March 30, 2016

"There! That's the last one!" Appa grunts. He pushes my luggage onto the conveyor belt. Umma and I watch as it rolls down to join the rest of the suitcases and boxes. The air stewardess who sits by the immigration counter smiles as she hands me back my passport. 

Umma keeps holding onto my arm as we walk to the departure gate together. I can sense that she is trying not to cry. 

"I'll only be away for a year, Umma." I remind her. 

"I know..." she nods stiffly. Her hand around my arm tightens. 

"Yeobo, don't worry, okay? He'll be fine." Appa smiles, rubbing my shoulder. 

"It's just that," she sighs, "we have been moving to different places ever since I gave birth to him back in Seoul. First, Busan. .Then, Osaka. Then, Vancouver...and here...LA...and now he's going back to Osaka...one of the places he spent the most of his childhood..."

"That's one long history of traveling." Appa nods. 

"Well, I can't blame you too much. I have to follow you around because of your jobs." I shrug. 

"We can't help it!" Umma throws her arms above her head, "We want to keep our inspiration for travel journalism alive, but we also have been struggling to support us financially." 

"And I admire both of your commitment to not only do what you love but also work hard to make ends meet. Seriously, I'm proud of you and Appa!" 

"Oh, Ryeowook!" Umma gives a small grin. 

"Which is why I'm doing the same for myself. I want to chase after my dreams."

"So...this is one of your dreams? You've been telling us about this transfer program since you enrolled at California State University last year." Appa raises his eyebrow. 

"Well...yeah...I guess you can put it that way." 

"What do you mean? Don't you like it here?" 

"I do...but...somewhere deep in my heart tells me that I have to get out of here...somehow. I mean, I want to..." I can't think of anything to complete my sentence. My parents look at me, blankly. 

"What I'm saying is," I try again, "I feel like there's something I need to do there. Something important." 

"Can you be more specific?" Appa pushes. 

I am about to reply when the speaker blasts through the airport, "Attention to passengers for flight JAL357 to Osaka, Japan. The boarding gate will open in 30 minutes." 

"I...I'll tell you everything through Skype." I give in. 

"Very well, then." Appa nods. 

Once we stop a few feet away from the departure gate, Umma immediately squeezes me with her skinny arms. I can hear her sobbing on the sleeve of my favourite cashmere sweater. 

"Umma! Don't cry! Please!" I groan, but I rub her back to soothe her. Before I know it, Appa wraps his arms around us as well. Sigh..oh well, I won't be able to hug them for 12 months anyway.

March 31, 2016

It has been eight years since I left Japan. I can't remember what does Osaka look like. However, my aging brain still manages to store snippets of my childhood memories, including two best friends whom I fail to keep in touch after I moved away. You see, it's a blessing that my university has this transfer program. Otherwise, I won't be able to find the opportunity to go back. Because, to be honest, I can't decide what I'm going to do after I graduate. I know I still have three years left, but I hate being an indecisive person. I wish to have a definite path. The main reason why I come here is to find myself...wait for a scratch that...to find out MORE about myself. As I've said before, deep within myself, there's something missing. I want to find that missing piece that has been abandoning my heart for so long. And I believe one whole year is enough time for me to rediscover. 

Leeteuk, my homestay guardian, helps me with my luggage as we step into his two-story house. I am immediately welcomed by two kids scrambling down the stairs with big toothy smiles. 

"Appa! Is that him?" one of them asks.

"That's right, Eunhyuk! His name is Ryeowook, and he'll be living with us for a year." Leeteuk winks. 

"Awesome! We've finally got an Ahjussi brother, Donghae!" he high-fives the other. 

I stare in disbelief. Do I look like an ahjussi? Heck! I'm turning 20 in two months! 

My heart instantly melts when Leeteuk's kids volunteer to carry my luggage. I giggle as they pull the bags with all their might till they go huff and puff like the big bad wolf. 

"Kids, why don't you give Ryeowook a tour around the house?" Leeteuk suggests. 

"Good idea, Appa!" Eunhyuk's face light up. Donghae nods shyly. He seems to agree, as well. 

I can't help but marvel at how simple but cozy the house is. The walls are painted sky blue, and the grey plumpy couches in the living room give a calm atmosphere. A silver LG refrigerator, which turns into a mini hall of fame consists of photos magnetized by cloud-sculpted clay, separates the dining room and kitchen. And unlike Leeteuk's squeaky clean, white bedroom with a spotless queen-size bed in the center, the kids' bedroom looks like it is destroyed by a tornado (not to mention the scribbly drawings of fishes scatter on the wooden floor). 

"And this is your room, Ryeowook!" Leeteuk, who has brought all of my things in, calls me from downstairs. The two boys grab hold onto my hands, pulling me away from the top floor. I am led to a room at the far end. A bed clothed in a dark blue comforter, and a fat cotton pillow is inviting enough for me to crash my whole body onto. A cream study table is near a rectangular window on the right; a closet overcomes the entire wall on the left. It isn't a lot of furniture, but it is good enough for me to call home. 

