OMIYAGE

I know I have mentioned before the ridiculous amounts of OMIYAGE that are given and received at my school.

For those of you who don't know, omiyage are the small "presents" that are given and received when someone travels.

For some of my teachers, this means a small cookies or crackers from a city 30 minutes away.

And to me, that means bracelets from the Philippines, Hibiscus tea from Russia and chocolates from Hokkaido.

Ideally, its individually wrapped and there must be enough for all my teachers [including the health teacher, principal, Vp and office workers].


When I went back to the states, I brought back small packets of CA raisins:


Fun Addition

Main Jr High: 35 teachers
+ Large Elem: 40 teachers
+ Medium Elem: 20 teachers
+ Small Elem: 12 teachers
+ Board of Education: 50 [I never see them but technically they're the ones who pay me!]
-------------------------
157 small treats or trinkets.

I'll be honest. This has turned into really cool treats for my small school, a decent gift for my middle school and something passable [ie; pieces of dried mango] for my BOE. It just got to be too expensive and honestly, too much to carry!

It is also customary to bring omiyage when you first come to a new work place.
As the school year ended in February, and with Japan's interesting 5 year max on teachers being in the same school, we have 8 new staff members.

I walked into THIS pile on my desk:


With the intake of the new teachers, we also have a new internet system, new computers and new printers.

OOPS.
By "we" I meant the JAPANESE teachers. I got someone's old laptop, a DINKY [Ree, that word is for you] 1970s printer and finally, a seperate internet line.

[read: went without internet for 1.5 months and read 8 books!]

My desk is surrounded by these new printers.



And this is what I look at while I am chatting away to you on Gchat:




Yes, that is an open chat to Gregory Simpson, as I write an email to his sister, Becca. I just love that family!

Well... time for bed. I will leave you with two shots from my japanese cellphone of the recycle pile in my city. Pretty cool....







Oh... and I'm coming home for 2 weeks in late July to visit Emily.
Fancy a trip to the South to meet me?