Saying goodbye...

(Picture of me on the train today, next to a really tiny woman. I almost look big compared to her!!)
In a few short hours, the alarm will go off and my last day in Japan will be underway. Who knows what my first thoughts of the day will be. I really like that part of the morning where you just wake up, and for a split second you aren't thinking about anything. That moment before reality hits you and you realize that you have a ton of things to do, that motivates you to get out of bed...or at least it motivates some people... guess not me quite as much during my stay here... darn that snooze button! But I guess I blame the snooze button on the fact that I'm not ready to face reality yet. Well, by the time I board the plane tomorrow, I think reality will have become my travel companion as I make the journey back to America.

For once in my life, I haven't really cried when I have said goodbye to people here. My favorite line so far is, "I think I'll be seeing you again." Even if it's not true, it at least puts a postive spin on things. However, one thing I do know for sure is that Casey is going to be really hard to say goodbye to. I have talked about how much closer we are now, but I guess all of that doesn't do it justice. I am really thankful for Japan and how it has brought us together- I can't say that enough. I think it made us realize how we had started to have two different lives before- he would be at school, I would go out with my friends, etc., but now I think that's going to change. I think we have both become bigger priorities in each others lives, and while I hate to admit that we had lost sight of that, Japan has made us have 20/20 on the matter.

So although I might regret it, I'm not going to update on my final week in Japan in detail, but I'll at least summarize it: On Tuesday I went with Tomoko and her son Haru to a park and took pictures of them... which was fun. Then, when I got home that night, I got a fever and had bad stomach cramps. (Story of my life here... can't wait to go to the doctor and see what the heck's going on with me.) Wednesday I had my last Japanese class and was pretty out of it, but I managed to get through it, make sushi with some of the people in the International Student office, and then came home and slept. Thursday, I was feeling better so I got packing done, went out to lunch with Mihiro, and then Casey and I went to America-mura during the afternoon. That night, I went to the lab and said goodbye to people. Then Casey and I came home and finished packing. Now I am wanting to just relax next to him (he's asleep while I write this) in our tiny little tic-tac sized bed.

In summary, I didn't go 'out' like I had wanted to here since I was sick yet again, but I have done enough here that I think I will be okay with leaving without many regrets. I have met some wonderful people, had some experiences that I will be able to tell my grandchildren about someday, and best of all, I've gotten to know the man I married better than I ever have. The last four months have been a blessing to me, and I will always cherish them.

On that note, I think it's time to say goodbye. Good chance I'll have a blog in America... so as always, there's more to come. :)

-Ashley