I haven't forgotten about you...

Hello everyone,

I really haven't forgotten about you, but last weekend I kind of did forget to write, so today it will just be two weeks I can write about.
They were actually kind of busy but on the other hand not really eventful.

Firstly I have to say that I started getting a massage once a week, for FREE! Yes my company is that awesome! And it just feels so good after a hard day of sitting in classes.

I still have classes everyday and so there is not really much to write about, they continue to be very interesting, I learn a lot, not only new vocabulary but also other important content that I will later need as a consultant.

On the weekend I went shopping in Harajuku one of the most famous young fashion districts in Tokyo. And on Sunday I used the day to study Accounting (I failed the test miserably the week before, not only because of the language problem, but definitely also because of a lack of understanding the topic), and clean my room.
I also cook every Sunday, on the other days I don't seem to find the time, but once a week is definitely better than nothing. This week it was Omrice, a Japanese Omelet with rice and ketchup. The week before grilled fish.

This week on Friday was our Kick-off Meeting for the new fiscal year (it starts in April in Japan), for that reason colleagues from Germany came to visit and we had the opportunity to go and meet them.
After a really fancy dinner in a very Japanese restaurant, we went to a Magic Bar in Ginza one of the most expensive shopping districts in Tokyo. I had never seen live magic before, only on TV, and it was really just a very small scale, but it was amazing to look at. I couldn't figure out how they did any of the tricks and I was really amazed when we left to go home.

The Kick-off Meeting itself was also incredible! There were of course some speeches of our CEO but also of a famous former Japanese football player. There was show, food and drink afterwards and even a competition in what country it is best to work. Unfortunately Europe Office did not win. But we will try and do better next year (the country that won was Thailand).

I just realized that I am just uploading pictures of food, but it is not easy to upload other pictures.
Here is one of our dinner after work two weeks ago.

By the way, the weather is really warm now (finally after weeks of rain) and I try to get as much sun as possible, which is basically on the weekend and in the morning on the way to work. But it is really nice not to need a jacket anymore and not to freeze inside the apartment.

Not really a birthday

So hey everyone,

this week was my 23rd birthday. Unfortunately it wasn't really a good one. My class that day was Japanese business manners. Which is all about bowing right, exchanging business cards and other things that are a kind of ceremony in Japan. It was really a long day and I only had time to go eat ramen with my german colleague at night. And that was my birthday...

The rest of the week was really nice. Classes were interesting and on thursday and friday I went out after work. First with my colleagues then with my counselor and other more experienced people from my company. Everyone is really nice and I am starting to get used to the Japanese way of doing business which includes going drinking after work.

My cold is changing from day to day. First it was my throat then my left ear. Now I have a running nose, but other than that I feel fine, which is something I guess.

I really did start cooking on Sunday, and it was really tasty. I made Onigiri (Japanese rice balls) for lunch the next day and even found time to cook on Monday. I brought lunch with me every day this week, which helps save money and is also a lot of fun.

That is all there is to say about this week. So check in next week and maybe there is something more that I will have to tell.

The training has started

Hello everyone,

the real training has started on Wednesday. After a welcoming ceremony with a lot of speeches we have had a lot of courses and on-boarding exercises.
My new colleagues are great. We are around 40 people divided in two classes a 5 groups. Following the lecturer is really hard for me because it is all Japanese, but so far it has all been very interesting. Group work is even harder, I usually cant contribute to the effort at all. Even if I understand what we war supposed to be doing the discussion is going so fast I don't have time to try and say anything. My goal is to say at least one useful thing in every group work. So far it has worked out, but I feel like a hindrance to my fellow team members.

On Thursday we had a party after work, with beer and pizza and the opportunity to talk and get to know each other. For us germans that was really great, since the Japanese mostly know each other already, they have been meeting and going out the couple of month before starting to work. On Friday we went to an Izakaya with everyone and I could get to know them even better. I also try not to only talk to the same people. They all want to get to know us, and help us and at least I feel already like I belong with them. After the Izakaya about 20 of us went on to another bar. We were all already really drunk and it was nearly impossible to get inside anywhere with so many people, because it was the first Friday of April (when the new work year starts and all the new graduates start working) so it was packed everywhere.

I didn't really get to do any more hanami this week, only a little walk on Monday. It was night so the pictures aren't as good as it really looked live.

I finally got a Mixer and Rice Cooker. My first smoothy is really good (Pineapple, Orange, Spinach and Banana with green tea). Tomorrow I will cook for the first time (Ochazuke) and I will definitely take a picture and let you know how it worked out. I hope I will have time to continue cooking and maybe start bringing my own lunch to work. In japan there is a whole culture surrounding this and its called Bento.

Since Friday my throat hurts, which sucks. I have been drinking ginger tea all day, and also bought some medicine. I hope it helps.

Well see you soon!