Bitter yet sweet end

On Friday I completed my last day of classes...EVER! (Unless I go to graduate school, but that is beyond the point) It just so happened that my last class of the day was with my favorite accounting professor, Glade Tew. Just before class started, I told him that he should feel privileged to be my teacher for the last class of my last day of classes. He laughed and said that he did feel privileged. Then we started talking about how many classes I have had with him. The number is 4, in case you were wondering. I wish you could see what I was thinking when we tried to count the classes. I began remembering all of the times that I sat in Brother Tew’s classroom. Memories poured into my head and almost caused a flash flood! Let me attempt to draw you a picture of my thoughts. I thoroughly enjoy my days in Accounting 201, sitting next to Lanae Akiona and laughing at Bro. Tew’s subtle humor and the way he put his hands on his head, shook his shoulders when he laughed and rubbed his head when students asked a ‘difficult’ question. Then came Accounting 301 where Dustin, Lindsay and I all laughed so hard the day Bro. Tew ducked down behind the podium to teach class because a student pointed out that he was wrong. And finally this last semester, I have Accounting 312 and 440 with him and it was such a joy to see him everyday. All of these memories came rushing into my head as I sat in the final class I would have with this great teacher. Class ended and I walked to the front of the room to shake his hand and tell him that it has been a pleasure. He told me the same and then said something like go out and do some good!
I left the classroom and walked down the Mckay hallway one last time. As I passed friends and strangers, I had this sad realization that this would be the last time that I walked down this familiar hall after class. I felt sad that for the friends I am leaving behind and the people that I never knew. The tears just started flowing and I wasn’t even expecting them. Since Friday I have been on the brink of tears. I just force myself to stop thinking about it. I will always remember the time that I have spent here in Hawaii. I know that I will most likely never see these people ever again, and I hope that I can be a good friend and stay in contact. I have loved walking down the hall here and seeing someone from Japan or Tonga or New Zealand. I will miss the having an international feeling all around. I don’t think that there is any other school that has such a feeling of love and peace. I hope that I will be able to carry that feeling to the next stage of my life.