The master had invited Kuniko and I to take part in the annual volleyball and hanami party. They had rented out some time at the local sports center, and so we all went over there to play some volleyball.
It is well-documented that I suck at sports, and the only good thing about playing volleyball is that I’m a little taller than average. I jumped around, batted at a few balls, and managed not to hurt myself. Kuniko was the smart one and didn’t play at all. She spent her time with some of the kids, trying to keep tabs on them and having long interesting conversations in Japanese.
By the time we finished playing at 11 o’clock, I was pretty tired. From there we went over to the yakitori, and had an indoor hanami party. Some of the group had some wicked hay fever problems, so being inside was supposed to help that out.
It was a big group of around 30 people, and because the beers were just starting to pour, it was a quiet group. We ate from a couple of big plates of Chinese food, had a couple of beers, and then Kuniko and I took off a little early. All this partying had taken it’s toll. We went back and spent the afternoon taking a nap, doing some lesson planning, and snacking on some of the foods that everyone had brought over. I’m sure the party is still going on over at the yakitori.
Kuniko headed back to her parent’s house after spending the better part of the last three days with me. I’m guessing that her parents would probably like to see a little more of her, so I’ve got to remember to share.
