When The Cherry Blossoms Fall: My Life As An English Teacher In Japan by Hotzon Kim

Author:Hotzon, Kim [Hotzon, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781623452551
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Lake Bhiwa

The first week of July came swiftly and I prepared to leave for California. Bill was naturally sad to see me go and leaving him behind after all we had been through together was very difficult. Although I had recovered physically, I was still emotionally fragile and I longed to leave Japan for awhile. I was extremely excited at the idea of seeing my family again after almost a year. I couldn’t believe so much time had passed since we had seen each other. As I hugged and kissed Bill goodbye at the airport and boarded the plane, I thought how the last time I had seen my family was at the airport in Vancouver. It was now 1990, a new decade had begun and I had changed so much! I knew they would be shocked by my appearance. I was painfully thin, not the girl I used to be. Other changes had occurred as well. I was dressing considerably more stylish, my clothing chosen with care based on the latest Japanese fashions which were right on the heels of the runways of Paris and New York. I was looking good but I was too skinny. I hoped maybe I could gain some weight back in California.

On the 11 hour flight, I drank enormous amounts of orange juice, remembering how my feet had become swollen the last time I flew. As I glanced around the half empty plane I noticed that I was the only woman on board. I was now used to being a novelty, and so this fact did not bother me in and of itself, but I wondered how I would pass the time on this long flight. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to engage any of the passengers in conversation or if they would attempt to speak English. It also occurred to me that if the plane crashed, I might not have anyone to talk to in my last moments! The plane, like last time, held mostly Japanese businessmen headed to America for business. Deciding to give it a shot, I turned to the man seated beside me.

“Hi, how are you? Heading to the States for a business trip?” I asked. He turned to look at me and explained that he was from Osaka, but working in Tokyo. He was on a business trip for a toy company that he worked for. His assignment was to search out new and interesting toys on the market in the U.S. and bring the ideas back to Japan. I was intrigued by his job and because he was fluent in English we were able to carry on our conversation for nearly five hours.

After dinner was served, a passenger behind me removed his socks and somehow stuck his smelly foot through the opening between the seats and he rested his foot on the arm of the chair about an inch from my arm. When the sweaty smell hit my nose, I looked down and pressed my elbow firmly against his foot.

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