Kawasemi Sensei Part 1

The cherry trees on campus are now completely covered with green leaves, and soon it will be a beautiful green season. There were many chilly days this spring, but in May there were even days when I was sweating in my jacket. The rainy season is just around the corner. Carrying a bag with sportswear, I walked briskly down the path to the gymnasium. Passing a new white building, I turned right at the corner. Beyond that, there is a path leading to the university’s museum, which is a shortcut to the gymnasium. Although I have been curious about it, I have only passed by it on my way to the classrooms and have never entered the museum. I will try to stop by again sometime when I have time. Maybe I will invite Haruko to join me then. Maybe we can find some memories of my grandmother or Haruko’s grandmother.

Under the eaves of the roof in front of the vending machine, I stopped when I suddenly feel the presence of something. What is it? I looked around, but no one was there. Then, I heard a small rustling sound coming from overhead. When I looked up, I saw a small lump of something familiar and cute, cozily tucked under the eaves of a building. When I was in elementary school, there was a bird’s nest just like this one that was quietly built every year at the entrance of my school to shelter it from the wind and rain. I loved the little inhabitants that came there, and I looked forward to gently watching over the baby birds that would occasionally appear.

“Pee.”

I heard a muffled, almost inaudible, whistling sound, like a grass whistle, coming from inside the nest. I stood up tall and peer into the nest. A tiny baby swallow was spreading its beak with all its might, hidden at the edge of the nest. My heart was touched by this tiny life. As I admired the little friend I happened to meet, someone taps me on the shoulder from behind. I turned around, startled.

“Yuri, what are you doing here?”

The familiar face of my friend was close by.

“Good morning, Haruko.”

“Good morning. What were you doing standing still all alone?”

I pulled her by the shoulders and pointed gently under the eaves.

“Ah!””

Haruko expressed her surprise in a small voice.

“They’re just waiting for their mother to come back with a nice meal.”

With that, Haruko waved to the swallow’s nest and gently pushed me back, and we scurried toward the gymnasium.

One day after the May holidays. During fourth period class, I looked up at the sky through the classroom window. It had been such a beautiful day when I left home in the morning, but now the sky was covered with heavy clouds. I suddenly began to worry about the family of swallows under the eaves. After class, I hurriedly put my notebooks and textbooks away in my bag and strode out of the classroom. Under the eaves, the baby birds were peeking out as usual. The parent birds seemed to be out. I remembered that my grandmother once told me that swallows fly low when it looks like it will rain, because it is easier for them to catch insects to feed on. On a cloudy day like today, it may be a time for the swallows to work hard. It looks like it is going to start raining any moment, and the wind is getting stronger. The nest site has a small concrete roof overhanging it, so it should be able to withstand a little rain and wind. However, I feel very uneasy when I wonder if the small nest can withstand crosswinds and heavy rain. I had to leave the university soon, as I had a part-time job. With my worries in my mind, I walked down the hill to the train station, staring at the sky.

The next morning, when I stepped out the front door, the dazzling sun was peeking through the clouds. Yesterday, by the time I returned home from my part-time job, it was raining heavily, and the master of the coffee shop where I worked part-time lent me his umbrella. I could hear the rain until dawn, but by the time I left for the university, the rain had completely stopped and I could hear the birds chirping. As I listened to the birds chirping, I was reminded again of a family of swallows at the university. That small nest was not enough to protect the family from yesterday’s wind and rain. I was worried about the nest, so I walked faster along the road to the station.

Because I walked much faster than usual, I arrived at the university much earlier than usual. I still had plenty of time to get to class. I hurried to the museum. I looked up at the eaves of the building, trying to catch my breath. Something that had not been there until yesterday jumped into my vision and I stared at it. A small barricade made of cardboard box of oranges and duct tape surrounded the swallow’s nest as if to protect it. This would prevent rain and wind from directly hitting the nest. If the chicks fly out of the nest, the cardboard receptacle prevents them from falling to the ground. It was a makeshift barricade, but I was impressed by how well thought out it was. Someone who was as concerned about these chicks as I was must have made it for them. I thanked the stranger in my heart for his kindness and headed back to the classroom with light steps.

After second period class, I check my notebook and see that lunch break is marked. Was there anything scheduled for today? In my notebook, written in marker pen, was “ Meeting with the advisor.” Yes, today was the day of my appointment with my advisor, Kawasumi Sensei. Sensei means professor in Japanese. Since entering university, I have been surprised at many of the gaps between high school and university. One of them was the difference in the homeroom teacher system. I had heard that universities do not have classes like high school, so I naturally assumed that there would be no homeroom teachers. Instead, however, our university had an “advisor” system. This means that upon entering the university, each student has a teacher called an “advisor” who can help them with any problems they may have in their university life. I thought that once I became a university student, I would have to take responsibility for making all sorts of decisions on my own, so I was very encouraged by the presence of my advisor. Today is the day of my first meeting with my advisor.