First full day of work – September 22, 2007

Be warned, I am writing this blog while I am drunk.

Today was our first full day of work. Yesterday was our first day after training, but we only had a half day (four hours). Today was the first day that we had a full day (eight hours). After yesterday, I felt that I could do this job while I was drunk (as I am now). I wanted to wake up and leave for work a little later than usual, but because Paola had the same exact schedule as I did, I walked to the train station with her. It takes a bit longer for her to get to work in the morning since her branch is about 4 stops away, and my branch is only one stop away. We both had to be to work by ten in the morning, but since we left about an hour early for training (which was at the same place as Paola worked), she figured that she should again leave at the same time. I knew that I would be very early if I left at the same time, but it was ok. So she was off, and so was I.

I got to my office more than a half hour early, and the office was not open yet. I decided to walk around, and check out the neighborhood a little bit (I didn’t get a chance last night). There wasn’t much to see since it was a small neighborhood, so I went back to where the office was. Just outside of my office was a small coffee shop, and so I bought a little drink, and read for about fifteen minutes.

I then went into my office, and the office administration (which consisted of one person) was there, and welcomed me. Last night, my new supervisor was there, but he left soon after I got there. Also, the administrative staff that was there last night (a girl named Yuka) was different from the regular staff, so today I got a chance to really meet the people that I am going to work with. My supervisor’s name is Matt, and the administrative staff person is named Haruko (the administrative staff has to be Japanese so that they can speak with the students about their progress). Haruko does not speak as much English as some of the other staff that I have encountered, but it is ok.

After work tonight, Matt invited me out for drinks at a Japanese bar across the square from our office. (A Japanese bar basically resembles a regular restaurant that serves a lot of beer, and a lot of smaller plates, like sushi, etc). Before long, several other people joined us at the bar. It was fun meeting a lot of other people, and got to know different people, especially those with whom I share similar interests.

We got home at about 11:30 at night. I work tomorrow morning at ten in the morning. I think that I will get up with enough time to get a shower, and get out the door with barely enough time to get the student files that I need, but it will be fine. Like I said, the job is easy, and I need very little preparation time to get ready for each class.