Z Reflections

Sunday night and it is cool outside but toasty warm in my apartment with the red curtains.

This year my company's Bounenkai (End of the Year Party) was at a popular restaurant chain in Japan called Yamachan. Unlike like year I had no problems finding the restaurant. Yamachan is easy to recognize because they have a big chicken sign. Getting off the train I was rushing to be on-time as the Japanese are often punctual. Then I slowed down and started laughing to myself because it was a gaijin (foreigners) party after all. Taking a nice slow walk I still got there before about 90% of the people.

They had delicious chicken wings and other things (something was a form of potato, something else was like a hush puppy back home but not) were yummy. A little bit of drinking took place. Okay we are talking about young foreigners in Japan, I think they may have run out. The waiters came by to clear the tables and when we asked for more food they said dinner was finished. As often happens in Japan more food came out ten minutes later. I know there was chicken but I can't remember if it was with noodles or something else. It probably was chicken I think. . .all I remember for sure is that I was hungry and it was good.

In the pictures you will see me with my boss (in the white shirt) who has been very helpful and loyal to me this school year. My friend Carl who looks the most natural I think with those silly expressions. We work together at my second school and he helps to keep me sane. The Japanese girls you see in the pictures also work at our company and deserve medals for dealing with sometimes crazy gaijin.

People at the party were from: America, Scotland, Australia, England, New Zealand, Hungrary, the Philippines, and an Eastern European country whose name I forget. The girl with the red hair is from that country and I forget her name too. Our party included people from several different regions in Japan so I got to meet fun new people. After stretching out our two hour dinner most of us moved on to the Hub, a popular English Pub nearby.