There were lots of new faces -- and not just American ones -- when the Japanese and American Wives Club Conversation Group gathered at Tadodai House for the annual get-acquainted party. Weather Explorer and Mimi left Japan this summer for Tennessee and North Carolina, respectively, and I knew Otsuka-san wouldn't be there. We'll toast her husband's retirement this Saturday night and then try to sober up before our 5:00 am shift at the Relay for Life.
The unanticipated MIA was Kaji-san. At first I thought she simply had a more pressing engagement today but I looked in vain for a card with her face and name on it when we were assembling our picture books. Shinagawa-san sadly informed me that Kaji-san is too busy to participate in the conversation group this year. Sniff.
This year's warm-up game was pretty fun. That could be because my team won and we were each presented with a packet of cookies. We formed into five teams of five American and four Japanese ladies. We put Pocky sticks in our mouths and used them to pass a small rubberband from the front of the line to the back. (Pocky sticks are about the size of a small American pretzel; I have no idea what a Pocky stick equates to in Russia, but then I have no idea why so many Russians are finding this blog interesting enough to visit.)
We passed around a microphone to briefly introduce ourselves. Forty-four of the participants managed to introduce themselves in fifteen minutes, but the forty-fifth lady hogged that microphone for five minutes. (In my defense, ... um ... well ... er ... they ought to have known better than to hand me a microphone. And a new American member approached me later and said, "I had no idea you were so funny." If she still thinks so after our next party, I'm going to ask her to be my best friend.)
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| Kawamura & Shinagawa |
People sure are thoughtful. I hope I can be that kind of person when I grow up.
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