The New Employee from Thailand

Explored Inokashira Park in Kichijoji yesterday, and I think I found my new weekend running spot. It's absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the running path is brick, so I may need to run along side it rather than on it. NO clue how long the loop is, but I intend to look it up.

So the new employee from Thailand got here this morning. I have no doubt she's at a higher level of Japanese than me, but I tried to help her figure out the Ward office crap and suggest a site or two for looking for housing. Not sure yet what I think of her, but I need to stop getting tongue tied every time I meet a foreigner that can outdo me. Regardless of what my competitive nature commands, I won't likely be the best, so I might as well just be.

Went looking for an application for the JLPT (Japanese Lang. Proficiency Test) lev 1 (last minute decision) and found out the deadline was Sept 25th (after running around to two separate stores). So I won't be taking Lev1 in December this year. That leaves me praying I can pass N2 or N1 next year when they bring out the new tests. This is probably a good thing in retrospect, because it gives me more time to be immersed and study.

Still haven't been told a decision as to whether or not they will send me to Cali in November for AFM. I emailed the director in the UK office (the one I don't really care for) and she asked me if I wanted to go. My answer? "While it would be nice to have the opportunity to see family, I want to do what is of the most help to the company." (Feels very Japanese.) That's actually my feeling on it at the moment. A week long convention with no guarantee that my family and friends will make it up to see me (or that I'll have time to see them mind) can only have so much appeal, especially if it is with said woman from the UK....