Sunday, March 01, 2009

Too much beer and not enough food on Saturday night do not a happy Debbie make on Sunday

Seriously...there are some lessons in life that, even though being the mature, relatively intelligent adult that I like to think I am, I forget. Why do I do that? The only thing that makes me feel just a tad bit better is that today....I am not alone. I know for sure of 4 other people who were at the same party as myself last night....that feel pretty much the same way.



Hoojie....yes, I was feeling a bit hoojie most of the day (possibly still am--and it's after midnight!). I was going to take a picture of myself today to use as an example when the definition of that particular word (an original, I'm thinking) was questioned. But, in my extended state of hoojiness, that goal was forgotten. Sorry.


The occasion last night was a sayonara...farewell....adios....party for a couple that we are incredibly sad to see leaving. She has accepted a position at a university far, far away in the northern part of Japan. She and her husband will be leaving in a few weeks....the farewells have begun. The one thing that makes this a bit better on our emotions is that the Internet...with its blogs and Facebook and whatnot...has made it so much easier to keep in touch, which I'm sure we will do.


So, last night, a party for our friends Mel and Tatsuro was held....(I'm blaming the way I feel today on them because, well....it was their party...so...there.)



The couple we all gathered together to celebrate.


(and my good friend, Karen)


Mel had on a beautiful dress that was made from an old kimono...it was quite stunning.

There was lots of food, good stuff to drink....and bingo. Every good party has a bingo game. Actually, the prizes were things from Mel and Tat that they didn't want to have to pack up and take with them....videos, household items, different kinds of booze....I won a bottle of sake...but, I don't think I made it home with it. Hmmmm...oh well...I might have given it to someone (maybe the taxi driver on the way home??) or the Master of the place found a nice "thank you" for such a great party.


This was our table....Karen and myself with her husband (the charming man in the tie!) and another teacher from Mel's university.


There was country line dancing.....our friend, Tomoko (in the vest and hat), has been doing this for quite a few years and she gave a demonstration and then almost everyone joined in.
There was samba dancing.....Rie and her husband Nigel have been doing ballroom dancing for many years and they performed for us! They were awesome!! (And yes, I know, the photographer got a great shot....there should be a contest for the "best caption"!!)




There was also.....some hula.
I decided that after 5 years of doing this, it was time to be brave and dance for someone other than women who were also doing the same thing. Actually, Karen was the only person there last night to have seen our group perform....and as I have never danced alone before in front of an audience, it was quite comforting to know that she was there.


A party for two good friends seemed like a good time for a debut....and I think I did okay!




The party was a raging success....starting at 7 and lasting until after midnight. There was a great mix of Japanese and non-Japanese from many different countries....wonderful entertainment...and of course, dancing karaoke toward the end. I kept giggling today thinking about one guy's rendition of "Dancing Queen"....too funny!! (Or at least I think it was Dancing Queen...things start to get fuzzy around midnight...I am pretty sure it was ABBA.)




So....to Mel and Tatsuro....we will miss you terribly and think of you often....but, we wish you the best as you move on to the next stage in both career and family. God speed, my friends.

***************




Now for the latest entry in the "Holy Hell! Are you kidding me???" portion of Life in Japan.




There was a young Japanese man that sat at our table for a bit. (And by "young", I mean early 30's or so). His English was impeccable.....which really, you don't find too terribly often. Since I was nervous (before dancing) and had drank a couple glasses of wine, you know...to calm myself...I ended up being quite the Chatty-Cathy asking him all sorts of questions to get the low-down on him.
(The fact that he was incredibly nice and really, quite cute didn't hurt one bit!!)


His name is Ty. Yes, I know....interesting name for a Japanese man...Karen's 16-year-old daughter and I thought the same thing...plus his whole manner was just not that of a typical Japanese man.


Come to find out....he had quite an interesting childhood having spent some time in Germany with his parents and then moving to the States to go to high school when he was 17. I think that he said that he spent ten years in the States...finishing high school and university there.


He said that after spending some time near Washington, D.C. he then went to Colorado where he graduated from high school. ERRRRRRRRRRRRCH!! (sound of screeching brakes)


Me: Colorado? I'm from Colorado. Where did you go?


He: You're from Colorado? That's cool. Actually, I was in a really small town.


Me: What a coincidence....I grew up in a really small town in the southeast corner.


