Minami Chu...see you!

Well, it finally happened. My last day at Minami Chugakko has come to an end. I had four classes, one of which was wonderful, three of which were pretty fun. Makie had a mini-meltdown because I gave a student she didn't like a sticker. But then we kissed and made up (not literally, although Miki, another English teacher, was having fun telling us we were lesbians). I got about ten "love letters" from the girl students who really liked me, three homeade keitai straps (if you are from Japan, you'll understand what those are), 2 friendship bracelets and a huge bouquet of beautiful sunflowers and bluebells. I have three thousand pictures on my camera of (some random, some not) students giving the peace sign and running away from me. I said "see you," "adios," and "goodbye" probably a grand total of 1000 times. I gave a short and sweet speech in bad Japanese (translated by Negishi san, the darling). After school, Makie, Miki, and two other teachers made me a delicious dinner of cabbage-wrapped hamburger, potatoes gratin, salad and fresh Japanese peaches. And my teachers are having a farewell party for me this Saturday (of course, they just told me today, but this is Minami chu, after all).

I do feel loved, and I'll miss this crazy place - for all the crap, Minami Chu will be in my heart forever. But through it all, I never once regretted not recontracting. It has been a crazy, wonderful, frustrating year, and I truly am a different person then I was when I hopped off the plane at Narita. But its time to go home.

Sayonara, Minami Chu. I'll never forget you.