August 9, 2009: The Last Few Moments in Hakodate.

I finished my 2 month intensive Japanese study abroad course. Feels good to be done, but at the same time, I am sad that it’s over. My teacher, Okuno sensei, cried when we came together as a class and gave her some presents to show our thanks, and same went for the administrators of the program, Fukuhisa-san and Okuno-san. The last few moments were hard, saying goodbye to friends that come, and hopefully do not go.
Saying goodbye to my host family was probably the hardest part of these past 2 months. These were people that took me into their home and cared for me more than my own family would. At times they were even more concerned about my plans and schedule than I was. On top of my daily ice cream, I was filled to the brim with delicious Japanese snacks and tea. They drove me around, brought me to outdoor performances whenever they had the chance, and taught me a few things about Japanese culture and the language. The last few moments when they dropped me off at the station and stood on the platform with me until my train arrived and left were the hardest. I didn’t want to say goodbye, so I tried to avoid it by asking about how they would mail my luggage and how much it would cost, pulling out my wallet to give them money as they refused and said it would be their last gift. Then they hugged me and I was surprised they could show me such affection, but then realized that they have been doing this for over a decade and are probably used to it by now. I boarded the train, found a seat, and with happy faces we waved to each other for a while until the train left the station and we disappeared from each other’s sight. My nose sniffling, my vision was blurring, and all I could manage to do was look down.
In an unfamiliar country, now I am officially a wanderer.