Last week began the farewells, as I said good-bye to my third-years at my other school for the last time. It took some coaxing to get them to understand that they won’t see me again, but once they got it, they were clearly really sad about it. And these guys would get a “good-bye” whether or not I was staying.

It’s been a lot harder than expected! I’m not one to cry, but I can feel my self getting emotional at the farewell parties for the students. They gave me those lovely flowers and a small board with notes from students saying how much fun they had with me. The kids were honestly the only reason I really loved teaching here. I like my schools and my company, but what made me smile, what made me love it, were the kids.   

Similarly, I went to a house-party in Omotesando on Saturday, and broke the news to many of  my friends that I’m officially leaving Japan on May 10th. A lot of them couldn’t believe it. I can hardly grasp it myself. The closer it gets to having to say goodbye for real, the sadder I feel. I really have made a lot of great friends here and in such a short time. It’s hard to leave them already. Of course, thanks to the digital age, distance is less and less of an issue. We’ll definitely meet again soon.