"Kokusai Daigaku, onegai shimasu" I told the taxi driver as I sat down inside the car. I remember I used to wait for the free bus back then as I preferred to save every yen I got instead of paying cab fee. You know..if I had to walk, I walked. Now, after I left this place for few years, I'm here again but no need to wait or walk for 30 minutes..just waved my hand, got the door opened, sat comfortably and enjoying the beautiful scenery from behind the window. Nice.
...
Besides the comfort..actually, nothing much different on what I can see though..whether I take the bus or a taxi. I guess the difference between now and then was that..when I was a student, everytime I went back to school, my mind always got occupied with case studies, homeworks, thesis, job hunting, etc. ..just like an overloaded machine. Now, I don't need to think about those and yes, no need to feel "guilty" and think that if I used 2,000 Yen then I should eat instant noodle...haha. It's now just a simplicity of looking at the river, trees, and paddy fields. A simple state that surely gave me a peace of mind. Was it? Maybe actually I took it as granted back then...?
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It was almost noon when I arrived at my school. IUJ. Hisashiburi desu ne! The starting point of my journey in Japan. The place where I began to learn on how to be part of global community and have a global dream. Wait a minute..global dream? Hahaha...I guess my dreams were wilder at that time..it's a mix I believe..wilder, naive, arrogant, foolish.. and perhaps pure? "What happened, man..where are they now..."..I took deep breath and threw my luckies to the bushes while stepping inside the complex..
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After I took the room key from the housekeeper, I went straight to my room. As I entered the room..all the memories started to float in the air..the smell, the layout, the furniture..clean, neat and simple. How can such a simple place..in the middle of nowhere..has given birth to so many complex dreams? Is it because people don't have anything else to do besides daydreaming while staring at the mountains? Is it because people actually have more time to have dialogue with their inner souls in here instead of in the hectic city environment? Yeah. I guess that's why it's good to be "back to school". Just got here for few minutes and all the contemplation started automatically..
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I spent the afternoon by walking around the complex..taking pictures, smelled the flowers, listening to the sound of water flowing between the rice fields..all the things that I wouldn't find in Tokyo. In the evening, I joined group of students and having dinner with them together at the cafeteria. Listening to their stories..well, to be more correct..answering their questions about getting a job in Tokyo and listening to their "aspirations"..haha. It was nice. Some of their dreams were actually amazed me..and you know..that burning fire on their eyes when they're telling their stories...it's just inspiring. Reminding me of how I used to be one of them..haha..an Indonesian student who wanted to take over the corporation world through his dreams..
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I asked the students to have some drinks together as my treat. So, we went shopping to the liquor shop behind the station and started a bonfire near the tennis court. Around midnight..me and the juniors already finished about half dozen of wines, 1 bottle of tequila, and of course..some bottles of the best sake in the region..Hakkaisan sake. Thinking about the morning trip back to Tokyo and the severe futsuka yoi I would get once I woke up..I excused myself to get back to my room. As I changed my clothes, I kept smiling and thinking of how fun being a student in here (though sometimes it was very very boring). It was fun, indeed. As I'm getting ready to sleep..in the middle of my dizziness, I remembered a paragraph from Pastor Dennis Sempebwa's book..
"A man or woman who thinks like a chicken will never be able to fly with eagles. Eagles think like eagles and chickens think like chickens. Nevertheless, in life, the chicken that continually or repeatedly thinks like an eagle and hangs out with eagles, eventually flies like an eagle"
Oh man..I guess in the school..even when we're drunk, we still need to be philosophical..hehehe. Oyasumi nasai ne, chickens and eagles...don't sleep hugging your toilet bowl..good night..zzz...zzz...zzz..
Notes:
Kokusai Daigaku = International University
Onegai shimasu = please
Hisashiburi desu ne = long time no see
Futsuka yoi = hangover
Oyasumi nasai = please have a rest
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