The Katori Group

The evening was melancholy. We were enjoying the banquet, but knew it was our last evening together. We may never see each other again. We have just shared a life changing experience and developed a bond that is unexplainable. Now we had to part to return to each of our home states.

I do not remember much of the speeches and presentations. I was dealing with such mixed emotions. I still felt like I was in the middle of a dream and now it was going to be over. I was going to wake up tomorrow and it would be all over. I pondered would I be able to visit Japan again? When will I see my dear friends? I knew when we went back to our lives in the states we would become so busy we will lose contact with each other. I was sad and not dealing with my emotions very well. I was not alone. I saw many hugs and tears that evening. This added to my feelings of emptiness.

After the banquet, we gathered in a room to share one last evening of laughs. Our lives will never be the same. A group of people from 16 different states, teaching elementary through high school, starting at age 27, forming an unexplainable bond that no one outside of the group will ever understand.

The Katori Group!