12

to go.

I no longer work in Japan.

Feels good.

two weeks.

shit.

Freedom!

Starts now.

Today I finished the second busiest period of work I have experienced in my tiny little life. I finished my p/t business English contract, and I'm a bit sad, as my student was a great guy.

Finished work at the big school, and while I will NOT miss the school, I miss the kids already, particularly grade 5, I LOVE those kids! I have a 3 1/2 day weekend coming up before my last day-and-a-half of teaching in Japan.

I'm going to ride my bike tomorrow, and Saturday, and probably Sunday too. And Monday.

Oh Yes.

Weird

Yesterday the temperature climbed to 19 degrees. Today the forecast maximum is seven.

Had a small tremor here last night. Lasted for about ten or 15 seconds, but felt longer. barely enough to rattle the glasses in the kitchen, but still scary after last weekend.

Weird weather, weird world...

(9AM edit, now it is snowing...)

The Earth Shook.

Somewhere else; 'round here it was just a short-lived mild swaying.

Thanks for the wishes, all's fine in this here neck of the woods.

Blood, sweat and tears.

Is what I left on the floors of my classrooms this year. Today I had my last lesson with my nemeses (is that the plural of nemesis?), that is, the grade sixers at U____bo ES (name has been changed to protect the guilty).

As if the little f___ers (expletive has been changed to protect your sensibilities) wanted to give me a fair sendoff, they were true-to-form monsters for the first half of the lesson. I plastered on my smile and soldiered on (to be honest, I only juuuusssst avoided exploding and losing it on them), and I think I won a few of them over towards the end of the lesson, but anyway, who cares? I'm done!

They gave me a book of letters of thanks at the end of class, and you'd never believe they were written by the same kids...one even wants to become an interpreter!!! Whodathunkit?

Go figure.

For those of you who think teaching is an easy job...go try it.

I dare you.