Well, in April the new school year began and I added a new school to my schedule. Tosu Kogyo replaced Taku Kogyo and Chienkan Koko. In celebration of the anniversary of the school, all the students went on a climb, which I felt would be a good way to get to know the kids. So I went extra early one thursday morning to make it in time for the opening ceremony.

From there, we trekked thru most of the back parts of Tosu and across the wide open areas separating us from the mountain.

The first part of the climb was a mild incline, and we stayed together as a herd. We then stopped for a quick rest near a temple before beginning the real climb.

And what a friggin' climb! No way any school in America would let all the kids go on this one! The real climb was a rocky trail, across streams, and up inclines which were almost a scramble. But most importantly, why didn't someone tell me about the mountain worms the size of your thumb and twice as strong. Yikes!

Just as we were nearing the top of the mountain, the man with the Radio was told to hold up. So we stopped for a coffee/tea/whatever break and waited to see if we could continue. Sadly, the answer was no. So we grabbed a last peek over the tops of the trees we had just spent so much energy climbing over, and began the long trek down. When we hit semi-solid ground, we paused to take attendance, then everyone headed back to the school. Although it was only noon, I was destroyed, so making it through lesson planning was difficult in the extreme. I went home and had a nice long nap!

Back to April!