I have always believed that this year will be full of the unexpected. I just didn't expect that I would find the entire world in a whirlwind of events. Numerous catastrophes have happened before but in my lifetime they were not as big as this pandemic. Now, fear and anxiety are shared by not only one person, city, or country. The same unnerving experiences are shared by everyone.

March 3, 2020

On my way to school, I walked with a first-grade student named Hanyu, who was as tired as I was. The new schedule due to nCoV, COVID-19, or the ウィルス was our topic. All the other students we passed by were tired too. But their good mornings gave a smile on my face.

Not knowing whether this would be the last day of the year gave me mixed emotions. When I entered the kyoinshitsu (teachers' room), the teachers gave me a look that I couldn't describe. It has been weeks since I last came here to teach. "Did she miss the memo?" was painted on an administrative staff member's face. Let's call him Mr. Friendly.

I wanted to tell him that I have been told to come to school regardless of the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's announcement on class cancellations for the remaining days of the year. The Ayabe Board of Education decided to close school for two weeks. Then we all had to wait for further instructions. That was the part we were all confused about.

I said my cheery "Ohayou gozaimasu" to everyone. I listened and pretended to understand the third-grade teachers' morning meeting. The first morning bell rang and all the teachers who had classes disappeared to their respective classrooms.

After five minutes, the second morning bell rang. I stood up along with the administration staff, the koucho-sensei (principal) and kyoto-sensei (vice principal), said their usual あいさつ (greetings) and all of us greeted and bowed in return.

I had an empty schedule today. "Should I join other teacher's classes? I must accomplish something. I would need to stay here until the last period. What will a good teacher do? Should I firtle?" I thought. I learned the word 'firtle' from a friend. It was not even in the dictionary. It simply means to look busy despite doing very little, which completely described me during my free periods at school. Go figure.

A few seconds later, I figured out that this would be a good day to write.

Ayabe--the city where I slowed down in a good way. There were dull moments. But I often see them as a pause in the busy lifestyle that I had gotten used to in the past years of teaching. The slowness of the countryside was beneficial to my growth not only as a teacher but as an individual.The closest school to Kanbayashi is located in a town called Yamaga. I wonder why I never took the train to this school. The bus was more convenient though it only arrives in a station every hour. I enjoyed teaching the students with special needs who come from a nearby school dormitory to attend English, Physical Education, and Computer classes. When it comes to the regular students, the individual oral tests were great opportunities to build rapport with them and the most enjoyable for me.

I do not like being angry. It is the feeling that I hate most in the world. I feel bad after showing my anger at someone. Most people would say that it is normal to be angry and that it is healthy to be angry sometimes. Being an introvert does not necessarily mean that there will be less chances of showing anger. Actually, it is dangerous an introverted person to be angry because he/she does not let out his/her feelings as often as an extroverted person does. But when the times comes, an outburst happens.

I always pray to God about anger. The Bible has several verses about it that I have held on to all these years. These verses guide me in how to manage my anger. It helps me respond to someone or something in an appropriate or respectful manner, one that leads me away from hurting another person or even myself.

1. Anger leads to sin.