I love volleyball. I played it in grade school and it was the one sport that I thoroughly enjoyed. There was no pressure at all. Volleyball was pure fun, and that's what a sport should be. For some reason though, I never continued in high school, and I regret it to this day. I sort of forgot about my love for volleyball until I came to Japan. After a grueling work day (trying not to laugh), I like to join the volleyball club and participate in the sport I consider my long lost love. Of course it is awkward for me, but not because I haven't played in years or because I'll sometimes completely miss a spike. No, not because of that. It's because I play with... girls. Yes, 13 and 14 year old girls.

Higashichichibu-mura is a small village. In fact, it's the only village in Saitama left. There are roughly 3500 people and only 107 kids at the JHS. It's a small place to say the least and a major change from the bright lights, sunny weather, and beautiful oceans of Miami, FL. I feel right at home here though, and volleyball plays a big part in that. Naturally I was a little skeptical playing with girls at the beginning, especially ones who are 10 years younger than me. There's no boys' club either, so no dice there. I didn't want the girls to think of me as a pervert so I talked with the coach first. Luckily the head coach is also my JTE, so she explained to them that I played volleyball as a kid and wanted to participate in the club on occasion. The girls were pretty shy in the beginning and I was almost a little embarrassed to be playing with them but now that I'm a "regular" we've learned to communicate and have fun together.

The girls are really great kids. They include me in their drills and somewhat try to communicate with me, if not through spoken English, then by acting out what I need to do. I probably tick them off a little bit when I completely mess up their drills, but they still smile and say "No problem." Still, I think the captain wants to rip my head off at times, but she's actually a really cool girl. I honestly still feel a little weird playing with them, but they seem to be as comfortable as can be. There are 8 girls on the team, so I'm literally the odd man out. They'll janken to see which one of them gets stuck doing the basic drills with me, but the girl who "wins" actually smiles and shows me where to go. It's just reassuring to know they think of me as a member rather than a weird foreigner. I felt so bad about being a guy that I gave them all chocolates on Valentine's Day in appreciation of welcoming me and letting me play with them. They seemed to enjoy that and were a little surprised actually.

Volleyball is one of the reasons why I feel comfortable here. It's also helped with my homesickness in a way. I really look forward to playing with the team. I love my job, don't get me wrong, but it just wouldn't feel complete without the volleyball club. It makes me feel like I'm a part of something. I really have the girls to thank for re-sparking my interest in volleyball. I still feel awkward playing with them at times, but I'm not embarrassed at all to tell others I play with middle-school girls. Well, ok, maybe a little, but only because they're better than me...