Pancakes with Tayuu-san
W orking in Japan requires a lot of hard work, camaraderie, and a little bit of socializing outside of work. But as a foreigner, I find it quite difficult to mingle with the locals, especially when they are my co-workers. It could be because of corporate etiquette, a culture of being "shy," or even a "fear" of interacting with non-Japanese people, but it can feel lonely most of the time. Thankfully, there are a few people who set aside that "fear" and "shyness" and approach me anyway. One of them was my co-worker, Tayuu-san. She is one of the administrative staff members at the elementary school. During break times, or whenever nobody else is around, we often exchange snacks and chat for a while. One day, a few minutes before dismissal time, we were talking in the printing room about our weekend plans when she brought up the teachers' welcome party that would be held a few days later. I told her I didn't want to go because I felt out of...
