The Sayonaras Begin

Last Wedneday, I had my last PALS English class in Machida. They had a small farewell party for me during each class. It was very sweet and they all had very nice things to say. They are like my little Japanese grandmothers and the other teacher calls herself my Japanese mother. Her card even said "don't forget to tell me when you have babies." 

During a class a couple weeks ago, one student described how she "liked to do weed." I just chuckled to myself. She meant she likes to weed her garden. I feel sometimes like I've learned to speak another language. Unfortunately, it's not Japanese, but an English-Japanese hybrid with many missing words.

I never thought I would be an English teacher before I moved to Japan, but I have really enjoyed the opportunity. They would share stories with me about the vacations, family weddings, new grandchildren and everything in between. It was so much fun. I'll miss them and their funny stories.