I was back in California for 10 Days from 1/23/2012 through 2/4/2010. The following is a journal on the second day of my trip.
The next day after I arrived in Bay Area, I had a short walk around a friend’s house in Sunnyvale. It was a fine clear morning. As chilly morning air made my mind clearer, I felt good. Looking up, there was a blue California Sky. The brisk wind said to me, "well come back." The sun, though it was too bright to face, hugged me. Yeah! I am in Bay Area again!
Houses with a larger garden. Higher trees trimmed not so neatly as in Japan. Streets with wide pedestrian roads. All looked totally different from the Japanese town I left a day ago. It’s not dense at all. Even the sky looked wider. I realized this opened scenery was I had been craving for.
It looked familiar. It stays all the same. In fact only one year and four months had passed. But it seemed to be much longer. Walking along the street was extraordinary but felt normal. I enjoyed conflictions. Different but familiar. Special and usual. Out of the rut but on the routine, as if I was in a parallel universe. I heard the clear voice in my mind. I still belong here.
As I walk to Sunnyvale Downtown, I started smiling. I felt my spine was straightened up. The shoulder stiffness had gone. As my chest opened more, the breathing got deeper and easier. I was inhaling freedom.
A man was jogging toward me. I smiled and said hello to him. So he did to me. I felt awkward but confident. In Japan, I tried hard to get rid of this greeting habit. It was like another me surged to take over the role to respond properly. This me had disappeared for a while as if it was diving into the deep see and hidden in a dark cave. Now then the California sunlight reached the den and lured it up on the surface again. Welcome back, Marie! I’m happy you are still alive!
