Where Do I Begin?

As usual, I get farther and farther behind in posting.

First, I will start with last weekend. Nicole came to see me. ^_^ I had so much fun!
We actually met on the Study in Japan (SIJ) 2005 trip. After that, we both worked at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute as R.A.s, AND THEN we were both hired to be JETs.
Anyway, we did a lot of sight-seeing, we had American food, played Wii, and laughed a lot. It was good for me to hang out with someone I'm familiar with. I just love how goofy Nicole can be.
That Saturday (March 1st), we met up with my new friend Tomoko. I now call her Ichiban Guide-o-san because she seems to know everything about Japan and can cram so much into a day. She really gets things done! She knows all of the best places to go and see. She's fun to be around too.
The weekend was great and we seemed to be lucky the whole time. We got to see two weddings at two historical sites, I found shoes the fit (they look like womens, but they are actually mens shoes). Most importantly, I got to hang out with friends and have a good time.

I have mostly finalized my spring break plans. I am going to Osaka to visit some of my former girls from MFWI. I will be staying with Mao. She was one of my group members and then she lived next door for awhile. She is very awesome and I am looking forward to hanging out with her. In the meantime, I have been in contact with Mao and Chikako. They have planned a reunion for our house groups. We will meet on March 31st and go to (USJ) Universal Studios Japan! I'm so excited! Mao has been telling me for two years that she will take me there...and now we will do it! Also, I will meet with another one of my groups. I am REALLY excited!

The end of the school year is fast approaching. It is nice, because that means that we will have spring break soon. On the other hand, it also means that I'm that much closer to changing schools. :+( I have really become attached to my students.
Yesterday, some of the third year students came into the teachers' room to say thank you to their teachers and to announce that they passed their tests and what schools they will be going to. I knew that some of the girls would talk to me, because they have been keeping me informed for the past 3 months. I was NOT prepared for some of the boys to talk to me!
One boy in particular, Iwasaki-kun has been one of the most interesting characters I've met in a very long time. My first introduction was in his class. He greeted me with a loud and cheerful "Hello" and then tried to tell me a joke in Japanese. I didn't understand, so he tried to use big gestures. It's obvious that he enjoys learning English, because he is always happy in class and asking questions that are more advanced than what we are studying. He also tries to speak English every time that he sees me. When I go to their class and greet the students, he is the one who happily yells "Hello, Hollie! I'm hungry today" or "I'm very sleepy right now".
I knew that I made a friend out of him when I was coming home from work on Halloween and he was outside of his house with some high school friends. He said "hello" and asked about the plastic pumpkin I was carrying him. So, I told him and his friends about the custom of trick-or-treating. So being the smarty-pants that he is, he said "Trick-or-treat!". I then gave him and his friends Halloween stickers. I think that he was completely shocked that I actually gave him something. It was also funny because his high school friends were a little shy, but they were also excited to get stickers.
ANYWAY, all of that to lead up to yesterday. Iwasaki-kun came over and said "Hollie, thank you and the other ALTs for helping me learn English." I nearly fell out of my chair! He proceeded to tell me where he will be going to school and that he will study hard. He said again how thankful he was to have ALTs come to his school. I am thankful to know that some of the students actually recognize why we are here and that they are getting something out of it. They know that we are teaching them something, but I wonder if they know that they are teaching us?

Today is Friday. I made it through another week! It's been like a roller coaster. In the preparation for the end of the school year, our school had a farewell event today for the 3rd year students who will graduate and move on to high school next month. It lasted almost 4 hours, but it was very entertaining. There were many slide shows and videos, but the best part was watching some of the teachers dress up and sing and dance with the students! I will remember this for a long time.
Even though today was fun, it was sad because I know that I have 19 days left at Minami. I will have my last elementary school visit on Wednesday. As much as I love the elementary visits, I am not ready for the next one, because I know it will be the last one :+(
The only thing that keeps me from losing it completely, is that I live in the Minami neighborhood. So even though I will be at another school, I will see Minami students when I go to the store, or go for a walk, or go to the train station. I KNOW that they will talk to me too...they ALWAYS do ^_^

Change is happening soon and I am hoping that everything will be good and run smoothly.