"This is perfect. Thank you!" I beam.

April 3, 2016

Sunlight filters through the curtains that slices into thin streaks. They bounce onto an untouched box stored near the desk. I cut through the thick tape with a pair of scissors. It's only been three days since I've left America, but I still can't remember what I've packed in this box. Once I open it, a collection of nostalgia hit me like a tidal wave. I examine every object from my time capsule; each sends a surge of bittersweet feels all over me. 

Oh gosh! This is my very first seashell! I remember Kyuhyun and Yesung helped me find it by the shore. And this is..oh my goodness...I can't believe I still have this set of origami paper! We all used to make our favorite animals out of these! Haha! I even remember making Yesung's turtle and Kyuhyun's penguin to fly. They even make my giraffe a part of our handmade windchime. Gasp! The windchime! It's here too!

I lift the three long silver rods tied together around the yellow origami giraffe. They clash against it, but they act as a barrier whenever the wind blows.

Oh! This is...the jar of cherry blossom petals Kyuhyun and I collected back at....wait...wait a minute..what was the name of the park again?

I scratched my head, searching for the answer. An old photo immediately catches my eye. I and my two best friends back then flashed our best smiles behind a crystal blue river surrounded by cherry blossom trees. Gosh! This looks super familiar! 

"Hey, Ryeowook!" Leeteuk pokes his head through the door, "Do you wanna play Twister with the kids?" 

"Actually," I get up and ask, "I was wondering if you know this place."

He his head to one side as I show him the picture. 

"Ahhhhhh! I know! This is the Kema Sakuranomiya Park!" he answers.

"That's it! That's the name! Can you tell me how to get there?"

"Oh! It's easy! You can just walk to Higashi-Umeda station, which was a 3-minute walk from here. Then, you can take the Tanimachi Line and stop at Tenijinbashisuji Station. From there, you can easily find the park." 

I quickly jot down the directions on my phone. Well...I hope I don't get lost. 

"Thanks for the info, Leeteuk! I'm heading there right now!" I say while I stuff my phone into my pocket. 

"Your welcome. By the way," he studied the photo, "Is this you?" 

"Yeap." I chuckle, "I was there with my two good friends. That was years ago."

"Wow! How cute! I didn't know you have lived here before."

"Yeah, I've spent most of my childhood here before I moved away." 

"Ah...I see. Anyway, you sure you don't wanna join us?" 

"I just thought maybe I could use a walk...just to you know..stretch my legs."

"Very well." he agrees, "See you tonight! いってらっしゃい (Itterashai-Come back soon!)" 

"Okay! いってきます！(Ittekimasu-I'll be back soon)" 

                                                                                       *                                                            *                                                       *

There it is! The landmark that holds a bunch of memories! I am welcomed by a gust of spring's breath. The wind is fused with the sweet aroma of Sakura. I close my eyes, allowing the natural potpourri to float against my face. To my surprise, it is blocked by a different kind of smell. This time, it is savory. The next thing I know, I find myself standing a few feet away from a Takoyaki stall. The sign is a bright red plastic with white bold hiragana characters. A boy with rosy cheeks, who I assume to be a high school senior, stands in front of a smoky oven. His forehead is beaded with sweat, yet he has fun flipping the golden octopus balls with a toothpick. 

" こんにちは (Konnichiwa-good afternoon)!" he smiles. 

"Konnichiwa!" I bow, suddenly realize that I've forgotten most of my Japanese grammar, "Uhm...one set? Please?" 

He let out a chuckle. "You want a set? There's six Takoyaki in each set."

"Oh! Yeah...sure!" I nod, "You understand English?" 

"Of course!" he chuckles again, "We have countless tourists here every year, you know." 

"Ah! That explains it!" I reply. 

"Here you go, sir!" he hands me a small boat-shaped tray of my order. 

"ありがとうございます (Arigatou gozaimasu-Thank You)!" I take it gratefully, "By the way, are you working for Mr. Lau?" 

"Mr. Lau? He's my Otoosan, sir!" 

"He's your father?" I exclaim, "Wow! Time flies! I used to buy Takoyaki from him! And I remember that he sold at this exact spot!"

"Yeap," he agrees, "Things never change here. Too bad he's not feeling well lately, so I have to take over." 

My jaw drops, "W...what happened?" 

He heaves a sigh before looking back at me with worried eyes, "He has cancer." 

"I...I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. He's currently receiving chemotherapy, so I'm sure he'll be fine as long as time leads." 

I nod and look down to see the Japanese delicacy warming my palms. 

"By the way, I'm Ryeowook." I hold out one hand.

"Oh! You're the Ryeowook! My dad has told me so much about you!" he put out his, "I'm Henry!" 

"He did?" I smile even more, "Well, I'm flattered! よろしくおねがいいします (Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu)!"

"Nice to meet you too, Ryeowook!" Henry gives a small laugh.

I wave goodbye before strolling down the trail. The first bite of Takoyaki travels happily down to my stomach. The wind continues to tingle against my skin. It grows a little rougher. 

Ryeowook (リョウク)