Good Day #2…maybe because vacation is around the corner???

Last night, the board of education had an office dinner party in the next city at what appeared to be a pretty nice hotel. When you read guides on the Japanese office party culture, heed every word! Folks who seem meek and mild turn into English speaking Chatty McTalks2Much at office parties!!! What I found out last night:
· It took six men to get rid of all the stuff in our monstrosity of a junk pile last week! When we thanked them, they said no thank you for giving us a reason to leave the office…ha! Our supervisor volunteered to come back and get the stuff that I forgot to get rid of…and old bike and dried up paint cans.
· Our form supervisor hates his new job.
· One of the section bosses thinks that his subordinate’s wife is a “very pretty girl…eh lady”
· Another section boss is “Married but [I] have shita cocoro,” which was translated as “hidden sexual desires”. I very quickly taught them the word “crush” because the last thing we need is random Japanese men telling foreigners about “hidden sexual desires.”
· We introduced our former supervisory to who we think is his twin, who I sat next to at dinner thanks to the random seating. Twin made sure that I was good on food and juice the whole evening. He’s one of those “cool” guys with the trimmed eyebrows and I think he might have a little crush…the American sense of crush that is!
· Top-notch hotels feel that Neyo is a fitting musical selection at office parties…Image my surprise when I heard his voice over the P.A. WOW!
· The guy whose wife is a “very pretty girl…eh lady” majored in German philosophy…Who’da thunk that I would be at an office party in Japan discussing Emmanuel Kant and Sartre with a red-faced, drunk (off beer and sake), middle-aged Japanese public employee???
· The new section boss who appears to be fond of the “very pretty girl…eh lady” is taking use out for some yakitori soon…on him! Yeah for free food!!!

Today, I had another snooze-button-tapping -7-am-wake up morning. Left home at 7:30. When I got to the bakery this time, my favorite bread was missing!!! As I was turning to look for something else, an overenthusiastic woman runs over with a tray of piping hot rolls! YAY! Surprised that she was right behind me, I said, “Oh!” So, she said, “Hi!” At the register, she asked me if I spoke Japanese well, in Japanese. I said that I’m not that good but I’m currently studying, in Japanese. Then, she rang me up and said, “Thank you for coming!” in English!!! So nice.

I was supposed to teach 4 classes (2 regular classes and 2 self-introduction classes for the new students), but one of my self-intro classes was canceled because some students are absent an the teacher wants everyone to hear it. He asked if I would come on the Monday after next. Now, Mondays are my board of education internet surfing days. I said yes (all the while) thinking about requesting to only come for just that class so that I can go back to the BOE to “work.” Luckily, he came back and said we can do it tomorrow. I’m so glad that most, if not all, snacks in Japan are individually wrapped because every time one to the teachers I work with gets snacks, she gives them to me too. I don’t really care too much for sweets so as soon as the office empties I rush to the snack drawer to put things back. I’m sure that if there’s a camera in the office, someone is looking at a monitor somewhere laughing! I used to put them in my book bag and take them home but there’s no point in wasting food.