Enkai....

So far, in my nearly one month in Japan, I have had the opportunity to experience Japanese culture first hand.  Some of it has been more modern, and some of it traditional, and either way I have felt very lucky and privileged.  I have Kimie to thank for some of these opportunities and for her continued guidance, even from so far away =)

Tonight was another chance to experience the culture here.

On Thursday I was invited to a party, an enkai.  I did not find out until tonight that it was for parents as well as teachers--kind of a PTA enkai, so we were in a larger venue and there were no tatami mats; we all sat in chairs.  The vice principal called me this morning to let me know that the bus would be at Yamoto station by five forty-five this evening.

Going in, I had this basic idea of an enkai:  it is a Japanese Drinking party, though not all who attend are required to drink.  You pay a flat fee for all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink for two hours.  It is a good way to get to know the people you work with outside of the workplace, in a more relaxed atmosphere, but there are also some traditions involved.  You cannot pour your own drink, others pour it for you while you hold your cup in both hands.  Drinking and eating cannot begin until the toast has been made and you have clinked your glass with as many people as you can.  Anything that happens at the enkai, stays at the enkai. 

Not knowing what to wear, I opted for slacks and a nice shirt.  Apparently it would have been better for me to wear my full suit, but no one commented (I think since I was still in business attire, it was okay) except to ask if I was cold.  Well, and when one of the other teachers took off his shirt for a demonstration and was just wearing his t-shirt, there were comments that his sleeves now matched mine (or something along those lines).

We walked into the room and were directed to the tables we were suppose to sit at.  For the first little bit, while everyone was still entering, I sat alone at my table, so at one point I stood and went to introduce myself to another table.  Someone told me that they were from the High School, but I am unclear on whether they were High School teachers or parents of first years, whose children had graduated from the Junior High in March.  They were nervous to talk to me, but I think they appreciated the gesture on my part.

The other new teacher was sat down beside me, and we actually had a pretty decent conversation, and I discovered that he is a lot better at English that I had previously thought.  Introductions were made once everyone was seated, and a few short speeches given, including a small one to introduce Matsumoto (the other new teacher) and myself.  After that, we all stood and toasted ("Kanpai!").  I had chosen juice, much to my co-workers surprise.

For the duration of the dinner, there were different conversations, and I had one man tell me that his two younger children were in Elementary school.  One is in second grade and the other fifth.  Matsumoto translated his words for me, so when he reached the conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised.  Apparently his children had been talking about me, so they are apparently at the Elementary school I went to yesterday.  The man said that he was surprised because when he heard my last name, he expected me to be Japanese.  I nodded and explained that I had been getting that a lot since my arrival in Japan =)

Eventually people started getting up and moving around to other tables to talk to everyone, and we started a round of karaoke.  I embarrassed myself by singing "Barbie Girl" and because I was so nervous, my voice sounded really flat -.-;;  Everyone cheered any way; I think by that time they were drunk and just happy that I had made the effort.  One drunk co-worker came over and shoveled more food onto my plate, while another asked me questions in half-English and half-Japanese.

I moved back to another table to talk to some other people, and ended up getting asked if I had a boyfriend.  When I told the woman "no," she asked if I was looking, to which I just shrugged.  She started pointing out all the single men in the room and I tried hard to keep from blushing.  

Towards the end, we all stood up and sang the school's song--well, I sung the couple of parts I had picked up from the opening ceremonies.  Once it was announced that the party was over, everyone began to leave.  The father approached me and shook my hand for about a minute, thanking me.  One of the ladies that I had introduced myself to at the beginning came up and excitedly started talking to me in Japanese.  At the same time, one of my co-workers had asked me if I liked the food, and when I said I did, he disappeared and came back a few minutes later with plastic to-go containers.  He had two people fill up a couple for me, and then he filled some up for other people.  I felt embarrassed because I had not realized that he had been asking me for that reason.

We rode back home on the bus, the vice principal and I getting off at the same stop.  He told me that next year the two junior high schools will probably be made into one, and that the staff is against it.  I had been wondering why there were two, considering that they both occupy the one building, but I also understand that it would take away some people's jobs, at least there.  When I asked, the vice principal did not know what would happen to all the teachers.

The entire night was a lot of fun.  There was a lot of laughter, especially during the karaoke, and I had a good opportunity to get to know some of the teachers I work with a little bit better.  =)