Prototypical

I waltzed into the elementary school a little after 5 p.m. along with some 5th grader who had stopped by to grab something he forgot. The P.E. teacher who greeted us at the entrance gave the kid a slightly stern warning about forgetting things and told him to grab his stuff and scram, but then he turned to me and when I told him I was there to pick up some stuff Kenzo forgot he ushered me in like royalty.

I walked down the hallway, past the bustling teacher's office, and found Kenzo's classroom. He's going to be absent tomorrow, and tomorrow is Friday, so there were a few things he forgot to bring home for the weekend, like his school shoes for washing.

Ayana-sensei came running down the hallway. Someone told her I was there. She's a prototypical first-grade elementary school teacher. Energetic, nervous, and young. Eri told me she's 23 years old. I've been living in Japan for 23 years.

We exchanged pleasantries and she helped me gather the things I was there to retrieve. I apologized for Kenzo being absent tomorrow and she said it was fine and I told her why and she said she already knew because Eri sent her a message. She seemed a little awe-struck by what we were going to be doing tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm kinda awe-struck too.

And then there's this guy.

As promised, Osamu got to go with mama to Daiso after getting picked up from the kindergarten bus stop and got his very own watch.

Then Eri announced we were going out for dinner, to Kappa Sushi, or as Osamu calls it, "the sushi place."

Kenzo is about to outgrow the kids menu.