Goodbyes and Golden Week.
I haven’t written in a while. Mostly because there hasn’t really been a whole lot to say.
Actually that is only half true.
Greg left MES and us on Thursday, April 30th. If anyone who reads this has ever known someone that has been so amazingly brilliant, not only at their job, but also in life, then you know how hard it is to say, “Good bye.” I’ll be the first to admit that I never anticipated being a teacher. I knew teaching English in Japan was my best ticket to live in Japan and see down the side streets and darker ally’s that tourists’ gazes cannot reach. I became a teacher to live that dream, and I have succeeded.
I never would have expected to find a role-model here. He was Greg.
You could get into the entire destiny debate. Argue if people are born for a task or not. Greg is an artist an born teacher. Anyone who meets him would unhesitatingly say so. However, he returned to Vietnam to be with his family and new daughter. I can only wish him the best.
I can only look back on the lessons I have learned and the great memories I have had.
All of that being said, it is, “Golden Week.” This is the public holiday that all of Japan has. Of course travel is marked up outrageously because of that very reason. We have opted to stay in and pack. We have learned the lesson of our predecessors, which is, “Don’t wait until the last minute to pack up.”
I have already prepared a box to send home with clothes, a sleeping bag, and a Nintendo 64 with 8 games an 4 controllers. Yes, the nerd exists, and anyone who visits our life-changing place in the states can sample video games they remember, in Japanese.
Megan is taking on this task of cleaning and packing with absolute dedication. As long as a new episode of Desperate Housewives isn’t buffering. I, myself, have other goals. First, to finish my stupid Zombie video game. As it stands, I have a city generator. My second goal is to finish, “The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass.” If I don’t finish it, I’ll forget it. Anyone who plays RPGs will know how much of a pain in the ass that is.
Anyway, I haven’t written because I didn’t know what to write about Greg leaving. I also didn’t know what to write about our leaving. I still don’t.
All I can say is that he will be missed. Forever. Really.
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 pm by rl