Class wraps up.

This is pretty strange. Yesterday was the last day of classes and today has so far been just cleaning followed by a longish farewell ceremony. About 20 of the 80 teachers at this school are leaving for other schools. There were many tears, long speeches of thanks and commendation and then after that everyone sort of filed out enmasse and started going to thank their favourite teachers who were leaving. Quite a sad affair really. The whole impermanence thing is really hard to take sometimes. Friends and family, teachers, students and co-workers all off on their own personalized life journeys. It's such a hard thing, adjusting to change and separation from things and especially people you've become attached to. Students are in tears, teachers are showing the strain of feeling in their faces, everyone will miss these relationships, but there's just no keeping them the same. We cannot be children forever, however much we might fantasize about and long for things to stay the same. Buddha seems to be right.
It's really just hit me how much I'm going to miss the company I've kept here in the office. There's only one teacher from my office staying on. I live in the same apartment complex as he and his wife and family, so at least there will be some continuity with my work/social life in the midst of this upheaval. I hadn't realized though, how much I rely on two of the teachers socially. I feel like I'm having many of my friends torn from me. The thing is, here, that teachers are so busy outside of school that they usually have little time apart from school. So, it will be difficult to get to see them after they leave. Anyway, that seems to be life. I've got friends all over the place that I never see, some of whom I never hear from either. Not that I'm any better really. Ah well, no sense crying over split milk.
Besides, it's frikin cold and sleeting today, so I shouldn't think long on that sort of self pitying tripe. Life changes, change sucks, happiness is a choice. Meh.