Yoshi

Dear Judith,

As my time on Saipan draws to a close, my mind is constantly filled with thoughts of my class. Here's some more of them.

Everything in the world belongs to Yoshi. I learned that pretty early in my time as his teacher. He is the only boy and the youngest in his family, which has led to him being completely and totally spoiled rotten. In anger, he has hit, pinched, and bit me. He never listens when you ask him not to touch something, he eats the other kids' snacks (keep reading for a story of that), he is loud and obnoxious when asked to be quiet, and I love him more than I could have ever believed to be possible.

At Lee's Birthday Lunch

Yoshi is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen. His big eyes, chubby cheeks, dark hair, and easy laugh have all found their way into my heart. He loves his papa, and it's adorable to see how close they are.

A few weeks ago, Yoshi told me that he had eaten some cereal out of a classmate's cubby. I informed him that that type of behavior was not okay, and then asked why he did it. He answered, completely matter of factly, "Because I was SO hungry!" I really tried not to laugh, but I just couldn't do it.

Yoshi and I play a game nearly everyday at naptime. It started off simply enough. "Oyasumi nasai Yoshi," I said, so proud of the fact that I'd learned more Japanese.
"Oyasumi nasai Miss Jaimie...osaru" (Translation: Good night Miss Jaimie monkey)
"Oyasumi nasai Yoshi...osagi" (Translation: Good night Yoshi rabbit)
And so the game began. We go back and forth, always trying to come up with a new word. Perhaps I'm easily entertained, but I always end up trying to laugh quietly so I don't disturb the rest of the class. It works out well for him though, because it means he can stay awake just a little bit longer.

One of my biggest breakthroughs this year was with Yoshi. I nearly cried when it happened, and I'm sure that teachers are the the only people who could understand why. I was standing, cutting paper for an upcoming project. Yoshi was on the floor, and it was right after snack time. I wasn't really paying attention, so he grabbed my leg. He looked up at me, and said, "Miss Jaimie?"
"Yes, Yoshi," I replied.
"May I play with the blocks?"
To fully understand why this was such a big deal, you would've had to have been me, struggling for the past few months, trying to make my class understand that before you play with a toy, you must ask. Yoshi had asked. He asked.

Sleepy, coming back from a field trip

Yoshi teaches me Japanese, he gives me hugs, he falls asleep in my arms almost everyday. My mind, my body, and my soul will surely feel empty when he's no longer around to fill me with his joy and laughter.

My heart breaks with every second that brings me closer to leaving these precious children.