Orientation...

... JET speak for "you shall not work more than 3 days in a row until october."


I have finally returned home to Aisho after a long couple of days of Job orientation (our 4th kind of orientation for Japan) in Otsu. I feel like preparing for tomorrow is like getting ready for a whole new week of work - but i luck out in that its actually already Thursday!!! Hooray for another weekend. Between orientation, Obon Holidays, light work days, and actual weekends i feel like i've been having one long weekend since i got to Shiga.

It turns out that in Otsu (as in Kyoto) the joys of happy hour extend beyond the Rueb in Northfield with its cheap beer and taco dip (although i still miss the taco dip). As working men and women we (l to r: Brian, me, Andrea, Kristin, and Zach) decided we deserved a celebratory happy hour after the long hours of job orientation in Otsu. The 500 Yen (5 dollar) 1,000 mL beers made the evening. We also enjoyed the deliciousness of meat on a stick, which can never really be underestimated, and celebrated the end of a long day with some Arrested Development (season 2, beginning with Motherboy XXX). Soo good. Man how i miss American TV. Tonight my happy hour consisted of a stop at the 100 Yen store, then a quick drink and home on the train to actually get some sleep and prepare to go back to work tomorrow. Life in Aisho (with no one to hang out with, no TV shows on DVD, and no bars to speak of) seems to pale in comparison. Oh how i miss Otsu already.


And now its time to turn in, to prepare for a day or two of work, followed by another long weekend of fun. What a life!