Chronicles of a Mediterranean Gaijin

Halfway through my second week in Japan and I am finally starting to settle in. Mind you, I still have a very long way to go. If I had to sum up Japan in a single word, I would say contradiction. It is a country of immense natural beauty but yet its coast and countryside is littered with concrete. The Japanese themselves are very friendly and bend over backwards to be helpful and yet women-only passenger cars had to be introduced on the Tokyo metro because of gropers.

My biggest difficulty thus far is the language. I don’t know a single word of Japanese so even a simple task such as going to get lunch is an adventure. I am never sure what I am actually buying and when it comes to paying, I just bow and thank the cashier whenever I think it’s right to do so. I’m sure I have unintentially offended a few persons! Nonetheless, I am sure that once my flat hunting is out of the way I will be able to devote time to the study of Japanese and I’ll be gossiping with the locals in no time.

The day started with a few drops of rain but this being Malta, a few rays of sun always manage to shine through.

The familiar sights on board KM116 are all there. The anxious man hastily making the sign of the cross as the engines rev up, the safety announcements in Maltese and the phoney received pronunciation of the captain as he welcomes us onboard.

And off we go! From my seat I can catch a glimpse of the familiar sights around the isles. Ħaġar Qim with its newly installed roof that is not dissimilar to the smurf village, Gozo, the Grand Harbour and my personal favourite, Mdina. Keeping my composure has been made easier by the utter tear fest that was saying goodbye to my mother and brother. Now I’ve never been one known for being particularly sentimental about Malta. Au contraire. And yet, knowing that it will probably be a couple of years before I’m back, I spent this past week look at my home country through rose-tinted glasses.

As we reach our altitde of 36,000 feet and the passenger behind me is snoring heavily, here’s my last chance to indulge in one last local delight.

“Anything to drink, Sir?”
“Kinnie, jekk jogħġbok. Mingħajr silġ.”