Love Patrol

Today was a half day at school. After lunch the students went home because there was a big regional teachers union meeting happening at our school in the afternoon. Kae and the Vice Principal had told me that I could go home after lunch.

So, I went up to ask the Principal if I could leave, but before I could say anything, he handed me a bright neon jacket and an orange flag and told me to go outside to be a parking attendant for all the teachers who were arriving. Great...

Soon, Kae came out, also in a jacket. Apparently suckered into doing the same thing. She told me that on the back of the jacket, it said "love patrol". I think she was kidding, but she insisted. So, there I was, waving the cars in, in my neon jacket - the love patrol.


This has nothing to do with the love patrol. Yesterday we had opening ceremonies. Typical ceremony - speeches and bowing. I wanted to make particular note of the amount of bowing that went on at this ceremony. Example - the Vice Principal opens the ceremony: he stands up from his chair, takes a couple steps, bows to the board of education people who nod back, he approaches the stage, bows to the stage, climbs the stairs to the podium, stands behind the podium, bows to everyone, everyone bows back, he says the date and that we are starting the ceremony, takes a step back, bows to everyone, everyone bows back, he gets of the stage, turns around to face the stage, bows to the stage, walks to his chair, turns around to face the BOE people, bows to the BOE people, BOE people nod back, Vice Principal sits down. And that's just how it started. Every single person who made a speech (and there were a lot of them) had to go through the exact same procedure. Sometimes everyone had to stand, then bow, and sit down. It was excruciating.