Japan day 3
Dinner last night was awesome. Went to Japanese restaurant (duh) and had many new things to eat. After Ichibora found out I liked sake, he ordered sake for me and April (the other woman traveling). Went to bed after figuring out there are no English language tv stations. Fell asleep reading book on Kindle.
Next morning had breakfast. Some western stuff (scrambled eggs) and lots of fish bits (salmon, etc.). Conference went well. About 70 people attended (with less than 5 of them female), all in black suits. We had a translator so we would speak a sentence or a clause, and then he would translate for us. That part was weird - we had to make sure to piece out our thoughts for him to translate - we couldn't get a good train of thought going for the most part, and we couldn't be thinking out loud - we had to have discrete statements. We had our own little table off to the side - kinda like a head table but not centered.
My talk went very short. I went over the history and outline of the DMBOK, and there were no comments. I didn't want to go into great detail since my entire talk tomorrow is on the DMBOK outline. I decided to expand my deck for tomorrow to make sure I fill up the time - although I heard that there may actually be some commentary tomorrow. I have no idea how the translation will work tomorrow; the translator we had today isn't coming tomorrow.
We didn't have a translator for us for the Japanese speaker, and the roundtable discussion. So we just sat quietly and played games on our phones.
We went to a coffee house next to the hotel, and there were about 30 men there. The room had a huge fan in the ceiling taking the smoke out. I thought on the way in it would be a problem since I'm allergic to smoke, but it was only in the 10' between the entrance and the room where someone was smoking but it wasn't ventilated. We had some beer and it was actually pretty good. We never got to sample the appetizer plates as we were speaking and exchanging business cards the whole time.
Then we went to dinner. Had to go in a cab - first time in a car where the driver was on the right. Dinner was AMAZING. It was in a hideaway authentic restaurant - down an alley, under an arch, and then you walked on a stone path past a rock garden with water feature into a room where they checked your shoes (not your coats). Then upstairs to the room for about 20 people (only 3 women - me, April, and one Japanese woman who is the treasurer for the local chapter). 8 courses of food, and more beer and sake, and later some stuff that was the equivalent of Japanese vodka served over ice. Everything was so tasty. And my sake cup kept getting filled up. It was awesome.
Then a short cab ride home, and now to bed, and get ready for my presentation tomorrow. It's only 4 hours in two hour chunks, not six like I had thought so I should be okay with my material. And then dinner with just the ladies - that should be veeeeeeery interesting. :D
Next morning had breakfast. Some western stuff (scrambled eggs) and lots of fish bits (salmon, etc.). Conference went well. About 70 people attended (with less than 5 of them female), all in black suits. We had a translator so we would speak a sentence or a clause, and then he would translate for us. That part was weird - we had to make sure to piece out our thoughts for him to translate - we couldn't get a good train of thought going for the most part, and we couldn't be thinking out loud - we had to have discrete statements. We had our own little table off to the side - kinda like a head table but not centered.
My talk went very short. I went over the history and outline of the DMBOK, and there were no comments. I didn't want to go into great detail since my entire talk tomorrow is on the DMBOK outline. I decided to expand my deck for tomorrow to make sure I fill up the time - although I heard that there may actually be some commentary tomorrow. I have no idea how the translation will work tomorrow; the translator we had today isn't coming tomorrow.
We didn't have a translator for us for the Japanese speaker, and the roundtable discussion. So we just sat quietly and played games on our phones.
We went to a coffee house next to the hotel, and there were about 30 men there. The room had a huge fan in the ceiling taking the smoke out. I thought on the way in it would be a problem since I'm allergic to smoke, but it was only in the 10' between the entrance and the room where someone was smoking but it wasn't ventilated. We had some beer and it was actually pretty good. We never got to sample the appetizer plates as we were speaking and exchanging business cards the whole time.
Then we went to dinner. Had to go in a cab - first time in a car where the driver was on the right. Dinner was AMAZING. It was in a hideaway authentic restaurant - down an alley, under an arch, and then you walked on a stone path past a rock garden with water feature into a room where they checked your shoes (not your coats). Then upstairs to the room for about 20 people (only 3 women - me, April, and one Japanese woman who is the treasurer for the local chapter). 8 courses of food, and more beer and sake, and later some stuff that was the equivalent of Japanese vodka served over ice. Everything was so tasty. And my sake cup kept getting filled up. It was awesome.
Then a short cab ride home, and now to bed, and get ready for my presentation tomorrow. It's only 4 hours in two hour chunks, not six like I had thought so I should be okay with my material. And then dinner with just the ladies - that should be veeeeeeery interesting. :D