leaving; going home; quitting one's job; free time; leisure
troublesome; difficult (e.g. customer, guest, child); laborious (e.g. task, dinner)
(for the) first time in one's life
January; first month of the lunar calendar
euphoric mood; exuberant mood
to work hard at; to devote oneself to; to be diligent in
few decades; many decades; several decades
(piece of) writing; document; (act of) writing
superintendent; director; curator; chief librarian
school; school building; schoolhouse
(the) mainstream; main course (of a river); main stream
and so; therefore; for that reason
one's youth; early life; one's early days; one's early years
dispute; argument; contention
to yearn for (someone, something); to miss
to be born and raised (in); to be born and brought up; to be born and bred
(divine) providence; dispensation
facing; opposite; across the street; other side
uniform; equal; even; common; ordinary; usual
friction; discord; strife
latter half of one's life
turning point; tipping point; commutation point
not just once; more than once; many times; again and again
waiting expectantly; waiting eagerly; looking forward to; long-awaited
to go astray; to become corrupt; to go bad
calamity; disaster; accident
nostalgia for the good old days; taste for the past; retro tastes
so to speak; so to call it; as it were
alumni association; graduates' association; alumni meeting; class reunion
startup; booting up; activation; starting (e.g. engine, computer); launch
to pour drinks for each other; to drink together
to badger; to pester; to beg
carrying (on one's person or in the hand); mobile phone; cell phone