Bye bye, Japan

Hey!!!!!

I know - this is an awfully long break from the world of computers and the internet. But let me plead guilty with the excuse of being rather a busy woman in the last few months. Starting from our departure from Japan on Oct 17th, 2009 to a loaded schedule upto February, 2010 (as far as I can see!), it has been an incredible rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. Needless to say, I MISS JAPAN! I miss our cozy little home with all of my childish, cute touches. I miss being the chief chef of my small yet marvellous kitchen. And I MISS ALL MY FRIENDS. I could shout it out from a rooftop if you want.

We had loving, last minute meetings with everyone we knew in Japan - and as Thilak and I kept telling each other, we never even dreamed of the little ways we had all bonded so well with each other. Sneha, Praveen bhaiya, Swarupa, DP, the Doi family, Bhavani, Kari anna, Ramya, Vinothram anna, Praveena, Kumar, Sanae san, Mayumi san, Keita kun, Lee san and Jun san - and all our Indian and Nepali friends at the restaurants who made sure that we had the choiciest of Indian food whenever our hearts and stomachs got terribly home sick (nothing soothes a ruffled soul like home-made food - believe me!). My memory seems so sharp and clear now that I remember even the chaps from Tipness (I know Sneha and Praveen bhaiya will laugh at this!).

There have been times when I dream of returning to our lovely apartment in Ota. When I close my eyes and think of going home, in the depths of my heart, I'm already in 401, OBS Mansion - going about my simple housework, cooking up exotic sounding fare and waiting for Thilak to get back home from work.

Hats off to all the people who have made 2009 one of the most special years in my life! To Sneha and Praveen bhaiya - I learnt the value of friendship from you guys - you taught me more about myself than anyone ever has. To Ruriko and Michael - it must have been really tough to have an analytical techie teaching English to tiny Japanese tots - thank you for your confidence in me and making my life in Japan an experience to remember. I became super confident - and of course super independent after meeting you! To Swarupa and DP - we may have never really spent time together at all - but we hit it off from the time we planned Sneha's surprise birthday party till the last day when we had fun at the Ota stream. I am so happy we met - I hope we continue to be in touch forever! To Lida, Leo, Sirima, Ryoko san - our friendships stem from Ruriko's and Michael's school - you have no idea how much I looked forward each day to meet you all and spend time with you. I hope you remember me as often as I do you :-). To Seema and Mayank - to whom I will always owe my deep gratitude for my job. Congrats guys (you know why!)! To all the kodomatachi at the school - I might forget your names as time goes by - but I will not forget the smiles on your faces or the fun we've had - esp.lly towards the end! To Sanae san - you might never get to read this - but I still want you to know how much I appreciate all the time you spent in getting to know me more as a friend - my heart broke on the last day when you cried at our parting....... To the Doi family - our family away from home - how I wish I can see you again. How could we be home sick with you around? To Keita kun, Kudoh san, Mihoh san and cute Kouta kun - we miss all the philosophical one liners 4 year old Keita comes up with! We loved our Mt. Haruna trip with you. I miss our Saturday afternoon sessions playing with iron beads and eating water melon! Bhavani, Ramya, Praveena and Sharmee - my telephone buddies! Though I haven't met Bhavani after we moved from Toyota Shi, we shared a lot of special one hour weekly conversations - each week seemed incomplete without talking to her. Ramya and Pravi - the gutsy girls from Yokohama - oh, if I had spent more than a month at Yokohama, how much more I would have learnt and enjoyed being with them! And Sharmee (I am still waiting for your call ;-)) - our talkathons lasted hours at a stretch. To Satish anna - it is hard to sum up in one line the fun and joy we always had in having you around! Vadivelu jokes and Tamil comedies were always the order of the day - and we never tired of laughing when he was around. Our trip with Sharmee and you to see snow and then Nikko in May will always be unforgettable! To Mayumi san - who travelled all the way from Osaka to spend a day with us - I hope to see you soon in India - you promised, remember? To Manikandan anna, Sudha, Dayajeevan, Gayatri, Karthi anna and all of your extended, loving family-friends circle - we stopped missing home with you around. We might have been in Japan - but when we were with you all, it was always home, sweet home! And of course, to the hero of the story - my husband. A big thank you for all the love, kind consideration to my wishes and needs and everything you did for me - it wouldn't have been so fantastic if it were not for you! Besides, I am sure only you (apart from Sneha) will understand about all the people in this rather long paragraph - because we have shared all the joys and pain together rather beautifully this last one year. And I hope it continues for a long time to come.