Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Winding Down

The time is winding down! I have about 3 more weeks left in Japan. Time to start canceling my cell phone (I am sure that will be a confusing conversation), closing my bank account and giving farewell speeches. I am shooting to give my farewell speeches in Japanese but I am extremely nervous about that. I have no problem teaching classes and being in front of the kids to talk about English. But when I am in front of all the students and teachers and have to give a personal speech, that's when 8th-grade-Erin comes out and starts to sway back and forth, talks quickly with a rash forming on her neck and face and tries to dry her sweaty palms on her straight leg jeans.

I start my trip back to the states on the 27th and I am getting pretty excited to be back home for a while. I won`t have a long time at home though because I have to be in Massachusetts by August 22nd for grad school. I have begun reading the suggested reading before schools starts and I have to flip a switch in my mind to think like a student again, since it`s been 5 years since I sat down in a classroom as a student.

I have been cleaning my apartment and I threw out so much this morning that it actually filled the neighborhood shared garbage/recycling bin. Sorry, neighbors! It sounds wasteful but it was really all stuff that couldn`t be saved but had had a long, eventful life. My apartment was full of junk left over from old ALTs in Ojika and it was time to finally get rid of it because I don`t want the next ALT to think I`m a pack rat. I am also doing a serious scrubdown because I understand how it feels when you have completely uprooted yourself to move to a foreign country and feeling downtrodden to have to move into a cluttered, dirty apartment.

I really wish I could be home today for the Fourth of July. There is nothing better than a Fourth of July barbeque and fireworks. It makes me feel really nostalgic and ready to come home after two years gone. So, please make sure to eat some brats and watermelon for me and be careful with the sparklers! Happy 4th of July!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I covered the watermelon part for you!!

Erin L said...

Good to hear that someone is playing their part! :)