Saying goodbye...

Today was the final day of school for the year.  It’s strange because I’ve been away for a couple of weeks and today is the final day of school.  Last week I was in Canada and the week before I was at the other Junior High school, so it feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve been at this school, and yet it’s the final day of school for the 2011/2012 school year. 

First there was an assembly/closing ceremony for the students.  The students sang.  A few students commented on the year.  A few teachers and principals said a few words to the students.  Keep in mind the third grade students were not present.  In fact, they graduated weeks ago and haven’t been to school since.  So this means that the 1^st grade students will now be 2^nd grade students in a couple of weeks and the 2^nd grade students will now become the new graduating 3^rd grade students for the 2012/2013 year.  So this assembly wasn’t sad at all.  Here are some pictures of it:

The students started leaving and I asked a teacher if they were going home now.  “No, they are returning to homeroom.  We will continue at 10:40,” she said. 

I looked at my watch.  10:40 was in an hour.  Hmm, that’s strange, I thought.  What could they possibly be doing in one hour?  Why do we have to have another closing ceremony?

So I returned to my desk at the office and worked.  Suddenly, I looked up and realized it was 10:38!  I almost lost track of time!!  (The Japanese people have a saying that says if you are expected to be somewhere at a certain time, you must be there at least 5 minutes before the expected time.  So in this case, I was already 3 minutes late!)  I stepped out of the office and saw a few (not all) teachers lining up like students in the foyer.  I walked towards a familiar face when I realized I shouldn’t be with these teachers.  I think she could tell I came to this conclusion, but she still kindly said that I could go to the gym before these teachers went there. 

So I rushed to the gym and stood with the other teachers on the side.  The students were already sitting on the gym floor, ready for the closing ceremony…part 2?

Soon, the line of teachers walked to the opposite side of the gym and sat down.  I finally put together what was happening.  The teachers that lined up in the foyer were leaving the school.  This was their final day.  I noticed many friendly faces in the group and I felt my heart tighten.  This was going to be the last time I would see many of these wonderful teachers.  My chest was tight and I was overwhelmed with the same feelings I had during the third grade graduation.  I wished I had gotten to know some of the teachers better.

The teachers were brought up to the stage and they each had a turn to give a goodbye speech to the entire school population (teachers and students).  Some of the teachers (including the male teachers) got emotional during their speeches.  I was tearing up, too.  The surrounding teachers were sniffing as well.  I don’t know how the students were responding because I didn’t look at them.  I didn’t want them to see me tear up. (It is obvious when I tear up…my cheeks go very red and my eyes turn red, too.  I didn’t want the students to see me in this state…)

Then selected students gave each of the teachers flowers, and the teachers left the gym in a line.  Later, the students returned to their homerooms so that they could move their desks to their new homeroom for next year.  By noon, the students left the school and began their “spring” holiday, which lasts for two weeks.  (I put “spring” in quotation marks because it snowed in Tarui last night.  I’ve been told that this winter has been the coldest and longest winter Tarui has seen in a long time, and back home in Canada, my hometown has had a very mild winter.  I live in Japan for a year and expect better weather and instead the weather in my hometown is better.  Go figure!  I must have brought the winter weather with me!)

Three English teachers are leaving this school, one of which I am friends with and have seen outside of school.  She is moving to a town that is a two hour drive away.  At the other school I work with two English teachers.  I am very close to both of them.  Both of them are leaving that school!  But one of them is coming to Fuwa Junior High, the school I am at today.  So I will work with her again!  But the other teacher is going to a different school in a different town…and I never got to properly say goodbye to her.  She is one of the best English teachers I have worked with and I will miss her dearly.  I hate the end of the year.  Actually, I think this year was worse because I never had a chance to say goodbye to many teachers and even the teachers that I am saying goodbye to today seems rushed because I just returned from Calgary a couple of days ago.

I don’t mean to use this blog as my own personal diary, but I am just writing about what I experienced today.  I just realized that I haven’t written much in the last few months because work has been busy, and what I have written lately is sad and depressing.  Well you know what, I am going to try to write a blog every couple of days to make up for it.  And no more sad, depressing, sappy content.  Instead I will write about the wonders, mysteries, and miracles of Japan…like the Japanese toilets!  What a miracle those machines are! 

So until next time, here are some photos I took of the teachers from Fuwa Junior High school.  I’ll see most of them next year, but the ones holding the flowers I will not.  I wish them nothing but the best in the future.