Final Farewell
It was hard to believe when I woke up that sunny morning on 7th Aug, that the day to leave the island for good had finally arrived. It seemed only a while ago that I was the newest resident in town and when everything was still strange and alien.Perhaps it was due to a month's worth of exhaustion from the frantic packing and farewell gatherings but I was feeling more tired than anything else on that day.
But that was before I arrived at the ferry terminal in the afternoon.
What followed from there till the moments I boarded the ferry I couldn't remember quite clearly anymore. Many tearful hugs and well-wishes, smiling faces and waving hands,colorful streamers floating in the air and the horn of a departing ship.
The scene that greeted me as I stood at the deck waving to the crowd that had came to send me off at the terminal. There were my junior high school students in uniforms and some of the kids from elementary schools. Many were holding onto one end of the color streamers with the other end tied to the deck railings.
And then there were the teachers from schools who were so sweet to have taken the time off.
Colorful banners and signs that caught my eyes as I looked down at the crowd standing in the sweltering summer heat cheering me on.
Finally the ferry pulled off from the land and wafted gently into the sea. It moved faster than I expected but those were the most heart-breaking few minutes I've ever experienced.
And that was it, a beautiful end to the most beautiful experience. Goodbye Narao, my home away from home for the past one year.
posted by テレサ @ 6:18 PM
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