Hellos and Goodbyes

In the Elementary school I work at, there is a painting tucked into a corner on the second floor. The feature of the painting is a small calico cat walking through the dead stalks of an early spring rice field; a sliver of color against the brown. There are patches of snow on the ground, and the cat seems to walk carefully around them. At the very bottom of the canvas, a small cluster of mountain vegetables are starting to sprout.

To me, spring has always been a time of contradictions. It is a slow, quiet change that ends in a riot of color. The snow melts a little every day. Daffodils bloom in unexpected places. The rice fields flood. And then, suddenly, the world is green again.

The same can be said for the life of an ALT. Teachers and schools will change. Goodbyes will be said. Students will graduate. And then, suddenly, a new year begins. For some, this spring will be a time to say hello to a new Akita, one not covered by snow. For others, it will be a time to say goodbye to a place that holds years of memories.

The world we live in can be full of unexpected and contradicting emotions. And when these emotions become too much, all we can do is be like the little calico cat in the painting, and take small steps until we find where we need to be. Because eventually, everything will be green again.

My time as creative director of the Akitan may have been short, but I do not regret the steps I took to reach the place I am now. I hope others feel the same. And as Spring shifts towards Summer, I hope this issue can let us take a look back at the small (and big) steps we went through this season.

Fraser Sutherland