Last Night Karaoke

So my last night here in Tokyo we went to dinner and Karaoke, i wasn't sure about this. Plus, all the people that I really enjoyed hanging out with had to still work or couldn't come tonight. But it turned out to be pretty fun. We went to this place close to my hotel. Now Karaoke is quite different than it is in the US. In the US it is in front of everyone on a stage or something, in Japan they put you in a room withyour group and you go at it. Now, I think that I would rather sing in front of a crowd rather than a few it seems strange. Like you are singing to them. One of the guys we went with is a pro at this type of thing... I was impressed actually. They ordered drinks and the festivities started. I sang a few duets and 1 song on my own. I realize that you really have to know the whole song for this activity to work, I know choruses, not the whole song. It was fun and I think that this would be something that would be so fun at Maggies Parties. We got Toshi to sing, actually he sang two songs, one was a duet. They were really happy that I came along and sang, apparently I am the first from GFT-Ada to do that. I have taken two videos, but none of me. I have to pack up my suitcases for my trip back. How does a woman pack 3 weeks of clothes and all the gifts to come home.

Meeting up with Yoko

I met up with Yoko this last saturday for a few hours. She had to work during the day until 3 so she met us out while we were shopping. We were only able to meet up for a couple of hours because we had dinner. She called us when she arrived at the train station, we waited for her to come down the stairs. I always wonder if I would recognize people when I first meet them but as soon as I saw her I knew it was her. It was either the shock in her eyes when she saw me or just from the pictures that I have seen. As I have said before, it is so fun to finally meet people that you have worked so long with, even when they aren't with the company. We went to this area of the town that has a temple and a row of shops just full of souveniors. It is overwhelming the amount of people that are around and the number of products that are for sale. I am so tired, that I have to go to bed....:-)

Supermodel

So, today it was raining in the morning. I was able to use my umbrella I purchased here for the first time. As I was walking to work I began to observe how much I stuck out, from everyone . I mean I have accepted the fact that I stand out because I am not Japanese, but I realized that my choice of umbrella was so "American." Everyone carries either a black, navy, cream, or clear umbrella. I had a green one. I found this rather amusing and so Japanese, no one wants to stand out, it is better to blend in. Anyways, as I was crossing the bridge that I love I noticed that a photo shoot of some sort was going on, intrigued I was watching and then I realized that the Green umbrella was a blessing and I would be noticed in the pictures... So I lingered longer in the background striking poses. Subtle action poses Yes, I did! I am not lying. I just hope that I didn't show the girls up. :-) Crazy American!

What I look for every morning

Every morning I walk to the office, It is about a 15 -20 minute walk. I head out of the hotel and take my normal path. Today I realized that I would only take this walk a couple more times before I head home. As I have said before the streets are rather busy in the mornings with people heading to work. I often wonder if I would recognize the same people going the same route as I do, I surprisingly don't. I make a stop at my convenience store to get my Soda. They don't care Diet Soda so I get Pepsi Next and a snack, just in case the food of the day is not to my liking. To pay for the items, I have to watch the monitor for the total because I do not understand what they are saying. The first week I would fumble in my change purse trying to find the correct change. Coins are used up to 1000 yen ($10) so I feel so awkward trying to find the correct amount of money for things, too many coins to sort through.. Also, I am finally confident in some of my Japanese phrases, so I can say them to people. "Arigatou Gozaimas" I say as I leave. I turn the corner to the street our office is on. I like this walk, I cross a bridge that has decorated Lamp posts, brick side walks. Actually the sidewalks here have so much character, they aren't just slabs of concrete we have in the US. As I am walking I pass another store which has a designated smoking area.

As I get closer to the office, everyday I pray that the window to the 12th floor is open, this means it is cooler in the office. Today it was, I took a picture. The open window is the black spot . Every morning there is a lady cleaning the steps out side the office on her hands and knees. The doorman says good morning in Japanese and does a slight bow. I smile and nod and say nothing, although this week I think that I shocked him when I mumbled the polite Japanese way of Saying hi "ohayou gozaimas" I am determined to say goodnight properly before I leave Japan. I take the elevator to the 12th floor. There are so many rules in Japan, You don't talk in elevators, you hit the "close door" button as you exit the elevator, you ride the escalator on the left, the right is for those that want to climb the stairs.

The days go fast here, which is nice, Training has been going well. depending on the person there are some language barriers. Most of the programs that I have been training them on are in Japanese , the team members are amazed that I know where everything is still. I love teaching them because they take notes, ask questions, make screen shots the attention to detail amazes me. No wonder they open so many accounts. They are so concerned about learning and doing it right. Maybe we should send Aussie Sales team here to be trained. (sorry, still reeling from the meeting today...................)

