At the close of every year, J-chan likes to reflect on his life events. (Isn't he so wise in his old age?) Roretta-chan has recently posted a list that really tugged at my heartstrings, so I reckon I should write my thoughts down as well.
Here's the general flow of my year - I'll write inside jokes and better details in another post.
2011 was quite the blur. I flew back to Japan after my dad's birthday in early January, then worked for a few weeks at my three schools in Motomiya. I signed my re-contracting papers, indicating I wanted to wrap things up by July 2011 and head home. It was an easy decision, because I felt like Japan had already shared so much with me in three years. I visited my parents and extended family in the Philippines, taking myself out of classes for two weeks in the middle of February. When I returned to Fuku in late February, I worked for a few days then hit up a "leavers' conference" in Yokohama. I returned to Fuku, and eased back into my ALT responsibilities.
March suddenly crept up. I had many elementary school visits scheduled then, so I fortunately missed the clapping practices for the upcoming graduation ceremony. On March 11, I rocked up to school and parked my car on the soccer field like a boss. (Unlike in my first year, when I parked in my usual spot in the teachers' car park; my JTE would let me know the kids' were going to have their procession there after the ceremony. Whoops!) Songs were sung, speeches were said and the graduates got their diplomas. We snapped some photos outside, and I said good-bye to the kiddos. After lunch, Fuku got rocked by an 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the coastline would be overcome by a tsunami. Some of us stayed. Some of us left. I ended up fleeing the country for longer than anticipated, especially since there were radiation concerns and living conditions weren't really clear. Ganbarou, Fukushima...
March and April were hectic months for me as well. I was here, I was there, I was everywhere. I was lucky enough to attend my cousin's wedding, which took place on picturesque Mt. Hood in Oregon. We also travelled along the west coast. We stayed in Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and even Victoria. I ended up flying back to Toronto, so that I could use my return ticket bound for Japan during Golden Week.
My first day back at work was that first Friday in May. The staff room and kids seemed surprised yet happy to see me return. We were crammed into a community centre, because the old school building was badly damaged. In June, our crew hit up Tokyo to celebrate John-chan's entrance in his dirty thirties. He had rented a serviced apartment with a rooftop patio overlooking his baby, the Tokyo Tower. We partied until the wee hours at alife, a hip club in Roppongi. Later that month, my friends would dupe me into a stellar surprise birthday. (p.s. My actual birthday would take place two months later in August, but they knew how meaningful it would be for me to celebrate with my Fuku friends one last time). June and July involved lots of running around. I think the Japan Post Office came by my house at least once week, because they picked up my boxes to be shipped back to Canada. One of the delivery ladies even thanked me for living and staying in Fuku for three years. Precious! July was filled with lots of good-byes and sleepless nights. I locked up my pretty in pink apartment on July 31, ending my time in Fuku. I found myself in Tokyo for a few days before embarking on an epic trip to Taiwan with Roretta-chan and Jam C. It was the perfect way to end our JET experience together.
I spent another week in Tokyo, spending afternoons hanging out in Shibuya and Ebisu with K-chan. In the evenings, I'd check out a different restaurant with my older cousin (who shares his birthday with me!). I flew out of Narita on August 12, and made sure to call Sanpei-san (my supervisor otherwise known as my Japanese father) one last time. I was really sniffly. I anticipated the difficulty in leaving all that had been familiar to me. I got back to Canada on August 12 as well, just in time for my mom's birthday! I have spent the past few months trying to re-adjust to life and times in Ottawa. It's definitely taken some time to ease back into my lifestyle here. I miss my students, the convivial atmosphere, the food, my old car (RIP Haruto!!) and my apartment. The list goes on. But Canada ain't so bad. I'm living back at home with my fam, meaning we spend a lot of quality time together. I've got a short-term contract at the Japanese Embassy. I keep in touch with a group of friends. (I should make a bigger effort to be sociable this year.) I am ever so thankful for my cousins! I especially relished time with my family over the holidays. It feels like Christmas when I am simply hanging out in my pajamas. We sit around their white oval-shaped kitchen table, picking at leftover goodies from all of the fam jams. The family keeps growing, with the addition of babies and significant others. It's crazy how time flies.
Here's to a wonderful 2012. Gotta stay focused, man.
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