my final bow

photo by rudy (indonesia), june 29, 2005

a bow is either a commencement or a culmination of a certain chapter of a particular event. in japan, that bow could mean a greeting when meeting someone or a gesture of thanks when it is time to say goodbye. in my case, it means goodbye to the pain and pleasure, loneliness and joy, friends and foes, anxieties and excitement of my 2-year sojourn in a place aptly called the land of the rising sun. my bow also signals of another opportunity to take, another race to run, another life to live.

it was indeed 2 fruitful years. i was blessed.

(it is now 3:03am, i am still packing my things. at 12:51pm today, together with other JDS fellows, i am leaving for tokyo. i have accumulated so many things such that my 2 pieces of luggage already exceeded the limit of 40kgs. i have to repack, and leave some things, essentials and nonessentials alike. one friend texted me saying u can never really bring all, if at all u can bring things once you leave this world. she's right.)