It's time to say goodbye.
I
wish I had some words of wisdom to impart. Some hard won knowledge
I've gained over the last nine years. But I don't. The only thing I'm
certain of is that I must move forward and get on with the next
chapter of my life.
Perhaps
a few months down the line I'll be able to look back with a clearer
head. Then I'll have something deeper to say. I'll certainly be a
different person, far removed from Japan and its influences. Because the truth is a place shapes a person's way of thinking. Not that
it's bad. I love Japan. I always have. Had it been otherwise I'd
never have given it most my adult years. But I've seen and done
enough here. The world is a big place. I want to experience more of
it, breathe in a different air and see what's beyond that next
horizon. And then once I've had my fill of travel, I'll return to San
Diego.
Now I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frightened of going home. In many
ways I must start over. That means finding a car, a job, a place to
live. I'll also have to pick up the pieces I left behind--reconnect
with friends and family, visit my old haunts, etc. I imagine it will
be some time before I feel at ease. But I look forward to the
challenge because in spite of having lived and worked in Japan all
these years, I've felt rather dislocated from its society. That's how
it is for foreigners here. You're often standing on the outside
peering into a world so close yet so distant. And as strange as it
may seem, existing like that--in a bubble within a bubble--it
can be good in some regards.
But either
way, I'll be happy to live again where I'm just another face,
where I can act normal, where I am me.
Now
let's check out the highlights of the past nine years.
First
is travel. I've done plenty.
|
Painted Desert, USA |
|
Marina Bay Sands Casino, Singapore |
|
Sorrento Beach, Australia |
|
Victoria Waterfront, Canada |
|
Acadia National Park, USA |
|
Ulan Bator Suburb, Mongolia |
|
Inlay Lake, Myanmar |
|
Wind Palace, India |
|
Phraya Nakhon Cave, Thailand |
|
Great Pyramid, Egypt |
|
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, UAE |
|
Baguio City, Philippines |
|
Hindu Statue, Nepal |
And
finally the kids I've taught. That's what I have been doing since I first came here--working in public schools. The interesting thing is that regardless of the town where I was at, the education system has always been much the same. So in that regard the country has done an exceptional job of making the schools uniform. Anyhow, here is a small sampling of the thousands upon
thousands of kids who have taken my classes.
|
Halloween at JHS in Tokyo |
|
Elementary School Kids in Gotemba |
|
Sumo Match |
|
International Class in Gifu |
|
Elementary School Class in Gifu |
|
Cheering Group at Sports Competition |
|
Kids of Toshi Island |
|
Cooking Class |
|
Chorus Festival |
|
Sports Day |
|
Cleaning Time |
|
Last day of Teaching, Wakayama |
Well,
that's it folks.
My
Japan saga draws to an end. And though it saddens me to go, especially
now looking back at all the wonderful things I'm walking away from, I
know I'm ready. So I have no regrets. No bitterness. No angst. Like a
skier who is about to lunge into that first run of the day, my heart
is open and brimming with an eagerness to be free. And it's all
downhill from here. The beautiful journey ahead. The good life I've
dreamt of for years...
|
Sayonara Japan |