I had to say my first long-term farewell yesterday–my friend Pat is leaving Tuesday so he can do a summer internship in Wisconsin, and won’t be back before I leave. It’s especially sad, because he’s been one of those guys who’s always just been around–we were in orchestra together for like 4 years straight, and had several Japanese classes together, too, and he and my other friend Laura and I have routinely gotten together for several hours several times a month this year so far (for the most part) to play frisbee in Piedmont Park. We were joking about how the only places big enough to throw a frisbee around in Japan were places where a lot of people were around, and that while we could try throwing between skyscrapers, it probably wouldn’t work. ;o)
It’s slowly beginning, though…but at least there’s a much bigger chance of him coming to Japan than anybody else, since he’s already very familiar with the language and culture, having spent extended periods of time there before. So he may consider it as a trip destination in the next year.
And more will be happening in the next month–another close friend of mine is leaving for New York for at least a year in June, and I have other friends who are taking off for grad school and other things across the country. We really are heading off in our own separate directions…except that I’ll be back eventually, though hopefully not for long, as I head off to do my masters elsewhere in the country. (But that involves taking the GRE in the next 2 months and hoping I get a good score on my first try… *groan*) It’s so weird to wrap my mind around. Finding out where I’m going to be placed will hopefully help me ground myself in this whole experience, though, and I hope I hear back about that pretty soon.