Goodbye Gifts.

Today, I did my last ever seika at a kindergarten not far from here at which i teach on Tuesday's. It's not THAT hard a day, and even better with no seika, but at first, I have to say, I wasn't too fond of the place at all. However, now things seem easier (for many reasons), I felt bad today when I taught my last seika there, and regretted every time I ever moaned about the kindergarten.
I teach the older kids mainly, those who are about to leave kindergarten to go to Elementary school, or who are in their second year of kindergarten, (five and six year old). When we finish seika, we usually go into a little room and get given some green tea and a lunchbox (bento) by the head teachers before starting lessons. However, the teachers asked my partner teacher and I to go into the main hall as the students had something arranged.
We went in and most of the second and final year kindergarten kids were sitting in lines (eeek!) and they said "Thank you very much", and some of them stood up and gave us a big bunch of flowers each, a book of drawings the kids had done of us, and paper mache models of traditional girls day Japanese dolls. I was really touched, but even moreso by the kids on the way out who were told to say goodbye to us. Some of the little shy ones approached, staring at the floor and, not knowing what to say, just threw their arms around my waist and scuttled away again.

PAPER MACHE HINA DOLLS, PICTURE BOOK AND FLOWERS.

One of my fellow teachers who was sent to watch me that day said they would have been crying had the same thing happened to them. Hey, ho! No need to be sad- just look at these pictures they drew of me (cast thine eyes downwards). The fact that I wore mostly black for the whole year but they all drew me in rainbow jumpers and with orange hair makes me happier than anything.

(Top left) One of my regular students, Chito's, effort. (Right) I love the pink flying loaf of bread.


Happy or mentally unstable? I hope the colours signify all the joy I spread...hahahaaaaa, (Left).
Note: crazed expression and police cars...surely the way I'll go! (Right).