11th August Nagano Orientation

Today was the orientation for Group A and B Nagano JETs. All of the first year JETs met at the prefecture Kencho where we had a ceremony to appoint us as teachers in the ken. It was like being at graduation again....everyone sitting waiting for their name to be called and you go and bow to the officials and collect your certificate.
The rest of the afternoon was a general info and Q&A session.

Dinner and a night out had been organised for after orientation. It was 3000yen all you can eat and drink at a bar called Winds in Nagano city. Supposedly having given up my party lifestyle when I left the UK I didn`t`t do too bad in managing to drink a whole jug of beer, and then, excited by the fact they serve JD in Japan, I managed to have a few of those too. In our drunken excitedness me and Madz went to a photo arcade game place and were posing like something out of Littlewoods whilst not quite knowing what was happening (curtains falling on us, so many seconds to decorate your picture!) but the photos came out suprisingly well!




At the end of the night everyone got into taxis to go back to Iiyama....I on the other hand decided it far easier and cheaper to cycle home......jug of beer + JD`s = accident!
I managed to cycle into a high curb at full speed and launch myself off my bike resulting in cut hand, grazes and bruises down my side and leg....its not big and its not clever and I will not being doing it again!
I also woke up to discover I had knocked down all of the bikes in our bike park and my bike was covered in blood....the neighbours must have thought the gaigen girl had been attacked!