Goodbyes: Final Round.
I am officially finished teaching classes. I have one more curriculum tomorrow and thats it. I’m pretty excited!
I said, “Goodbye,” to my class Monday, Tuesday and finally today. Some of the kids were great fun and great people who would be fun to be around any time. At the same time, I never got too close to them, so the memories and pictures I took will be enough.
A few interesting things happened however. Tuesday after I taught my classes, I went with Mami to meet the Hiroi family. I taught them from last June until April. I did get close to them and I will miss them. The Hiroi family wanted to see me one last time before I left, so we met at a small restaurant, and while the kids had dessert, I played with them and soaked it in.
There was Yuka who is either 5 or 6 and is the definition of cute. Then there is the boy, Kengo. He is really funny and just great. The oldest is Maho, and her personality is about inbetween the other two. She is around 12 or 13 and had a little crush on me I think. I don’t mind though, nearly every girl I taught did that. Seriously.
I’m not making it up.
I’m not proud of it either.
Just a fact.
So we just spent some time together and said our final farewells.
After that Megan, Mami, Yurie, Ayumi, and I went to dinner together. These were the Japanese teachers we got closest to and the people we will miss the most by far. I know there was a language barrier, but we tried to let them know how important they have been to us. We ate and laughed and talked until around midnight before we pulled ourselves away again.
When we think of Japan, they will be the first people that come to mind.
I have said all of my goodbyes and now I am just packing before we fly home Friday. I’m dreading the flight, but excited for change.
It has been one of the best years of my life. Not because it was all happy, fun, or even easy. Far from it. It has been one of those years where I felt like I truly lived life, and it was great.
Now for something kind of different.
Kimoto-san (The big boss) lost his cat Friday. Monday, people thought they heard it meowing outside and ran to locate the voice. They were sure it was on a roof or high place at the neighbors, so I went to the roof of our building to look down. I neither saw, nor heard anything and when I was going back in I heard Momo. Turns out she had been locked in the roof-top storage room for 4 days.
The next day there was a box of cakes on my desk as a thank you from Kimoto-san. I am not big on sweets, but these tempted me. They were delicious.
Then today Kimoto-san’s girlfriend brought me fresh pineapple to eat.
Then for lunch the owners bought fried rice for Megan, Ayumi, Mami, Yurie, and I. Everyone else was jealous.
We have been spoiled.
It has been nice to get all this attention, but it is going way past what I am able to politely deal with.
Then today (I nearly forogot), one of my kids who is around 6, gave me a present. It was a small piece of torn paper with “Japanese money” scribbled on it. I thought inside of the folds there would be stickers or some construction paper things that I could discreetly throw away. Instead there was a 1000 yen bill (~$10.00). Most people’s reaction would be, “Hell yes!” Mine was not like that at all.
I was worried she had stolen money from her mom, or that she hadn’t told her, or any number of things that would wind up being a disaster. Also, the line of appropriate teacher-to-student behavior was crossed. It was just plain awkward.
Anyway, after class we find out that the mother didn’t know and she was mortified. It was the little girl’s money, and her entire monthly allowance too. She said that Hikaru (The little girl) wanted to get something so badly, but just didn’t have time, so she gave me money instead.
Hours pass.
Another phone call and Hikaru had convinced her mom to taker her shopping to buy me an appropriate gift to give to me. Tomorrow I go to the Kindergarten that Hikaru used to attend. Now Hikaru is in Elementary School, so Hikaru’s mom is going to meet me at the Kindergarten to give me the gift.
I am going to write Hikaru a letter and put the money back in.
This is all beyond sweet. Way beyond, and well in to awkward.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:06 am by rl
