Bye for Now

Yesterday my job at Pembroke College came to an end and I said goodbye to some very special people, who are owed some thank yous.

Thank you to Team Rachel

Team Rachel, it was a joy to be your PA. Thank you so much, it has been so lovely to get to know you all! Thank you for letting me teach you card games, for telling me all the Japanese music I should be listening to, and for being absolute style queens. I cannot believe that you managed to make me feel like such a princess in a dress you made out of newspaper! You all make me so happy!

Ai and Yukina, you have such beautiful hearts, thank you for the decoration on the scrapbook that you helped to make – it is absolute perfection! Yoshino, my new sister, you are absolute treasure, thank you for spending so much time with me. Your hungry caterpillar and traffic light t-shirts are amazing and your yuzu fruit costume was the most adorable! And Yukana, thank you for the food you gave me to try (I’ll let you know how that goes) and for the beautiful words you wrote to me to go with them – aishiteru ❤

Thank you to the ‘Crazies’

Guys, you are fab. You made me laugh every single day about every little thing, made me look ridiculous in the talent show, danced with me on Scottish Night and in Lola’s, cooked me great curry, and always greeted me with a smile.

Kyohei, I will never be able to eat a bread roll at formal again without remembering how you ate one all in one go! Thank you for making me laugh so much! XD And for loving the GBBO almost as much as I do. Toru, your purchases of water are out of control, but you always made me smile and when you said at formal hall that you would miss me the same as if you were missing an arm, my heart melted! And finally, Kenjo, you are the most fun, and I am immensely blessed to have met you. Thank you for the letter you wrote to me ^.^

You are fantastic company. Thank you!

Thank you to everyone

I cannot believe that I’ve made so many amazing friends in just one month! Thank you for teaching me Japanese words and phrases, sharing food with me, giving me lots of hugs, making me the most beautiful parting gift with photos and messages from all of you (which I read through on the train home yesterday), and being the best students I could have ever have hoped to be working with.

I am so happy that you’ve arrived back in Japan safely now. Whilst the distance seems to be a crazy long way right now, I am excited to be able to stay in touch. I am so thankful for everything that has happened in the last four weeks, and that the goodbyes that we said yesterday aren’t the end, because our friendship will continue on beyond this point.

This isn’t goodbye forever, it’s just goodbye for now. ❤

An additional goodbye

Sadly, on arriving back home I found out that Richard, a very close family friend, died on Friday. But whilst in some ways this news is sad, it is wonderful to be able to thank God for Richard’s life, his service and character. And I am so happy that we can praise God because Richard’s passing is also not goodbye forever, but is only a goodbye for now.