You're leaving Japan, but we have some wonderful parting gifts for you.

Just breaking my heart.










One of my old students gave me some Rocawear - which is cool - but I hope he didn't blow a lot of his money on it.  That stuff's expensive.  Maybe it's secondhand/handmedown.  Me and this kid used to exchange hiphop CDs all the time...And then, this might be my favorite gift.  From one of my students who'd graduated.  Super nice kid, though English was never her strong point.  Ran into her a couple times since graduation, as she's big on taiko and gave performances at different school festivals.  She never fails to ask, as do a buncha my kids, "Oboiteru?" [Do you remember me?]  Never sure if it's an esteem thing or not... but my answer is always "Of course I remember you."  I'm gonna be 60 years old and still remember these kids.
But I really like this because I don't think she planned on giving me anything.  But we chatted and engaged and interacted, and then all of sudden she felt connected and wanted me to have something to remember her by.  That's pretty damn special.