On Friday, one of the things the teachers found out was which committee they were assigned to. That determined where they would sit in the main teachers' office and started off the annual game of musical chairs.I got pretty lucky I guess, with regard to who I sit with. For instance, the nice teacher who was sitting next to me (on my left) for the past school year moved, but not very far. Now she's diagonally across from me. Also, the really cool teacher who sat next to me during the 2009-2010 school year moved back downstairs and he is once again my next-door neighbor. I haven't always been this lucky, however. Three years ago I got stuck across from a really annoying teacher. Life is so much better when one likes one's neighbors!
The other major event of the day was the welcome party for all of the new teachers and faculty members. The party is held at the same place every year, because there just aren't that many places to choose from around here. It's a fish place, so, naturally, just about everything we had was fish, fishier, and fishiest.
I didn't like the food very much and was especially disappointed with the dessert, which was just a slice of orange accompanied by a piece of some jello-like something. (Since the food that they serve is the same every year, I actually knew what the dessert was going to be. Nevertheless, I really was disappointed and kept asking the servers for the non-existent chocolate cake.)
Parties in Japan aren't all that exciting, primarily because they have a set starting time, in this case 7:00 p.m., as well as a set ending time, in this case 9:00 p.m.You also never know what the seating arrangements are going to be like, but you can pretty much bet your bottom dollar that you're going to be sitting on the floor. No fun! The fish place is especially bad for tall(er) people such as me, because of the utter lack of leg room. I learned my lesson last year, however, and begged to be moved from my randomly assigned seat to one of the few seats with a pit for one's legs. Luckily, the organizing committee obliged me! This year, I made sure to ask for a choice seat in advance, and once again, my wish was granted! Thank you!
Anyway, last night's party agenda was basically as follows:
1) Someone makes the opening statement. (Yes, someone has to officially start the party. Otherwise it's not a party.)
2) We all raise our glasses and say kanpai! (Cheers!)
3) We start eating.
4) Half of the new folks are introduced to everyone and they then briefly introduce themselves. (Self-introductions are a big, big thing in Japan.)
5) We keep eating and have a chance to go up and chat with the newbies. (That mainly involves pouring beer for them.)
6) The other half of the introductions and self-introductions take place.
7) We finish eating and finish chatting with the new guys.
8) We sing the school song.
9) We do the ol' banzai thing. (3 times, of course!)
10) Someone makes the closing statement. (Otherwise the party can't end.)
11) We leave.
Exciting, huh?
There's always at least one after-party, too, however, for anyone who wants to go, but I almost always pass, since the after-party just means drinking more alcohol, eating more food, and doing plenty of karaoke, none of which is all that appealing to me. The after-party is sometimes even followed by an after-after-party. The after-parties (and after-after-parties) can get pretty wild, as I've heard and seen. (I've seen photos... Oh, my!)Oh, and most of us take shuttles to and from such parties, since there is absolutely zero tolerance for drinking and driving. (That's the way it should be everywhere!)
Tomorrow will be another easy day, since about the only thing on tap is more meetings. In other words, tomorrow I'll go to school, but I won't really have any reason to be there. (That won't be the first time, nor will it be the last.) At least I won't be bored, however, since I always find something to do.
Talk to you again tomorrow,
Yama
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