I’m back from work already – just a few hours in the office saying “Happy New Year” to everyone. I had to memorize a new phrase in Japanese to pull this off, it’s a tricky one: “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu”, which is a bit tricky to say when you are walking by someone in a hallway.
I passed out some of my omiyage from Australia – I brought some “Australian” candies. A lot of teachers had taken today off, so I just left them on their desks – a nice sweet surprise when they come back.
It was interesting to watch all the teachers come in and bow deeply to each other, wishing each other a Happy New Year. Mr. Hayashi casually said “omedetou…” to teachers from his seat – he didn’t really get up or anything.
I spent most of today just catching up with Mr. Hayashi – he was talking quite a bit. He gossiped about former JETs that had been working with him, and it was interesting to find out that I am the only unmarried JET that he’s worked with. He thinks that it’s much easier managing a single JET – there is a lot more flexibility.
After work I did a quick shopping trip at the local grocery, and then came on back. I’m going to use my extra time this afternoon to do some studying. It’s pretty cold out right now, so it’s nice just to relax on the couch and hit the books.
