Back in the saddle...

I finally made it back to the States, and I'm not sure how to feel.

The goodbyes were really hard. Friday I finished up my last Kendo practice, and my dojo had a goodbye party for me. They gave me a Do. I first did Iaido, and then there was a "leaving" ceremony. It was cool! I also got 2 tenugui (the towels you wear on your head) and two really neat boards that everyone signed.

Saturday I woke up at 6.30 am, and started cleaning out. I worked all day. My friends Kimura San, Fujiwara San, and Takiguchi San helped me tremendously. Then that night I worked at my dojo's fundraiser selling shaved ice and fried potatoes. Finally got to bed at midnight.

Sunday, after sleeping for about 2 hours (my knee hurt a lot), I got up and went to Usa for an Iaido tournament. That was ubercool. We did it at Usa Shrine. First we had a ceremony where the priest blessed our weapons (katanas, naginatas, etc.) and then us. Then they broke open a taru, or big sake barrel. I got to have some later, it had a lovely wooden taste.

Monday was the final stuff. My dojo teammates came to the airport, and so did my Eikaiwa and English teachers. Saying goodbye was excruciating.