Work on Saturday?

It's Saturday, about 1:30 in the afternoon, and I'm sitting at work with absolutely nothing to do. Everyone is here today because Yamasho's School Festival, a two-day affair, begins tomorrow, and students and homeroom teachers are preparing.

I have never been to a school festival in Japan, but from the looks of things it's a big deal. The students and teachers have been preparing all week. Classes are on hold. The usually quiet atmosphere of the school is erased as students alternate between actually preparing and playing around. Some of the softball girls were playing a pickup game with a wad of paper and an umbrella. One guy hit the wad out of the park -- through the window and onto the roof.

But back to why I'm here. You would think that since I am not a homeroom teacher and since I am not responsible for creating anything regarding the school festival, I would simply not come to work. But this is Japan. Simply being at work as all that matters (to an extent). My theory is that we have to work today beacuse everyone else has to work today. Everyone else will take a make-up holiday on the same day next month. So I sit here doing nothing. Or I roam the halls playing with my new camera. Or I read the newspaper. Nobody is watching over me, prodding me to 'get to work.' Nobody is taking note that instead of creating a lesson plan I am checking Facebook, writing e-mail, or taking a silly 'which character from the office are you?' quiz.

I am here, earning my wages. It gets old after a while ... I've got three more hours today. I think perhaps I will go take another lap around the school grounds.