HAZE

It’s 3:15 p.m. on a cloudy July day, and we’re getting a little reprieve from the heat thanks to those clouds. I just finished saying my goodbye speech in front of the whole school – a mangled affair in Japanese that hopefully was understood without too much difficulty. After my speech I was given a huge bouquet of lilies and sunflowers (my favorites) by the two top student council representatives. The student council president – the younger brother of my community Japanese class teacher – directed his speech to me in English: “Jaimie, thank you for teaching here for two years. Thank you for your great laugh. I heard it everywhere in the school. Good luck in America. We will never forget you.”

This assembly came after four morning classes one after the other – all final classes that involved a Jeopardy-like America quiz game, Dashboard Confessional’s version of “Jamie”, the students singing either “Edelweiss” or “Hello, Goodbye” (by the Beatles), a class picture, and the exchange of letters and cards that the students and I had written to each other. Their handwritten letters to me came bound together in a book with a decorated cover: my letters to them were written on plain white 3” by 5” cardstock. Tears filled my eyes every time I heard, "Hello/ Hello/ Hello/ I don't know why you say goodbye/ I say hello." After each class finished, the students clamored to see me, thrusting their English notebooks, file folders, textbooks, or any piece of paper in front of me for me to sign. So it was four nonstop hours of 50-minute classes plus 10-minute goodbyes . . .  My 4^th period class, 2-5, was my last 2nensei class and my very last class at this school.

Their letters are full of “I love you” and “You are a great teacher” and “I will never forget you.” A good handful of kids wrote in Japanese, too, their native language seeming more appropriate to express what they want to say. It seems so sad that I have built such great relationships with these kids, playing sports together, visiting their after-school clubs, having interesting conversations – just to say goodbye. Part of me wishes I was here for one more year so I could watch the now 2nensei students graduate . . . but I know I made the best decision to start over back at home.

It’s 3:30. Time for souji.

3:50. And. That was my last cleaning time with the students.

There’re too many goodbyes going on. Tonight there’s a going-away party for another ALT who’s been here as long as I have. Then tomorrow I say goodbye to my 4 girls from 2010, who are now juniors in high school. That same night I have a farewell party given by my Japanese teacher. Sunday is goodbye to my community Japanese class. The 26^th, school farewell party. 27^th, host family goodbye. The 28^th, in a huge two-restaurant birthday/farewell party, I’ll be saying goodbye to most of my friends.

And on August 6, 2012, I'll say goodbye to Japan.

At least for a little while.