Friday, May 2

International Arrival

I met my Mom at the airport this afternoon....it is so good to see her!

The trip out to the airport was interesting because last time I made the trip (when I arrived in Japan), it was dark and 3am and I was just trying to keep my eyes open and keep up with my boss. Kansai Airport is on a (sinking) man-made island - from the train, going across the bridge to the airport, all you can see to the left and right is ocean...rippling, endless shiny ocean. It was beautiful.

While I was waiting for her flight to arrive, my mind took a bit of a trip through a wide range of emotions and thoughts. I remembered how much I like travelling, airports, planes, and hotels. I realized (again) - I am living in Japan. I am across the world from Canada, living in Japan. Wow. Some days, I have to remind myself of that - and how incredible it is! At the same time, I felt homesick. I was excited to see my Mom, and excited to show her around Japan. I was excited to be going home in a couple months, and thought about how it would feel to leave Japan and get on that plane to go home. I think I will miss Japan, when I go. But it will be good to be home again.

When she finally came out the arrival door, I ran to meet her and got a big hug. I told myself I wouldn't cry, but - I did. Just for a second.

We made the long trip back to my dorm, heavy bags and all. It reminded me of my trip back to the dormitory - how strange it all was, how exhausted I was. And look how far I've come; how long I've been here; and how much I've changed.

Now we're back at the dormitory (3am Canada time, 7pm Japan time), and after a nap, we're going out for dinner!

4 comments:

canadasue said...

Hooray, hooray, hooray...
Your Mom has come to PLAY!!!

Stephanie said...

Hehe - Suzanne, you're so cute!

Thanks for encouraging her to come...I'm so glad she did! :)

canadasue said...

;o)

Your itinerary with your mom was delightful I can hardly wait to see the picts and hear about the ways you wow-ed your Momma with your "skills" cross-cultural skills! You'll never be the same... you've deepened and widened the ways you can love and be loved! Blessings to you and joy!

canadasue said...

Her pictures are FABULOUS!!! Wow did you ever enjoy the best of the best!