Another Weekend, Another Enkai

This weekend was a little more under control, which was a refreshing break from the constant running around which characterized the previous several weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I had an amazing time and it was totally worth it, but I ended up pretty exhausted. I was supposed to take time off and just catch-up after Claire left, but I ended up going out to dinner or meeting up with friends every night of the week, and then had all the hanami hoopla the next weekend, so I guess I just needed to take a personal time-out this past week and “keep it on the DL." I stayed up into the wee hours of the night on Wednesday, talking to friends in America, and I think I might be finally learning my lesson on getting enough sleep. I have always been a night owl. While it has thus far failed to directly hinder my interactions or performance during the day (and has literally been a characteristic since high school), I know it cannot be healthy to be staying up so late on a regular basis. I went to a sleep specialist a few years ago to see if there was actually a clinical explanation for the fact that I seem atypically prone to staying up far past a resonable hour (I usually hit my "second wind" around 11 - it's like I am wired on the hour). They basically told me to stop drinking caffeine after 2pm, so nothing came of it, but I guess not much has changed since then either (with or without a Coca Cola fix). Anyways, after staying up on Wednesday, I basically crashed into my bed after work on Thursday. I set an alarm and was only going to take a little nap before my run, but I woke up from my 6pm nap at 2am. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I talked to one of my old roommates for a while (taking advantage of the time difference) and finally went back to bed somewhere around 4:30 (so I could get up for work at 6:30). Not good the night before an enkai, and I'm learning it's going to be almost impossible with my new work schedule (being in front of students for at least 3 or 4 classes a day). Working on that...

As mentioned, Friday night was the work party, or enkai, for all the teachers moving schools (and, technically, for the new ones), called a kansogeikai (“combined good-bye and welcome party”). Mori Sensei warned me that this party would not be as “exciting” as the last one, where the majority of teachers were drunk or tipsy, even bingo got wild (the prizes were awesome so I don't blame them, though!), and several male teachers ended up with no shirt (just the tie) by the end of the night. I was a little sad to hear this, considering the last one was such a ball. On the other hand, I was also pretty blue about all the changes at school the week before, so I was looking forward to being back in the same setting and celebrating again. I caught myself tearing up during the departing teachers' speeches at the staff meeting earlier in the week (and almost cried in the gym when our old principal gave his farewell to the other teachers – how embarrassing!), so at least I knew this was going to be more of a celebration, and that the emotional farewells had been said.

The party took place at the Castle Hotel in Himeji (vs Kobe for the last one). I took the train straight from work (about a 15 minute trip) and did some LP research for our upcoming Korea trip in a little coffee shop until it was time to meet everyone. I wore a black suit to school that day (normal teacher attire) and usually just wear my little black Pumas everywhere (since I wear slippers inside anyways), but I decided to dress it up a bit with heels and big earrings (a rare sight for people I work with). Like last time, the party was held in a typical hotel banquet room with round tables spread out around the room (we picked numbers out of a box upon arriving to determine what table we sat at), but this time, the stage was at the front of the room, with a long “table of honor” at the front (where the outgoing teachers sat). Nishigawa Sensei (the nice chemistry teacher I used to sit by) emceed the event, which opened with a welcome speech. We poured drinks (bad to pour your own!) and did the customary “konpai!” (cheers) as the outgoing teachers' farewell speeches commenced, starting with the principal. Each speaker's talk was followed by a fellow coworker, who would tell a funny story and present them with a gift; it was a touching ceremony. After two courses and about six speeches, we had some more mingling time, while people ate and talked. There weren’t any big activities (like the magic show and bingo last time), but it was nice to hang out with my coworkers (who are insanely busy these days) and it’s always interesting to see who comes out of their shell once the booze starts flowing.
At the end of the evening (which felt like it went by way too quickly), our Vice Principal took the stage and led us in three rounds of “bansai” (an congratulatory expression - made famous in the west by kamakaze pilots during WWII), as we all raised our arms straight up in the air from our sides (a lot like the “hurrah-hurrah-hurrah” at the end of the Norwegian birthday song and dance). After the party, a huge group of people took the shuttle-bus to the train station, but I was going to go out with some coworkers at a nearby pub. At the last second, I decided to jump on the bus, because the group I was with was going to walk (it was raining) and I wanted to see if I could hook up with my expat friends. The plan kind of backfired and I ended up just going to Tiger Pub, having a drink and hanging out with the bartender, Justin (who got here the same time as me) and owner, before admitting my mistake and texting my coworker again to see where they were. I am glad I went back, though... it was fun to hang out with the guys. I took the last train home with a few of them; pretty low key end to the night, but it was nice.