Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

And so it begins. The countdown to going back home.

My looming departure felt real when I told my two JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) about my plans to go back to Canada this summer. It happened today during break times. I always walk back to the teachers' room with either Y-sensei or S-sensei after our lessons. It was the easiest time for me to let my secret slip out. They both seemed saddened by the news. S-sensei even invited me to his family's new home, and said his daughter is looking forward to playing with me! (I gave her a really cute polar bear last year for Christmas. I'm cool in her books.)

Every February, The JET Programme asks current JETs to submit their intentions for the following contract year. Friday's the deadline.

I have my reasons. I want to spend time with my parents and brother. I want a job that challenges me in a different way. I want to leave the JET bubble. I want to live daily life with complete knowledge of what's going on around me. (Although I've lived in Japan for three years, my Japanese skills are really limited. I've improved leaps and bounds from when I first got here, but things are still shades of grey.)

I will miss a lot of things about this place. The friends I've met along the way. The lovely people in my town. My Pretty in Pink Apartment. Haruto the Car. The gas station attendants. But most of all, my students.

Today, I was going over class lists and writing out the club activities each graduating student has completed over their time at 2chu. M-chan was like "What?! You can read all of our names in hiragana? And you know what club we've all joined?!" Yup, I'm going to miss them. (Not gonna lie - M-chan had to correct me. I thought some of the computer kids were actually part of the table tennis club, ha!) I will be using that info to write about 95 graduation "postcards," wishing them all the best when they graduate in March. An epic feat, but I really like the kids. (Although last year's graduating class was something special. Awww....)