The Process of Purging

This past two weeks have been really busy.  We had our last Open House where the all of the children's mothers came to watch the class, and the day before that was our big Valentine's Day party.  This past week was Parent/Teacher Conferences, which made for long days, but it was wonderful to talk to the mothers about their children.  The Valentine's Party was a blast, and the handmade valentine's that the kids gave each other were simply adorable! The mothers also make a book for the kindergarten teachers with personalized notes from the mothers and the kids- it is something that I will truly treasure and that I look forward to bringing back to America with me.

In other news, the purging has begun. You don't realize how much you can accumulate in one year, but I think living in Japan has definitely opened my eyes to how much we have vs. how much we really need.  My tiny apartment has forced me to live like a minimalist, which has its pros and cons.  I felt more like I was living in a college dorm room than a home, which was definitely a con.  I have never had difficulty throwing things away, and have never considered myself a hoarder.  Just yesterday, I even divided clothes into my closet into three categories: "want to keep", "willing to part with", and "give away as soon as possible".

Only a month left with the kids! Closing Ceremony is March 23rd, and then I have the weekend to do any final cleaning and tossing before our Farewell Party.  Also, I have an official date of arrival back in America, which will be April 2nd.  I am having difficulty wrapping my mind around the fact that I leave Japan at around 5:30 in the evening and get to Dallas at 3:30, but that's what happens when you travel to the other side of the globe. The teacher that is replacing me will start her practice teaching this next week. It seems like just yesterday that I was in her shoes. 

That's all for now.  I will try to post at least one more time before I adventure to Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kochi before heading back to America!