Homeward bound.

Been almost twenty hours since I left home. Two plane journeys and many time zones later, I am in Japan. Late evening , tired, just want to get to the overnight hotel , maybe have some food and then rest.

Half way around the world, next stop Taiwan for around 10 days. The world feels so small when you hop in the plane and end up somewhere else. Another culture. Another country. How fortunate I am to be able to get into a plane and just fly.

It was an agitated flight... Couldn't sleep very well, and didn't do as much work as I would have liked to, despite being in the relative comfort of business class.

Coming to narita brings back memories as well... How many times have I transited through here and felt so heavy, felt so exhausted in the face of troubles surrounding mum's ailing health. Now four years after she passed, the only thought I had in the plane was : they are together now. They are together now.

25-03-2016
NRT-TPE

A long night of rest, lay in bed even after waking up at 430am and drifted in and out of sleep as the dawn arrived. The train tracks outside of my window became gradually more busy, and air traffic resumed again after the night curfew ended. As much as I enjoy watching planes take off and land at an airport, I would not waver to be living next to one. The noise, every five minutes or so, is deafening.

On the plane to Taiwan... As I lay in bed, I wondered how best to make use of my limited ten days or so in Taiwan. Where do I go first? Arriving late in the evening at the monastery makes me feel embarrassed... But I have so much stuff to haul around I really can't go anywwhre without difficulty. Will I be welcome there?  Of course I will be, but it's just I've (deliberately) not been in touch to accentuate the  impact of the surprise when I show up at the monastery. And what after that? Do I stay for most days and reserve the last few days for chiayi? When do I got see mum and dad?

I guess I'll just plan as the days go by and just decide at the moment I'm leaving...

1608-250316
On the way go the THSR

Rainy, wet, typical day in early spring in northern Taiwan. I was nervous when I was clearing immigration, as always. Always the fear of being told I must go fulfil my duty as a male citizen and serve military service... But the lady was alright, didn't say much. Withing thirty minutes of landing and collecting luggage, I'm out and on my way to the high speed railway station.

How long has it been? Nine or ten months at most? How come it feels so foreign here... How come I feel like a foreigner?
What do I do here? Do I even belong?