A ceremony for me?

Today there was a farewell ceremony at my small Jr. high (only 55 students!) for all of the teachers leaving the school... which is a group of people consisting entirely of me. 

I wasn't given any warning about the ceremony but at least I had a well-rehearsed farewell speech in English and Japanese ready to go. Unfortunately I choked pretty hard during the Japanese part because I was distracted by the kids laughing at my accent (Note to self: don't laugh at anybody's accent). 

So even though I was only here of 6 months and was just one of many ALT's that these teachers and students have encountered, it made me feel really good when they took the time to gather in the gym, write me a thank you note in English, give me flowers, and include me in a small part of Japanese culture. 

Sorry for the picture of a picture. Being illiterate, I'm not in the mood to go to 7 eleven and try to figure out their scanner. Click on the picture for a larger view.