象是1999年 (Like It's 1999)
Friday night after the Nikkei graduation, the two schools had their annual post graduation parties. Guess which one I showed up at? If you guessed Naha, you'd be correct and winner of nothing. It's really interesting that I'm not only in the Naha Nikkei picture with all the other kids and teachers there, but was also invited to their post graduation party. Totally makes sense though since my ties there are infinitely stronger than they are in Chubu.
Here I am with Hiroto and Ei-chan, two of the most stylish and entertaining dudes in the class. Hiroto especially is on the next level stylish tip. How else can you explain him being able to drastically switch up hairstyles between the graduation ceremony and the party a couple of hours later?
Yuko started off as so shy and reserved that I wondered if she'd make it all the way to graduation. Little did I know that she'd go on to become one of the most outgoing people and best English speakers in the whole class.
Marissa Obama, the long lost Obama child they don't like to acknowledge on US television.
Suzuki, who in addition to being a Nikkei student is almost on the way up in the world of modeling.
Don't know what I'd do if it weren't for Ayaka. I used to spend a lot of my lunch breaks kickin' it with her in the classroom, chomping down on fried rice. And when I'd need help reading Japanese, transferring money to Japan, or trying to figure out how to read a bus schedule she was the one who'd help me out.
Hana, standing there in the little black dress between Marissa and Ayaka, was the only kid who's name I actually remembered after the first day. We used to always talk about tattoos during lunch trying to figure out what English phrase to get tatted up on her body. Eventually she settled on her name. Normally I'd think that was tacky, but these days it reminds me of home and the neighborhood I grew up in so I approve.
Hope to see you guys over some heaping plates of yakiniku soon.