Hokkaido is the Land of Lies

Yesterday was the day of two notable occurances - it was the hottest day on record in Monbetsu in the last 30 years, and it was the day the ALTs met the Mayor for some prime media face time. Since this was a big deal, we wore suits. As I believe in being prepared, I looked up "Heat Stroke" in the dictionary before I left. Sleeping was completely unbearable, as the Japanese don't really believe in AC (good for them, but I would have killed to have it for a night or two). I came to Hokkaido specifically to avoid the heat further south, so this is not a particularly charming course of events for me.

We also went out on the town for some drinks with the area JETs and friends, as my two predecessors are leaving town today. From here on out, it's just me and the new guys. Here's to an exciting new year in Monbetsu!