the inside of a Japanese apartment
Konnichiwai
Everything here is going along fine. Just finished another three day weekend and have four days of work this week, if you can call it work. We are organising moving in to a new apartment which is a nightmare. There are so many rules and regulations and contracts to go through first and you obviously need a Japanese interpreter. Maybe we will be in before winter sets in. The apartment we live in now is half the size of a classroom reminds me of the time I lived in mum and dad's garage.
I am emailing though because on Friday last week the funniest thing happenend. Our school decided to have an earthquake and fire drill. Well I thought that would be simple. There are many doorways and desks and exits. Ha ha.
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First we had the earthquake drill, so the message comes over the speaker this is an earthquake. The teachers jump up and run to get their outside shoes on because they will need to go outside at some time, meanwhile an earthquake of phenomenal proportions is meant to be happening. So I stay at my desk and decide to sit under it. They look at me and remember that it is meant to be an earthquake and I begin to laugh at them. |
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Next was the fire drill. The alarm goes off and everybody must move to the exits but they must take off the shoes they have on for inside and put their outside shoes on. that took about 10 minutes while the building is burning around us. At the exits the children are chatting and waiting for their friends by the door that people are meant to go out. Then the kid who is in one of my classes who is always asleep is the last one out and he is about 12 minutes getting down and out the door. So once they are out the door they must then sprint to the field. We are talking over 1000 students sprinting to the same field. Once we get there they hook up the mobile microphone and speaker and the principal speaks to us while the building is burning. But wait that is not all. While the building is burning there are three male teachers on the top floor walking along opening the windows. So all the windows and doors have been shut at the bottom and they are opening the windows on the top floor obviously to attract the fire to the top where the people are. |
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But wait there is more. On the third floor of the building are fire chutes. Not like you get on an aeroplane but long chutes made of material that go straight down. These chutes are put out another open window and the children hop in them and slide down. So I watched the demonstration of children sliding down these chutes. They are made so you can not fall through them. They have a twist in them like and ice cream cone so that you stop. However, the PE teacher went through first and it took him 4 minutes to get down while the building is burning and six children are waiting in line. The pe teacher is smaller than me so I have no hope in getting down the chute. Then the children go down. Each one took between 3 to 5 minutes to get down the chute, and all the time the building is burning.
So there you have it. The most hilarious fire drill I have ever seen. Nobody timed it at all. No wonder people here die in disasters. So remember if you have a fire drill to change your shoes, wait for your friends, block the exits, sprint to the same place and have all the top windows open, and this will definitely keep you safe..
Sayonara,
Mrs Luke.
