A Whirlwind Wednesday & Mid-week banter

Yukata and Yakuza
At our morning meeting, there was an announcement about the Yukata Festival we are going to in Himeji on Saturday. A yukata is a summer kimono. Kelly had a brand new one she didn’t like, so I am paying for half of a new one for her and am keeping hers – it’s a pretty, purple color. Anyways, I mentioned I am going (can’t wait – I’ll post pictures!) and I was informed that the event is notorious for gangsters (yakuza). Once again, I’ll post pictures ;)
Why to be careful when you’re a Relationship Columnist on-the-side
I just made a bunch of worksheets and printed them off. Well, while I was standing by the printer, I noticed a piece of paper, written in English, sitting next to it. And I realize, “Oh my gosh, it’s my Love and Relationships Article!” This month’s topic is underwear and dating (I’ll post a link to the finished edition when it’s ready so it makes more sense). I am an idiot! I must have printed an early draft last week and forgotten the last page (with a batch of quotes about lingerie and such). Anyone who found that paper is probably wondering what I am doing at my computer all day… thank goodness I work hard enough for them not to question. But yeah.
Changes in the ‘hood
So it seems our little foreigner community is about to change. We’re finding more and more information about the new teachers that arrive in a month. The new person moving in my building is from New Zealand and maori. I’m really excited, and it will be good to get some testosterone and other cultural exposure in the mix.
Coworkers
And speaking of getting information about new people… during lunch, I was talking to some of the guys I sit by, and I found out one new teacher is 27. There is a 26-year-old math teacher, but we're not very close, so I was pleased to learn there is someone else basically my age. The teacher has a 19-month-old son, so we’re in slightly different phases of life, but that is getting to be more normal as I get older. I talk to this character (the new teacher) once in a while and his English is pretty good, but I previously thought he was in his 30s, and – ironically - he thought I was older than him!
I missed the “young people party” last Friday (a work party for the younger staff members), but I really hope I can make the next one. I am constantly surprised by people’s ages in Japan, but furthermore, am impressed by how many young, hip, mature (and respectable) coworkers I am discovering at my workplace. I feel lucky; these are good people. I have a good relationship with the people I work with, but it’d be fun to learn more about them (and about Japan through them, I guess).
On a random note, the other guy (whom I teach English with) also told me he has never been to Kyoto in his 44 years of living here. NEVER! Wow, now I do feel like maybe I need to calm down a bit. I have been there at least 6 or 8 times this year.
Nerd Alert
Tonight is girl's night. I have ESS (English club - we're working on an exchange with an American high school) and I'm going for a run after school. Then I am supposed to meet Lena, Heather, Kelly & Miwa for dinner and a correcting party. Yes, correcting. We're all busy at work, so we decided to bring our resources together, and we're going to help each other mark worksheets... Interesting night. At least you can't say we don't care.
It's funny when you consider that we had one future doctor (or medical-researcher), a math teacher, two future lawyers (in different countries) and a Japanese-teacher-of-English all sitting and correcting English term papers together. I love those girls, and love that they're such kind, dedicated and hard-working people! We're all really different in many ways, but really similar, too.