Tag Archives: Fukuoka

Home Sweet Home

16 Dec

We went to the airport last night to fetch M1. She was due to touchdown at 7.55pm. Ten days had gone by really fast. During that time, we only heard from her a handful of times as the host family that she was staying with does not have wifi, nor the places that she visited. Basically, contact was occasional but we were not worried.

Her last SMS to me that Sunday morning stated that she will see us in 9 hours. Methinks she can’t wait to come home. I tried to not to keep looking at the clock yesterday, keeping busy meeting some friends, even having lunch with my mother and later, doing some paperwork.

The airport is a place of only two emotions, hubby commented when we arrived at KLIA – one of happiness and the other of sadness. And most times, in opposites in the Departure Hall and Arrival Hall. We stood at the Arrival Hall observing returning travelers and it was interesting to note the many facial expressions and body language of mixed emotions.

Ah! There she is. A smile splits her face, a happy feeling surged in us and a sense of completeness enveloped me. My baby is finally home.

Tired from the long day, enriched from the exposure and experiences for the last ten days, maybe wiser and definitely happy, nothing beats the best feeling of knowing you’re finally home, and home sweet home awaits.

Welcome back M1!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Bundle Up!

9 Dec

Back in December 2010, we went on a family vacation to Korea and it was right smack during the winter time. And dang, it was cold! Seoul weather was in the low teens and sometimes in single digits even during the day. And when the wind kicked in, goodness gracious! Even the bones were not spared and chilled to no end.

It was the first time for M1 and M2 in such extreme weather conditions and I was worried for them. So I was constantly saying, “Bundle up!” to remind them to do so, every single time before leaving the comforts of the bus or the warmth of a restaurant into the cold blustering winds.

So much so, M2 started counting each time I said that phrase. The cheeky girl.

At the end of the eight day trip, M2 reported that I said that phrase 40 times! My goodness. Did I actually do that? I can be so predictable at times.

Then in November 2012, when we went on another family vacation, this time to the West Coast of the US, that familiar phrase was uttered again. However, as weather was not that extreme the whole time, it was mentioned only in cold places like Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and San Francisco.

But the girls remembered! They would exchange knowing looks at each other and say out loud, “Yes we know… Bundle up!” Sometimes before I can even open my mouth, M2 especially, would beat me to it, “Mummy? Aren’t you gonna say ‘Bundle up!’?” Hrmph.

I cannot remember at the end of the three-week vacation, what my final tally was…

Now that M1 is in Japan during this cold season sans mummy, I made sure she has enough to bundle up without me having to constantly utter that now infamous phrase.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chat

New Blood

20 Aug

Our house guest’s name also starts with an ‘M’, so I shall call her M3. M3 comes from Fukuoka and shared with us, last night, an interesting video about the prefecture besides showering the family with gifts. Very thoughtful and polite. Both M1 and M2 were pleasantly surprised and delighted with their unexpected presents.

M3 was to sleep in the guest room and although the room was prepared for her, the mosquitoes had other plans! The new blood was a feast for the darn mozzies! A new flavor, a young delicacy unlike grandma (who uses the room whenever she sleeps over) and her old blood, poor M3 had another taste of our country. But I must say this is not the usual environment.

Tonight we shall make further reinforcements to prevent another uncomfortable experience for her.

Tags: , , ,