Bad night turned good

Big news. I met people last night. I was invited to the party for the girl who I am replacing. It did not start out well. I was supposed to meet Renako at Starbucks at a designated time. Renako is what has lovingly been referred to as a Gaigin (Foreigner) Junkie. She did the foreign exchange thingy a good 10 or 15 years ago, and can't get enough of Americans. She has a small English tutoring business on the side. Now that I've met her I think of her as Princess Za Za. She is infuriating and adorable all at the same time. But boy she sure is handy to have around when you need something translated. Well...back to the story, I started off for the meeting with Renako and it started to rain. No that's an understatement. It started to pour like a Florida afternoon storm. Within one block I was soaked from the waist down, and the wind got decidedly cold. So I turned around and went back for better clothing...thinking to myself "I am way too tired for this" and considering not going at all. But I changed and tried again. Turns out I should have stayed in the first outfit...it might have dried by the end of the night. Second pair of shoes got so soaked that when I walked home after the party water was still squishing between my toes. But the party was a huge success. I met a great couple of Brits, who seem willing to give me the low down on Hamamatsu and loan me books (I have already read two of the ten I brought with me). We also went to a local gaigin/veggie cafe that will be very helpful for me. Stayed out until 1 am. And it was a beautiful walk back to the hotel, squishy toes and all.