A WEEK TO REMEMBER

On 25th April 2022, I boarded the first-ever international flight of my life. A flight that brought me to Japan, the land of the rising sun. Honestly, I did not expect to make it here anytime soon seeing how the situation has been for the last couple of years. I could not come to terms with the fact that I am thousands of miles away from my home. It was a totally different feeling.

The reason this is special for me is that I came here on my own. It is definitely not unprecedented in human history but in my life it is. As someone who hardly leaves her house traveling this distance was a necessity. It has always been my dream to travel alone once in my twenties and live life in moments without leaving sight of the future. I have arrived in this very new city intending to give and cultivate love, warmth, and belongingness. 

I have brought with me many gifts for the people in my university. My father went all across Lucknow to select them. In Japan, there is a tradition to bring gifts to people and these souvenirs are called ‘omiyage’.  

I met a few very nice, helpful, and friendly people on my way from Tokyo to Fukuoka. The sheer politeness and hospitality shown by them touched my heart. One woman helped me with my luggage and waited for me to board a bus during my terminal change before leaving. The airport staff was curious about my story and shared his interest in Hindi with me. Such small talks sometimes bring people closer. The taxi driver (a very sweet uncle) brought my luggage to the hotel front desk with a wide smile. The shopkeepers in the nearby store, where I am allowed to go during my quarantine, greet me with ‘Konnichiwa’ and ‘Arigatou gosaimsu’ every day. I find happiness in such gestures, a sense of belongingness, and a belief that this world is truly my home.  

Currently, I am quarantined in a hotel near my university. The hotel is nice but I very soon found out that the concept of vegetarianism is missing here. Well, even though it was never a surprise but the gravity of alienation from the concept of a no-meat diet definitely baffled me. Well, I am happily thriving and not just surviving on many food items packed meticulously by my father and supervised by my mother. It’s mostly oats, soup, and biscuits while I derive my daily dose of carbs from fruits I buy from the shop. I am content. 

I have successfully sailed through this quarantine by listening to music, addressing my baffled and lost consciousness for being in a different land, and answering text messages that read: "Photos bhejo (send photos), how is Japan, how are you, I hope you are doing good, I hope you are settled", etc. After all these texts I for once felt like Rani from the movie Queen who goes on her post-wedding trip alone to Paris. I am eternally grateful for the love and warmth that I receive from my friends and family. From my juniors seeing me off at the airport with homemade snacks and heart-warming teabags to friends who give me handwritten letters and call me just to check if I am doing fine. A mother who remembers my WhatsApp last seen and ensures to send a good morning and good night every day to a

father who went all across the city to buy me every little thing I would be needing when miles away.  

I look forward to making friends, visiting peaceful shrines, seeing Buddha’s influence from close, and growing into a person with a concrete purpose. With the end of this program, my college journey will finally come to an end. I entered the college with many boundaries because I was afraid of getting hurt but I will surely be leaving with more friends than I planned to make. Friends who write letters that make me cry on a crowded street, friends from different countries whom I tell about my homeland, friends who show me the truth, who scold me when I need it the most, who allow me to have my me-time, that is, solitude. 

There is a long way to go but this journey has been a good one. There have been moments of self-doubt, pain, and darkness but there was light too. Life never promised us anything and it surely will keep testing our strength. I definitely believe in something that is beyond mere survival. To me, empathy, caring for others, and love is not a sign of weakness rather they are signs of absolute strength. They are the signs of hope that tie us to a bright future for all of us. The world is definitely not an easy place to be in however hope, empathy and belongingness surely make it worthwhile.  

I know my essay segued from a personal account to hollow moral ramblings with no practical use but what ties the two together is the fact that we all (people across the world) bleed red, live under the same blue sky, laugh at funny things, weave stories, make art and smile at the acts of kindness.  

Hence it was my 'Week to Remember'! :)