Saying goodbye

Late post to talk about it, but I wanted to make sure to talk about how the 'good byes' worked for us here in Japan.

We said goodbyes like any other place: lots of pictures and parties.  At school, it felt almost like the welcoming month where there was a party to attend almost every week, only this time we all knew each other pretty well.  There were definitely a lot more picture taking (we all wanted to make sure to get one last picture, etc.).

Almost every class had a party too.  For at least the Japanese classes, every level except mine had an organized farewell party.  I reckon the reason why my class didn't was because we had the largest group of students, and we also had a lot of things to do before our final exam, so there were no time to plan one.  The huge number of students in our class was probably the biggest factor.  However, it was fine - it just became a joke of some sorts for us students.

In the dorm, we also had a sort of party, only it wasn't really a farewell party.  More of a Christmas party, because we went out for sushi, and then had our Secret Santa gift exchange later.  For those who don't know what that is, Secret Santa is when everyone has someone to get a gift to (but we don't know who we are receiving one from), and then on a set date we exchange them.  That was super fun - we all gave each other candy or something that we knew the other would enjoy.  Mostly food - it's the easiest kind of gift.

We also took a lot of dorm group pictures too.  My dorm has only 20 people in it, so in the end many of us became very close to each other.  It was all a really fun time!  A few of us went out to do an all night of karaoke too later, which was really fun.  It was the first time for all of us foreigners, but we all managed to get through without taking too many naps.  All in all, a good farewell party.

The next morning, I volunteered to help a friend with her luggage, and then I went back later that day to send off another friend of mine, who I already promised to do so.  It may seem like a lot of time and money - going back and forth isn't cheap - but because I won't be able to see these people for at least another 6 months or longer, I didn't mind.  It was a nice time too - I was able to talk to them one last time, and learn how to get to the airport!  ^_^

So yes, I had a great semester, and I'm looking forward to the next one!