Hey everyone. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and videos I’ve posted over the course of my stay here in Japan. The memories I’ve made here have been magical. I’ve made friends from all over the world, adapted and strived in a new culture, learned a new language, and have grown mentally and emotionally, since I’ve been here. These memories will stay with me forever and I will do my best to share them with others and encourage future generations of students to pursure their own dreams and make memories and grow as I have.
My last day at KCP was bittersweet. After our final exam, the students that were concluding their time at KCP participated in a closing cemremony that was filled with emotion. We all gave small speeches in Japanese after receiving our certificates of completion and emotion took over most of us in some way. My friend Mike started to cry while giving his speech. It made me tear up a bit myself to be honest. It hurt us all to say goodbye to each other, but I reminded them that we remain only a phone call or an email away and we welcomed each other for visits if ever possible. The walk home that night was a very long and lonely. Just knowing that my time in Japan is about to expire really hit me hard. Of course, I excited to see my family and friends that are awaiting my return in the states, but at the same time, I feel like I’m leaving home again. I’ve become so comfortable in Japan that, even for a short while, I felt comfortable enought to call it home…
But now I am preparing to return to my real home, where responsibility is sitting at the dinning room table, waiting for me to get home from work. I know that I will be sad when I get home. I might even cry… I know that the reentry shock is going to hit me really hard. But when it’s all over, I will remain happy about my experience, I will work hard to reach my next goals, and I will spend every day helping others to benefit from my experience, have their own experiences, and build a better place to live at home.
For now, I will just spend my remaining time here in Japan reflecting and appreciating how fortunate I am and have been, as I head towards tomorrow…