As soon as I step out of the gate, the first two gates I pass by contain passengers traveling to San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively. It’s strange that I won’t be able to visit either of those cities for the next 5 months. Strange that San Francisco, a place I call home, has instantly become this far away land that I won’t be able to experience till 2011. Most times when I think about home (San Francisco) and I’m in another country, I get nostalgic and sad even. Oddly enough, this time I feel none of those sentiments. I must really be ready for this change.
I’m a little rusty this time around – it feels like it’s been ages since I last traveled internationally. I make it out into the terminal and quickly get confused by the map that neatly lays out the gates, lounges, and shops. It doesn’t help that most of the signs are in Japanese script. So, I make my way over to the information counter to get some clarification as to where I should be heading and then take another stab at getting to my destination.
As I get off the escalator, I see a familiar face! Lina, another Kiva Fellow en route to Cambodia, is just as lost as I am. We join forces and manage to make it to the Sakura Lounge, laughing about how our paranoia of forgetting supplies to pack has us embarrassed, with two massive luggage pieces each. It's comforting to know that we're not alone though. We spend the next hour and a half chatting about the crazy weather we’re about to experience in our respective placements, exchanging travel tips, and discussing the best methods to coordinate travel around South East Asia (since we have an amazing group of Fellows in the same region). Finally, it's time to part ways, but the coincidence was a fun one!
View from the Sakura Lounge at Narita International Airport - blurry because of the rain!
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