graduation, etc

Recently I started remembering why I decided to stay in Japan for another year. I want to watch the seasons change again. Its beautiful watching spring come. Some days winter seems to resurface with a vengeance. But then the melt of spring quickly overtakes. Clare, Joey D and I went to Zao on Saturday, most likely the last ski of the season. The end of my first year is quickly approaching.

So graduation was the other day…It was weird to be on the other side of graduation, watching all the students graduate instead of being the one graduating. Some of the girls cried and I felt for them. And afterwards some students came up to me and actually told me “Rebecca, Thank you” It was very touching. Then, I went into one of their classrooms to find they had written “Thanks” and “Go away” in paper flowers on one of their chalkboards. It was hilarious. Shows how much English I have taught them over the past 6 months. Then I got to sign all the yearbooks and make the peace sign repeatedly for numerous pictures. I will really miss the san nen sei, they were my favorite students. Today, the new students are in for testing which means the teachers are really busy but of course…not me!! I got rid of 3 years worth of Bang the Drum ALT publications, old contracting procedures, and tons of other paperwork that my predecessor never bothered to clean out. Yay cleanliness!!! Lets see…what else has happened lately? I woke up at 6 to go see the swans and sunrise with Kyoko Koyama. It was beautiful. We fed them, watched them squawk and pur, I saw a fox. It was a good morning. Ill put some pictures below….maybe.