The Ardent Swarm

by Yamen Manai

At the first glimmers of dawn, she would walk ten miles across the steppe to sit on her school bench. She loved to learn and gave her teachers the utmost attention, finally tasting the joys of praise and honors.

“What is Japan like, Mr. Saiko?” asked Tahar during his traditional round of the class, during which every student presented his or her country to the others. “It’s very different from here,” he answered. “But our countries have something in common. Both are a delicious mix of tradition and modernity.”

“Like our bees that have to coexist with the giant hornets, we are a people who must coexist with the flaws in the earth—earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions—and with war, the flaw of human nature. We know that our archipelago is fragile, that our existence is fragile, and that the survivors must always rebuild. We are a people well versed in catastrophes, Professor. The ‘other’ is none other than ourselves, a survivor and a partner. “However,” she continued, “you shouldn’t idealize Japanese society either. It’s secretive and hides many peculiarities that are difficult for foreigners to grasp.”