BINGO

After a crazy week, I had shinnenkai (New Year Party) with work tonight. At first I didn't look forward to these dinner parties after work, but I've started to enjoy them more and more. I think my coworkers are getting more used to me being around and started building relationships. So it is nice to socialize together outside of the office.

Bingo is really popular. I used to think Bingo was something old people did at the community center on Tuesdays at 11:00. But, yeah, we play Bingo at almost every one of these work dinner parties.

The first round is for prizes. They have a couple of "good" prizes--tonight's included a humidifier, "Sherlock Holmes" Blu-Ray and DVD, and a silicone microwave steamer. But they also have random prizes...like strange snacks. So you get Bingo, stick your hand in a giant bag full of stuff, and hope to pull out a snack with a gold, silver, or bronze sticker indicating you won a "good" prize.

If, however, two or more people get Bingo on the same number, you must rock-paper-scissors for the winner. It's quite intense...especially when it happens during the second and third rounds of Bingo.

After the first round prizes are gone, we start playing for money. Everyone pays between 500-1000 yen (depending on the game), and then you can win cash prizes. I made out with 3000 yen tonight...and some strange snacks. Bingo is the best game ever.

So when I ask for things to be in English in the office, these two older gentlemen always tell me I should just study more Japanese. But tonight, I got them back. Because while everyone was downing beers and whiskey and other alcoholic beverages, they decided that I should read the Bingo numbers...in English. It went something like this:

"B THIRTEEN"

"EH?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH! JAPANESE PLEASE!"

"BEEEE SATEEN"

"AHHH BEEE SATEE!"

"NOOO...B RETSU JUUSAN!"

"I UNDERSTAND ENGLISH! YOSH!"

And after the final Bingo, our superintendent (not sure what his title translates to in English...he's our boss boss) told me I had great English pronunciation. I told him I practiced today. Yay English!