Like sakura in the spring...
The single element that I missed the most after leaving Japan was that of the people. I had been an English teacher to the locals for 15 months, and it was inevitable that friendships would grow. Upon returning to western Canada, I would frequently look through the photos and the memorabilia that I had collected during the previous year and lament my loss. It only strengthened my determination to return to Japan again.
Thankfully, a small part of Japan came to visit us...a small part that would have a giant impact on our lives.
I'll call her "Katty." She was a native of western Honshu, and was a student in Hyogo at the school where my wife "May" worked. By day Katty was an aspiring school teacher, and her hobby was travelling, so she brushed up on her English in her spare time. It was at that school, a stone's throw from the rabid baseball stadium between Kobe and Osaka, where she and May met.
We were fortunate to have had Katty come to visit Vancouver twice in a five month span. I met her for the first time in March when I picked her up at the station and brought her back to our place. As two teachers, we became friends in no time, and in the process also carved out an informal language exchange: me practicing my Japanese, she practicing her English. I could also see the friendly chemistry between she and May, as their laughter was contagious.
For six nights, Katty was our houseguest, and with her ready smile and playful disposition, became a joyful fixture in our home. She and May made cookies together and went shopping, and she even got dressed up in May's ice hockey gear! Katty also had incredible physical energy. It was almost like she didn't sleep sometimes.
And then it ended. She returned to her native land to go back to work, and our home became quiet. Her presence, or lack of it, was easily felt.
It was easy to assume that we wouldn't see her again for a long time. It turned out to be shorter than we all expected, as she wrote to us in July and told us her plans to come visit again. We eagerly rolled out the welcome mat for her. This time she would stay nine days with us.
Like her first visit, the time went by all too quickly. The movies, the dinners, a weekend camping trip, mini-golf, and lots of talking all abruptly ended on August 15th, as she returned to Japan to start a new school year. Before she left, she helped my wife celebrate my birthday, and gave me a beautiful hand-made gift that must have taken incredible effort. It was a true labour of friendship.
She had become a dear friend to us in such a short time, almost like a younger sister, whose energy and high spirits were seemingly unquenchable.
Katty's visits were like a Japanese cherry blossom that blooms in the spring: eagerly anticipated, warmly celebrated, but lasting only a short time, and sadly missed. We don't know when we will see her next, but like those who watch for the annual appearance of the tiny pink sakura, we will be waiting, and we will rejoice again.
We miss you so much, dear Katty. Hayaku kaerimite kudasai. Itsu demo kite kudasai.
