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JCMU threw a welcome party for the new students today. The food was provided, but
the party was BYOB. Asahi beer in Japan is relatively
cheap -- 300 yen for a liter can. The food provided
consisted of all the traditional Japanese foods: Pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken,
salad, spaghetti, Coke and Sprite. The quality of the
pizza didn't approach Pizza Hut, but there were some interestingly-topped pizzas
in addition to the standard pepperoni/ham/olive/mushroom/sausage/pepper fare.
One pizza had shrimp, bean sprouts, mushrooms, chicken, and
tomato slices,
while another had corn, mayo, onions, and other ingredients
I didn't identify. They
were actually not that bad.
The highlight of the evening for some was the homestay story
told by Ben LeFebrve (clockwise from left: Ben LeFebrve, Sara Petty, Allen Pollock,
Brian Pitaniello, Bob Trombley, Tom Acker, Jill McKay; in background: JCMU sensei).
His homestay experience was far from ordinary. Not only
did he get a strange family, but he apparently had all kinds of
drunken adventures with his homestay father. The story was at least 15 minutes long, and his storytelling style
and detail were what made it so entertaining (which is hard to convey with a picture
on a Web page).
Everyone was at the party: teachers and family, faculty, students, and friends.
Nothing like any school-related social gathering in the US I've ever attended. The
teachers and their families mostly talked, while the students got together and played
a traditional Michigan game -- Euchre.
Lindsay Proctor, Chris Houbeck;
Allen Pollock, Cherokee Cain;
Brian Pitaniello, Bob Trombley, Allison Morris;
Tom Acker, Sara Petty. Me? I'm not much of a Euchre player.
Dunno why! |
