So long APU... you will not be forgotten

My time at the university is up. It's really hard to believe it. The last eight weeks have gone by so quickly that it feels like I just got here. I have had such a wonderful time here that, truthfully, I don't want to leave. I wish I could stay. I suppose, as the saying goes, that all good things must eventually come to an end. And, so, it's now time to say "goodbye" to APU.

With the conclusion of the second quarter, summer vacation is just now beginning in Japan. Many people are heading back to where they came from (inside Japan or otherwise). So, my closest group of friends has been spending a lot of time together recently.

Friday

We decided to all go out to dinner. One of our good friends, Hiro, had to work that night; so, we decided that we would dine at the place where he works. By far, the most entertaining part of the evening was watching our friend work. In Japan, the way that people are expected to behave in the workplace is a rather formal. I mean, a worker in a shop is expected to treat the customer with the utmost respect. You are treated as an honored guest. In particular, the way that people speak Japanese in a formal setting changes pretty drastically in comparison to, say, changing from informal English to "formal". English doesn't really have an equivalent; so, I won't attempt to explain it in detail. Let's just say it's kind of like this...

The way my friend ordinarily greets me: "[yo!]".

Now for when we entered his workplace: "[Ah! Welcome most respectable and honorable guests! Please kindly make your way in this direction at your own convenience to where we have already made preparations for our guests. I know that it is terribly rude of me to leave our guests unattended, but please excuse me for a moment while you get settled so that I may further prepare to serve your every need.]"

It was absolutely adorable and hilarious to watch our friend behave in this manner.


The shop where Hiro works. ---


Kawaii Hiro! ---


Aya is ready to drink. Notice that the beer is bigger than her head. ---


Some of the food that we ate. Maji oishii! ---


Me, Aya, Piro, and Airi. ---


Airi and Takumi having fun. ---


Masa, me, and Aya decided to join in. ---


So, we had to force Piro to join in as well. ---


Good friends at dinner. ---

Sunday

There was a rather popular summer festival occurring in Beppu this weekend; so, my friends and I decided to attend. What can I say? Japanese festivals can be a lot of fun. We all got dressed up in traditional Japanese attire and went on our way. Beppu's streets are ordinarily pretty empty, but not this day. There were thousands and thousands of people walking through the streets of Beppu this day. So, it took some time to get to where we wanted to go, but we made it, ate some good food, and watched a beautiful fireworks display over the ocean.

Getting ready before the festival...


Piro, Minae, Airi, and Eriko. ---


Takumi and I. ---


Piro, Ji-in, Aya, and Eriko (in back). ---

Some of the fireworks...



Tuesday

The final day with most of us still together. We wanted to do something fun and active together that everyone could participate in and enjoy. So, we decided to go bowling. After bowling, many of us stayed up together for most of the night just hanging out in the rooms and enjoying our time together before we had to go our separate ways.


Masa takes a shot at a spare. ---


Airi. Ganbatte! ---


...and it's good! ---


Aya and Takumi. ---


Takumi and Shingo. ---


Eriko and Natsuko. ---


Group photo of the girls being girls. ---


And, of course, the guys being guys. ---


I'm gonna miss you guys. Hopefully, I will see you again soon. ---

So long APU... you will not be forgotten. Maybe I will even return to you. But for now I will say "goodbye". It's time to move on to other places.