Goodbye Fukuoka

I'm moving to Tokyo tomorrow. So there's that.

Fukuoka is over. Done. I'm leaving (NOT on a jetplane, mind you) and starting something new.

On Friday, I said an almost-tearful goodbye to GenkiJACS by holding a speech in (very simple) Japanese together with Rakel (because if you work with someone, that's halves the ammount of work per person. Smart, eh?).

I got my "Certificate of Completeion" and that was that. Language course over, now let's move on.

Today, new people joined the school and that river will keep flowing without me. The world is really really really strange.

"Academic Koalafication"

I met a lot of very awsome people in this place. Some short, some tall. Sometimes amusingly so.

We are all standing in the same slippers on the same floor. Becky is English though. She has no real excuse to be this much shorter than me!

To everyone I had the pleasure of studying with, from, around, or in the general vicinity of; thank you! 

Of course the last activity I partook in at the school was Super Smash Brothers with beer. As is only proper.

And then I left. And that was that.

Goodbye people.

Goodbye school.

What followed was of course one of the more awsome parties I've ever had; ramen->bowling->hanami->karaoke->my vocal cords need to grow back because when I sing "Let it Go" I will not hold back  even if I feel the tendons of my throat flapping in the breeze.

What is Hanami you ask? Simply one of the more awsome festivals available anywhere in the world. It entails sitting under the flowering cherry blossom trees, looking at the flowers until you've had so much sake that you can't see them anymore. 

We went again on Sunday!

Selfie-in-progress.

Umeboshi.

I mean, the weather wasn't the best but this is so pretty it's STUPID!

Umeshu (plum wine) is not at all similar to umeboshi.

Yo there's a cherry blossom petal in your plum wine.

Look at this badass!

I also want to mention that as a farewell my host mother took me to her friends house in the countryside, where we had DIY sushi and cake.

Nature!

We visited a family of artists, and I got to play the piano in a room that was so beautiful I forgot to take pictures (don't blame me. I almost forgot to breathe!). I only mention it here for my own sake; when I look back at this I want to make sure I don't forget that place.

But anyway.

My ticket is ready, my luggage is sent. This is my last night in the homestay. I've said most of my goodbyes. I am as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Tokyo, and my life will change again. In many ways, I'll have to start all over. Get to know new people, new places... Wish me good luck. I've been really happy here in Fukuoka and I really don't want to go, but my time here is as fleeting as those goddamn cherry blossoms, and it's time to move on.

Dramatically, as the petals fall from the trees I'm GTFO'ing. Catch you on the flip side.

Goodbye Fukuoka. Hello whatever comes next. That will probably be Tokyo. I think. That's what my ticket says, anyway.