and immediately distributed them to the classrooms and offices.

What a difference a year makes. If you remember, last year the process of getting out the heat was slow and painful. This year it was instantaneous. Bam(!) and the heat was on! Well, thank goodness for that. It blows my mind that someone actually showed at least a tiny bit of reason this time regarding the use of heaters.

Now if I can only convince them to make the rest of the changes that are needed around here to make this place livable. Good luck to me with that!