Sayonara...

Minasan ohayo gozaimasu. Sanyu desu.
Kyo wa koko ni iru saigo no hi desu. Getsuyobi ni [insert other school name here] chugakko e ikimasu. Minasan to aenaku naruto omouto sabishiku narimasu.
Watashi wa anatatachi to ishoni sugosete totemo tanoshikata desu.
Anatatachi wa mainichi watashi o warawasete kuremashta.
Tanoshiku genki ni soshte friendoly ni seshite kurete honto ni domo arigato.
Watashi wa korekaramo anatatachi ga itsumo shiwasede aru koto o imote imas.
Anatatachi ni watashi wa keishite wasuremasen. Minasan gambatte!
Sore kara senseigata itsumo shinsetsuni shite kudasatte hontoni arigato gozaimasu.
Watashi wa nihongo ga hanasenainode minasan to communication o torunowa totemo muzukashikatta desu ga itsumo hanashikakete kudasari arigato gozaimashta.

This is the speech I will give over the loudspeaker tomorrow at my favourite school as it's my last day there.
It basically thanks my students for making me laugh everyday, and thanks the teachers who took time out to try and talk to me.

I am so all kinds of crazy about these kids that I'm ashamed to admit I cried a little today at the thought of saying goodbye to them. In class. How embarrassing.
I am a big softy who isn't even considering wearing eye-liner as I know I'll be boo-hooing tomorrow as well. I can't explain how much I love these kids with their crazy funny ways, and I know that in some way they love me too which makes me love them more. Does that make sense?!

I'm the lively, loud foreigner who speaks broken Japanese badly but tries anyway, pulls overly expressive faces to rival Jim Carey (admittedly it's distracting in class time, but they keep begging me to do it), sings on request, loves to laugh, is strange in an oddly entertaining way and occasionally even teaches English sometimes. All this has gained me a considerable fan base at this school. And I love it.

How could it not make me feel good about myself to see faces light up with a smile simply on me entering a classroom? Or when I've been able to help a usually disruptive student feel as though they've accomplished something? Or when I hear my name being yelled out in greeting by several students simultaneously? Or when I hear them conferring with each other in Japanese on how to ask me in English to come back in April in the new school year?

There's also my non demanding and independent life in Japan to consider too. Yes, I feel as though I live in the back of beyond, but I don't really. And yes, I have been known to state that God hates Japan and that its extreme weather conditions which are a bitch to deal with are proof of this- but overall Japan has been good to me. I'm comfortable here.

And yet, I heard a Madonna lyric from her song 'Jump' that spoke to me:
"There's only so much you can learn in one place
The more that you wait
The more time that you waste..."

So it's onwards and upwards I guess- wherever that is..

Now, please ooh and arr over my pictures from last weekend's snow festival and our Australia Day party.


A snow sculpture of the Japanese lucky cat.


Eddie and I brave the cold. And it was cold. Stupidly so. Saw my first ever real snowflakes complete with intricate patterns.


Fireworks from the snow festival.


A merry Jane at the Australia day party- check out her t-shirt...

And that's all folks!