The JET re-contracting meeting was the other day. Basically they sit all the JETs in a room and let them air their problems (ie. bitch fest), strongly suggest that we wait until the deadline until we decide (gotta brave that bitchin' winter before you can stay another year) and give us various tips on avoiding the wintery months ahead (e.g. avoid depression and heavy drinking by drinking... in moderation). It sounded fairly boring when I first heard about it, but thanks in part to a good group of people and excellent CIRs, the meeting was fun and informative.

I learned things like:
-Winter is going to make me want to cry
-Bubble wrap those damn windows to create the *illusion* of insulation
-You can buy chemical pads and apply them to different areas to prevent frozen digits
-Complicated ways to conduct heat in my apartment using tubing and one small heater-fan
-The lack of moisture in schools and apartments will lead my skin to develop plague-like attributes
-Every Situation is Different
-Contact solution, Toothpaste, eyedrops, various medicines and other liquids will freeze UNLESS I put them in the fridge (wtf?)
-Toilets will freeze, so I'd better booze up the water the night before
-The Cake is a lie

I heard exchanges like:

Coordinator: Well, we all have things is common, like we all teach kids...
JET x: I teach demons.

*People talking about why they are leaving*

JET y: Well, my situation is a little unique as I have a son coming in February.
*clap clap clap*
JET z: It's not that unique, I'm sure there are other people who will have a son in February...

Coordinator: So, I'm passing out a sheet where I want you to write out your goals for the next two weeks so you can keep track of how things are going.
JET a: "eat a child"
JET b c d: "Two girls at the same time"

*On the issue of underutilized JETs*

JET e: Well, if you think you aren't being used, take up a project. Like me, for instance, my school has the seconded longest hallway in the country, and I got a piece of it for English.
*laughter at the hall comment*
JET e: I'm not even kidding! The longest one is in Aomori and it beats my school by about 1 metre.
*increasing laughter*
JET e: You don't understand, I ride a taxi to get from one end to the other, but it's too small for foreigners so I kinda ride on top and wave at the kids as I pass them by (they aren't allowed to ride on it) and...
Note: I can't remember how the rest of this goes, but you get the idea

*On the topic of 'sick days' and the differing thoughts on it.* NB: Most, if not all Japanese contracts have unlimited sick days that can be taken and about 15-20 days of paid vacation that can be taken. It's a very Japanese custom to take vacation time to heal up from the flu. Some vacation, huh.

Jet f: Man, I don't think the Japanese understand the concept of a sick day, they always try to make me take my paid vacation for days when I'm sick.
Jet g: Actually, I asked another teacher at my school if she was going to take sick leave when she got ill, and she just turned and looked at me and said, "You know, I don't even know if I have sick leave in my contract."
*Cue gasps of shock and terror from other JETs.