Nostalgic Teacher

10/16 (Fri) It feels like autumn has fully arrived in Kesennuma. The inner bay was being tossed about by sea and mountain winds, and the nobori (long banners) were flapping wildly like fish thrown out of the water. Today a teacher who coached me when I was in middle school came to visit. He also helped us during the ekiden. He was also my math teacher in my first year, the subject I was weak at. Bitter memories from those days came back. My memories of middle school aren't very good overall. Of course there were fun times, but I experienced a major setback. Looking back now, I can see it was a valuable experience. I thought the teacher might have changed after about fifteen or sixteen years, but he had hardly changed at all — I recognized him at a glance. He said he had been transferred not only within Kesennuma but also to island schools and schools near Sendai, giving him a variety of experiences. He told me that he hadn't used to read books, but on his commute he felt it was a waste to spend 30–40 minutes on his smartphone, so he started reading instead. When he said he used to commute by ferry to work at a school on an island, I was surprised — a ferry! — and thought that, although inconvenient, it's a nice way to make use of travel time. I kind of envy ferry commuting. I turned 30 this year, and there will be a middle school reunion at the beginning of the year. I'm really happy that people who have been involved with me up to now will learn that I'm active in Kesennuma and might come visit my shop. It was a day that gave me a push — a reminder that I still have to keep working hard from here on.