He: ..............................................................


What's the town's name?


Me: Springfield. It's down there almost Oklahoma-almost Kansas.


He: ..........................Get...............out..................of.................here.


I was in Pritchett.


Me: ---------------------------------------No-----Way-------!!!!!!


He: WAY!!!


I truly wonder what the odds are of an American woman, who grew up in a place that people from her own state don't even really know very much about.....meeting a Japanese man in a bar in Japan who went to high school about 20 miles away from her hometown????





That was just too terribly freaky and both of us were a bit weirded out about the whole thing. We know the same people. The family he stayed with? I know them.
The principal of his high school? Yep...knew him, too.
He graduated in '91....I came to Japan in '91....which means that there is a great possibility that we saw each other some time while he was there....maybe at the grocery store (the town he was in doesn't have a grocery store...yeah, I know...small town!!)...or maybe at the bowling alley or one of the convenience stores getting gas.
We decided that it was some really wild karma that brought us together and we will be friends...good friends....forever. I think I'll see if my mom would adopt him....a new little brother would be fun!!


Debbie and Ty....new best friends...because fate brought us together!!
**Photos not belonging to me were borrowed from GoogleImages and Danny L..thanks, man!

14 comments:

AP said...

#1. YOU ARE WASTING AWAY!!!
#2. I actually just finished my first rotation and met an occupational therapist there from...wait for it...CAMPO!

shrink on the couch said...

That is an amazing coincidence. And had you not been anesthetizing yourself, you might not have been so chatty, and ya'll might have missed meeting each other! Wow. Especially to know the family he lived with.

I was looking at the map of your area. You had so many different influences in that part of the country - CO, KS, TX, NM. So many cultures meeting there in the middle.

And lastly, your hawaiian dancing. You are a courageous woman, dancing solo for the first time. Way to go.

stephanie said...

Good for you with the solo dancing! Even if you were drunk when you did it [snicker].

That meet-up is just so weird! I'm glad you took a photo - otherwise, we'd think it was a figment of your beer-sodden imagination. ;D

smalltownme said...

Do we sing "It's A Small World" now?

Cruise Mom said...

I have to be a bit liquored up to do karaoke - I can't imagine dancing solo in front of people -- you are brave! And what a neat small world story - I love those!

3rdEyeMuse said...

... am whispering as a sign of respect & thanks for such a great post ... yep, that was better than you above average good night. :)

ps - you look mahvelous, dahling!

Grandy said...

You look beautiful in that hula shot!! :) You go girl!! Liquor bravery or not. ;)

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

What a story.

Darling, you look mahvelous!

I too am feeling quite hoojie. 3 women and 5 bottles of Champagne. Ay!

Anonymous said...

Just gotta know who the family was? Probably seen him many times myself. Isn't it amazing how you find people you know all over. There is not a time goes by that I don't see someone I know when I go to the Springs. Seen Bobby Chris one time at the same cafe. People here in Eads think I know EVERYONE.
Shellie

Hula Girl at Heart said...

That is SOME karma. Kind of spooky. That party looks like a blast. And I'm totally using that Bingo idea when we get around to buying a new house. We have way too much crap to move all of it with us.

Gina said...

What an amazing story! It looks like a great party.. totally worth the price you paid on Sunday. And dahling.. you looked marvelous!

J.B. said...

Hi, DKuroiwa. I hope you don't mind. I hopped over from Mel's blog on a whim. Glad I did, too. 'Cause your details of her party were SOOOO much better than hers -- probably because she wrote her little bit when she was still drunk. Speaking of which, I will never believe you won a bottle of sake that those two had left over. I never remember them having leftover anything-alcohol-related. ;)
Great pic of the two of them. Thanks for the details that Mel didn't have time for yet -- I'm sure she'll get around to it.
Best regards, Joan

truebitch said...

I agree with J.B. -- you did a better job of describing my party, because I was drunk blogging when I wrote what I did!

You are fabulous and I love you forever! We will have a 2-nighter with l'il t next week and will ask if it's okay to bring our clan to yours!

xo
TB

Karen MEG said...

All that dancin'.. what fun! And look at you hot-hula girl!
That is quite a coincidence to meet up like that...I think there's a book out about that sort of thing, gahhhh, the name escapes me, gotta get my thinking cap on.

He's very cute, and would be the perfect little bro :)