The new school year starts in April here in Japan, just as the sakura is blooming and weather is (supposed to be) warming up.   Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting the new 1st years for the first time.  I was really excited to finally have something to do at work,  especially to have a shot at working with kids who have yet to be corrupted by apathy and boredom.

These kids are so cute!  They’re miniature munchkins just out of elementary school, and they laugh and giggle and respond and are so eager to learn and listen.  They are precious.  Everything is new to them, and they are so eager to finally be learning the ABCs, proper handwriting and greetings in English—although, apparently not from me.

I walked in to the classroom to be greeted with faces full of shock and disappointment as well as shouts of “You’re not a foreigner!!!!” (外国人ちゃうやん！！！) This is how I introduced myself:

“I’m Genie. I’m from America. I’m you’re new ALT.”

They whispered to each other, “What? Her name is Jimmy? How can she be from America? Did she say New York?”

To halt the confusion, my co-teacher explained that while my parents hail from Korea, there is nothing about me that doesn’t make me a 100% all-meat genuine American.