KAJI!!!

Japanese Lesson #7 (we continue from 7!):

1) kaji - fire
2) KAJI!!! - FIRE! Get your buckets and join the brigade!!! (Every house has its own little fire bucket. If there is a fire, a brigade is formed until the fire department comes.)

In the midst of my reading class yesterday, a BIG siren started to wail.

Everyone was a bit alarmed, even the teacher. I thought it was the signal for an earthquake; I know Kyoto doesn't get as many earthquake, but it never hurts to think the worse and be prepared. So our teacher goes to the window, peers out and says,

"Oh, it's just a fire drill."

I know I heaved a big sigh of relief.

When class had its fifteen minute break, I went downstairs to get my coffee and go to the bathroom. before that, a big spray of water hit the side of the building where I have my classes - probably part of the drill. According to Chen, one guy was caught in it and got totally drenched. He was also wearing a suit. Poor guy. It was pretty chilly out there too.

So when I went downstairs, I turned my head to left and burst out laughing. There in front of the administration building was a big flag with the character for "Kaji" haning out a window and about 200 people all in suits or in fire department gear. The whole seriousness of the drill - as comparaed to my memories of elementary school fire drills - was very funny, albeit in a perverse way. I know that fire drills are meant to prepare you. But I couldn't help it; I went back to my class and snapped a few photos of the organized chaos.

Rather, chaos it was not - the whole place was silent. All the suits were just standing there watching the fire truck drive by. I think what striked me as very funny was that sure, the administration will know what to do in the case of a fire, but what about the students?