At 11:15 AM, my Burmese classmate suggests, “Let’s go buy Tempura.” Then we, along with friends from Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, buy food and eat together in the park near the school while chatting. This has become my daily routine.
Across the park, there’s a kindergarten. I can see the children lining up and playing as instructed by their teachers. It seems like the teachers are teaching Japanese manners and human relationships through games. Sometimes, the children go for a walk with their teachers, learning traffic rules like signals during these walks. I think this is amazing. Japanese people are taught manners and etiquette from a young age, so as adults, they become well-mannered and understand the importance of propriety.
Watching the children made me realize how important teachers are in life. In Kanji, “teacher” (先生) is written as “born before” (先) “to live” (生). It means someone who was born earlier and hence knows various things, so they can teach others. Also, “human” (人間) is written as “person” (人) “among” (間). It signifies someone who can communicate between people.
The “teacher,” who is a “human” as per the Kanji meaning, plays the role of guiding the children towards the future. It was the same in my life. At first, I didn’t understand anything and didn’t know what to do for the future. By going to school and learning various things, I’ve started to understand how to be as a person. Being able to study in Japan is thanks to my teacher in Bali.
Now, I’m still immature, but I aspire to mature into a “teacher” who can contribute to others’ lives.