Most days Emily and I go to lunch together. Lunch is quick. My mom would not survive in the restaurants, they smoke like mad here. I get back to the office and sometimes I smell like I have been at a bar. UGH. That is one area the Japanese are not polite about. Afternoon is training and answering questions. This week they have been more on their own regarding performing their duties. I have been here to answer questions and make sure they understand. Also, this week I have been on my own for dinner, it has been nice, but I stick to the familiar and don't venture too far out. I am tired of trying to be brave with unknown foods. ha.

Things I am looking forward to when I get home

I can not wait to be home again. This trip has been a wonderful experience for me and I will never forget it, but there are many things I am looking forward to.

1. Getting off the plane and seeing Gerald waiting for me. This trip has been great for us, it made us realize how much we love each other and want to be together.
2. Being able to talk to my family whenever I want.
3. Having a full conversation in English without having to speak in simplified English.
4. My BED!!!!!
5. My Apartment
6. Hangin with Amie- can't wait till Sunday.
7. My TV.... or American TV anything besides CNN- I have been able to Watch the HILLS Online tonight. Brody SO LIKES Lauren... the last episode reminds me of me coming to Tokyo. Very Excited for her.
8. DIET PEPSI- there is no diet pop here just Pepsi Next or doo doo coke. Japanese love them some Coca-cola.
9. Cooking and the little cooker in training (Saniya)- I can't wait to bust a move in the kitchen again... I might have to add some more items to my repertoire after this trip.
10. My car being able to drive to where I want to go and know where I want to go.
11. Old Chicago Pizza-mmm Hawaiian Pizza, I can almost taste it now.
12. People laughing at my jokes because they are funny not because they don't understand what I saying.
13. My peeps at work- not so much the work itself..
14. A bigger work desk and a printer that prints more than 16 pages a minute. :-)
15. Not training for a little while it is exhuasting ...haha...
16. Not living out of my suit case
17. An iron that is in ENGLISH!
18. Mash Potatoes- Tianna, I understand why you like them so much...
19. Salt and Pepper
20. Shopping in "normal" clothes sizes. Not Japanese sizes
21. Coming home to a Clean Apartment- thanks Gerald!

I will think of more as the time gets closer to me coming home.

God sends American Angels to the Rescue

Saturday night, after I spent the day shopping, Emily and I met Moe and Joe for dinner. Emily and I met Moe in the lobby at 7:00 PM. He said he had to go to an ATM machine to get some cash, so we walk a couple blocks to where the front desk told him there was a ATM. We see the sign out side this building for CITI bank so we go to the entrance. As we get to the door two ladies walk out of the building and one of the ladies says in "Plain Midwestern English" ( that is Moe's description) Are you guys looking for the entrance? If you walk around to that side of the building there is the public entrance. Moe and I look at each other shocked at how perfectly she spoke those words, we laughed at how strange that seemed. So we head over to the other entrance. We go to level B1 as instructed by our hotel front desk. We get to the bottom of the escalator and we look around for Citi, the 3 of us spot a sign that says ATM, in unison we say, "ATM" and point to the sign then we discuss where it is, we can't tell which direction it is in an we are discussing this out loud. Out of the blue we hear someone say, "The ATM Machine is right their on the right." We turn around and there is the White American pointing to the ATM machine. Again, Moe and I look startled at the thought of two people in the same area speaking so much English? As we headed to the ATM machine Moe made comment how God was watching out for us, sending Americans our way to help, I agreed.

We went to meet Joe for dinner who was staying in a different hotel, we took a cab to meet him, then we headed out to find a restaurant, we wondered to this restaurant that served Japanese steak. It was really good, they cut and weighed your portion in front of you. It is amazing how much that fat ways. We joked about how we wanted to instruct the guy what parts to cut off the meat. The food was good, it ended up being a good night.

DInner on my own.

Tonight I ventured out on my own for dinner, it was rather fun, but I had to play it safe and eat something familar, Pizza! It was only ok. I went to this restaurant across the street from my hotel. It was filled with lots of men in business suits and a table with two ladies who appeared to have met up for dinner. I was worried that they wouldn't understand what I was requesting or that I would be able to read the menu, luckily it was in English and I could point to what I wanted to eat. I think that this is the first time that I have ever eaten at a restaurant alone before, normally if I want to eat out, I will order take-out. I figured that would be too hard to figure out here. I was looking at the menu and realized that only in Japan would a glass of beer cost less than a glass of pop or juice or anything other than water. So I felt that it was my duty to save the company money tonight. :-) While I was eating dinner, a man passed my table and he said something to me as he was passing, I just smiled and nodded, my normal response these days. I tried to imagine what an english speaking person might say with the same facial expressions and I think that he said either You fat cow your eating that whole pizza yourself, or he said, you can always count on pizza no matter where you go in the world. HAHA, I have no idea what he said but at least he was smiling.