30 hours after the delicious and intellectual trip in Italy,
I was already in the bus heading to Heathrow airport to take planes to my home country.
I arrived earlier at the airport than expected.
Plus, my plane was delayed about 2 hours due to the thick fog...
As a result, the 2 hours that I was supposed to have at Amsterdam to get a transfer, were gone...
Instead, I had to dash to the gate of my connection flight.
Just under 5 minutes saved my life...
Anyway I arrived in Osaka on time.
However, my suitcase could not run like me in Amsterdam...
So my return to Japan after one year and half started with only my hand luggage with a computer.
When I was filling the form of delayed/lost luggage, with my lesson learned in the UK to "try to negotiate even without hope", I asked the lady in charge of the issue whether it would be possible to get any compensation.
At first, she said "I am afraid..." but she was kind enough to go and ask her boss.
Then, with the situation where I do not currently live in Japan, she gave me 5000 yen!
Very lucky!
What was luckier was that I had a set of facial care products in my hand luggage that I normally do not carry when I travel, so I can manage myself somehow.
My first day in Japan was the only day in Osaka for this stay in Japan (until that night to take a night train to go to the North of Japan).
Therefore, I had planned lunch with a friend who studied at UEA with me,
afternoon tea with my undergrad French professor at my Japanese university, and
Dinner with the university friends.
If I had missed the connection flight in Amsterdam, I could not have made all these plans.
Plus, I could not have met my dad to take the night train together.
So very very lucky me!
I have a great time with them each time.
I met my dad since 1 year and we headed to Yamagata.
I did not sleep almost 2 days so had a deep sleep in the train.
In the North, I met my grandma and told her my (unpredicted) marriage and gave her the invitation for the Japanese marriage ceremony in the South next summer.
There were also my another grandma's first anniversary and her house moving packing.
After a couple of quite busy days there, at the end of November, I went back to my home in the South since 1 year and half.
Before taking a break, I had to finish my research assistant job and a project web management job.
Then, thanks to facebook connection, I met some high-school friends that I had not seen 1-5 years.
It was all fun like when we were at the high-school.
(source: a friend photo from facebook)
Then the biggest task of this visit: preparation for the marriage ceremony next summer.
Normally, a couple takes several months to decide the hotel, dresses (not a dress but plural!), flower decoration at each table, etc...
But thanks to my mum who had pre-booked a hotel and collected much info, I could decide these things pretty much on one day!
Well, it does not mean that I lowvalue these decisions but simply no time!
Then as I had to go to Tokyo for an interview, I took the advantage of it and met other high-school friends that I had not met since about 10 years!
But again, once we met, we went back to our high-school time.
We naturally talked in our local accent about the topics with which we had laughed at that time.
I had a brilliant time with them!
What was more, I could meet up with some friends who studied with me in Norwich as they were by chance in Tokyo.
All found their new job and were about to start their new life.
They gave me some pressure as well as courage for my career (job hunting).
But, I would never do again a round trip from Kokura to Tokyo with only sleeps in the night bus (my stay in Tokyo was only 14 hours with one way bus for 13 hours!)
It was cruel... I would pay more for comfort and my health for my age...
I could do all I wanted to do in Japan and on 15 December, I returned to the UK.
The biggest fruit of this visit was the reunion with old friends.
Each has been taking big decisions in their life such as marriage, having kids, job position promotion or job change, etc...
Their efforts gave me much courage and occasions to think for my life from now with professional career...
Next year, I WILL find a proper job!!!
I was already in the bus heading to Heathrow airport to take planes to my home country.
I arrived earlier at the airport than expected.
Plus, my plane was delayed about 2 hours due to the thick fog...
As a result, the 2 hours that I was supposed to have at Amsterdam to get a transfer, were gone...
Instead, I had to dash to the gate of my connection flight.
Just under 5 minutes saved my life...
Anyway I arrived in Osaka on time.
However, my suitcase could not run like me in Amsterdam...
So my return to Japan after one year and half started with only my hand luggage with a computer.
When I was filling the form of delayed/lost luggage, with my lesson learned in the UK to "try to negotiate even without hope", I asked the lady in charge of the issue whether it would be possible to get any compensation.
At first, she said "I am afraid..." but she was kind enough to go and ask her boss.
Then, with the situation where I do not currently live in Japan, she gave me 5000 yen!
Very lucky!
What was luckier was that I had a set of facial care products in my hand luggage that I normally do not carry when I travel, so I can manage myself somehow.
My first day in Japan was the only day in Osaka for this stay in Japan (until that night to take a night train to go to the North of Japan).
Therefore, I had planned lunch with a friend who studied at UEA with me,
afternoon tea with my undergrad French professor at my Japanese university, and
Dinner with the university friends.
If I had missed the connection flight in Amsterdam, I could not have made all these plans.
Plus, I could not have met my dad to take the night train together.
So very very lucky me!
I have a great time with them each time.
I met my dad since 1 year and we headed to Yamagata.
I did not sleep almost 2 days so had a deep sleep in the train.
In the North, I met my grandma and told her my (unpredicted) marriage and gave her the invitation for the Japanese marriage ceremony in the South next summer.
There were also my another grandma's first anniversary and her house moving packing.
After a couple of quite busy days there, at the end of November, I went back to my home in the South since 1 year and half.
Before taking a break, I had to finish my research assistant job and a project web management job.
Then, thanks to facebook connection, I met some high-school friends that I had not seen 1-5 years.
It was all fun like when we were at the high-school.
Then the biggest task of this visit: preparation for the marriage ceremony next summer.
Normally, a couple takes several months to decide the hotel, dresses (not a dress but plural!), flower decoration at each table, etc...
But thanks to my mum who had pre-booked a hotel and collected much info, I could decide these things pretty much on one day!
Well, it does not mean that I lowvalue these decisions but simply no time!
Then as I had to go to Tokyo for an interview, I took the advantage of it and met other high-school friends that I had not met since about 10 years!
But again, once we met, we went back to our high-school time.
They gave me some pressure as well as courage for my career (job hunting).
But, I would never do again a round trip from Kokura to Tokyo with only sleeps in the night bus (my stay in Tokyo was only 14 hours with one way bus for 13 hours!)
It was cruel... I would pay more for comfort and my health for my age...
I could do all I wanted to do in Japan and on 15 December, I returned to the UK.
The biggest fruit of this visit was the reunion with old friends.
Each has been taking big decisions in their life such as marriage, having kids, job position promotion or job change, etc...
Their efforts gave me much courage and occasions to think for my life from now with professional career...
Next year, I WILL find a proper job!!!
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