My Last Few Days in Japan

I graduated from the CJS program a few days ago. After all the hard work, my school year abroad is finally over. It was a day that was pretty bittersweet, especially since it was the last day that I spent with a lot of the people I came to really cherish over the past 9 months. The day was pretty much full of taking pictures, giving out hugs and enjoying our last day together. After the ceremony, where we received our certificates of participation and completion, we had a small party where we got to see a lot of interesting performances from our friends. It was a really nice day, despite the fact that it was my last day at Nanzan University campus.

The days after the graduation ceremony were all spent with my host family. We had a takoyaki party where I got to say goodbye to all of my host family’s friends that had become my friends too. It was so much fun, but also really sad since I knew I would miss them all so much once I returned to the U.S. The day before I flew back to California was my host dad’s 31st birthday. We had a really yummy dinner of eel and sashimi and it was a really nice last day to spend with my host family.

As I got to the airport and was just about to pass through security, that was when it really hit me that my time in Japan had come to an end. It has been a really eventful and wonderful 9 months, and I am so grateful for all of the wonderful friends and family that I got to spend it with. Even though my time in Japan has come to an end, I know that the relationships and friendships I have created will stay strong until the day we meet again. Thanks for an amazing year abroad!