Saya and I went on a trip to Japan on Oct 11 through Oct 25 and we had the best time. We did a lot of things and I will write it in several parts to avoid writing a novel on a single post.
The Journey to Japan:
It began about a month before the departure. I wanted to be well prepared for this trip because it was my first trip in six years to visit my home country. Having four children and two with special needs, it was something impossible -- it felt like it even this time -- to be excused from my role as a primary caretaker of my children even for a short while. It was not easy to take the plunge and it indeed took some efforts to secure manageable schedules for everyone that remained in the U.S. I put Noah in an all day therapy preschool instead of sending him to the public school etc... and without the help from my wonderful mother-in-law and amazing husband, it wasn't possible. When everything was finally arranged, I felt a lot lighter and my emotion was elevated everyday.
Then there was another concern, a small one but it preoccupied me. The last time I flew with Sean to Japan when he was 9 months old, he screamed the entire flight. Saya is three and as much as I logically explained myself that would not happen, I was traumatized by the experience! I ran to several stores to stock up on entertainment items for her on the plane and I even bought a multi-regional portable DVD player, external battery in case the main battery runs out, iPhone external battery in case she preferred playing games, and a gigantic Patagonia backpack to accommodate everything. I looked like I am on an expedition to Everest when all packed up!
To my surprise though, she did great on the plane. She didn't sleep even for a second, but she didn't scream or cry (cried just once when she bit her finger by accident while eating a snack). I kept her busy and that was exhausting, pulling out different toys and snacks on rotation for 11 hours, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Towards the end of the fourth movie when I finally saw Japan floating on the ocean far below, I got teary. It was so beautiful - I was finally home! Saya obviously was not as excited as I was to see Japan but as she started seeing more land, she talked about Osaka and how Grandma's home is there. I was smiling so big when we touched down. Now I get to enjoy spending time with Alyson, my family and friends, and of course the food!
We walked out the exit out of custom area and before I stepped out, I saw my Dad walking by. I waited for the sliding door to open again and there they were! My Dad and Alyson! She was beaming, much taller than last time I saw her and beautiful. Saya ran to her exclaiming "Aly!!" and they held hand together and didn't let go. We were all smiling and it was a happy moment for all of us. She acted a little shy towards me and I know a lot of emotion was running inside her. I gave her a big hug and she was a little stiff. Soon enough, Saya and Aly were running holding hands towards the parking building. I could tell they felt good to be together again. It was a very special moment for all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment