He said with a smile :)

A vision of bright pink, one of my former students was wearing a neon pink plaid shirt that he accessorized with a pink watch. This was a drastic change from the previous year, when he lived in the school uniform. (He would later tell me he borrowed the flashy watch from his younger sister, because it matched the outfit).

It was the cultural festival at my school last fall, so Y-kun took the opportunity to roam the halls where he spent his formative years as a junior high school student. He proudly wore his civvies, surrounded by his little fan club of J.H.S. admirers who wondered what life was liked as a full-fledged high school student.

Y-kun will always be one of my students who will vividly stick out in my memory. Two years ago, as an extremely inexperienced ALT, I felt nervous when trying to talk with my students. Y-kun was a pint-sized senior student who was unafraid to approach me. With his trademark smile and confidence, he was one of the first students who said: "Hello, Gemma-sensei!!!" when I started poking my head around the school during lunch recess. I could sense his enthusiasm for the English language, as he tried to his best to use his textbook English.

Last weekend, he popped up at my school again. He stood in front of a curious group of students on the cusp of graduating from junior high. He was one of the three speakers invited to share their pearls of wisdom at an information meeting for the kiddos.They scribbled notes as Y-kun and two girls talked about school life. Not surprisingly, the kiddos were particularly interested in hearing about club activities. What time did they finish? What clubs could you join? Etc. To think that club activities play such as integral role in shaping their lives, eh.

He easily caught the attention of his audience, barely looking down at his notes and speaking from the heart! I was able to catch him before he left the school... And with a smile, he told me he'll be part of the upcoming homestay programme that brings Fukushima students over to Canada and the United States.