Singing in the office

Monday language lesson with Yamada-sensei as happens every week. I'll make excuses again and say I haven't been studying Japanese like I should be. Language was one of my goals for being here, but I haven't been very focused with it, more like sporadic. A quote by Barry Fisher in his book "How to Learn Any Language", I've taken it in heart, but not in hand.

A language has a lot in common with a military foe. Don’t let it rest. Don’t let it regroup and devise fresh ways to foil your attack. Keep up the rhythm of your offensive. Keep your momentum going.

I was not asked about the 'big' news stories in the US today, which is just as well because I would only have mentioned the DNC primaries and the ruling about delegates from Michigan and Florida. But I did have a phrase all prepared to say 'It's complicated to explain.' which I didn't get a chance to use.

On my way out, I heard my name called and Kawakatsuさん had something for me in the office. It was just my receipt for rent paid last month, but I chatted with her and another woman in the office for a bit. They both examined my collapsible umbrella and complimented me on how light it was, I had brought it with me and it's good for travel, fits in a bag. It's kinda small though, if it's raining too hard my shins still get wet, so I also have a bigger Gene Kelly/Singin' in the Rain-style umbrella, like everyone else here has, for the downpour days. This lead to talking about the rain, and they told me about a Japanese rain song that school children sing. They teased each other about it, but neither would sing for me. We also talked about the past weekend, and when they found out I had gone clubbing in Japanese style, let me tell you, the whole office laughed and was thoroughly amused by the idea.