Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Shiners really. On Sunday, I decided to do my part for the community -- well, a community, even if it wasn't mine. I went to Nichinan and volunteered for a day at "World School" which sounds far grander than it really is.

Steve, who lives there, organizes a day for his students to attend an American style school. They are not required to wear uniforms, everything is conducted primarily in English, although this time both Spanish and Korean classes were on offer, and they have sandwich lunches with the usual snack foods that would accompany such fare at home. The World part of world school comes in with the teachers (who were from Korea, the USA, Canada, and England) and the "curriculum" for lack of a better word. I taught music -- not how to play an instrument or anything, but trying to get the kids to think about the world outside of them by playing music from different countries and having them guess where it is from. That is essentially what happens in all the classes.

The final class of the day was PE. Outside in 27 degree sunshine, with just enough humidity to make it slightly unpleasant, we played -- or attempted to play -- ultimate frisbee. The boys and girls each had a separate field, and we split the kids up into two teams. We tried to explain how to play as well as inject some enthusiasm for the game into the kids. The boys teams got very into the game, despite tearing around the field in long trousers and long-sleeved polyester wonders of PE uniforms, while the girls team, to a girl, were without the uniform, choosing to look stylish in the heat. The looking stylish also meant that no one was inclined to move very much as it might possibly lead to sweating. Helen and I, who joined the girls team, attempted to get the game off to a running start, both charging out onto the field after the first throw of the frisbee, and collided head/face first. Helen's head made a very strong connection with my cheekbone, and I did my best not to cry or curse as I walked slowly off the field. The game continued behind me, as the team I was on proceeded to score.

The team that scored showed some enthusiasm for the game -- likely because they scored -- and carried on while complaining, while the competition carried on while complaining by choosing to move as little as possible. I rejoined the game after the pain receded a wee bit, but my fellow foreign teacher chose to leave the game, and walked off the field with not a word. The girls all desperately wished to do the same. It is very hard to make a match competitive, and to be competitive yourself, when no else wants to be there. As such, I let it go and they all walked off the field.

And I don't even have a shiner to show for it, although my cheek still hurts. In a certain slant of light, you can almost see a slight discolouration, although that is probably wishful thinking as no one at work has mentioned anything, and they surely would.