Greetings From an Alumna in Japan

(We received this post and photo from alumna Alice Yoe after the school invited her to join the upcoming alumni panel.)

Photograph by alumna Alice Yoe taken in her neighborhood.

Were it possible, I would love to drop in and be on the panel, but that might be a little bit tricky, considering that I’m a little… in Japan. I’m living in Fuji, Shizuoka–3 guesses what the view from my front door is–and teaching at an English conversation school while I study for my Japanese Language Proficiency Test! I’ve been here for about 7 months now (why else would I ever miss Flag Day?), and while I’m considering finding a new job and moving to Kobe or Osaka for largely-girlfriend-related reasons at the end of my current contract in Spring, I plan to stick around for a little while yet.

It’s great to hear from you. I remember when I was at Fairhaven, my parents were happy that I’d found somewhere so healthy for me, but my father in particular was worried about my future, had trouble understanding why it was so much better for me than a conventional school, and so on… An alumni panel sounds like a great way to help families with those concerns! I’d be more than happy to get up a little early on Saturday if we wanted to set something up with Skype and a projector or something, but an in-the-flesh appearance is sadly out of the question at the moment.

I think back on Fairhaven with the greatest of fondness; the freedom, the empowerment, and the loving community I found there still amaze me to this day. Without them–without everyone–I don’t know how I would ever have grown into myself the way I did in those years. Please send my love to everybody.!

Be well,
Alice Yoe

(Class of 2007)

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