Welcome Party - for me

Last night Sato Sensei and his wife Sato San hosted a welcome dinner party for me. Okuda Sensei and Okuda San and Tatsuma drove us in a snow storm to the Sato home.  Sato Sensei teaches in the PE department and his specialty is gymnastics.  Okuda Sensei teaches in the PE department and is also the basketball coach.  The party was to welcome me to Japan and to welcome me to the university.  I will be teaching English part time when the new school year begins in April!

We had many delicious Japanese foods to eat and because we were so busy eating and drinking, we didn’t get many pictures of them all. Everyone was surprised by my ability to use chop sticks. (I've been practicing, you know.) We started with sashimi. Next was a large bowl of nabe kept hot on a warming plate on the table.  The nabe contained cod, mushrooms, negi, tofu, noodles, seaweed, and some other vegetables that I don’t know the names of. Rice with some small vegetables and other things in with it was served after that, followed by a bowl of cooked vegetables – mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots.  There was so much food, I don’t know if I can remember it all!  We had yogurt with kiwi and giant strawberries. Alcohol was consumed by all except Okuda San, who was driving, and Tatsuma, who hasn’t reached the legal age to drink.

It was a very nice party and I feel very welcome.  Thank you!