A THAMIZHAN IN TOKYO
Bags packed, clothes stocked, currency changed and all set. It was the 23rd of October 2016. The day we set out to make memories that last a lifetime. The day that marked the beginning of a two week journey to Tokyo. I was accompanied by three amazing people and I must say that I couldn’t have asked for better travel partners. As we were ‘chilling’ at the lounge in the airport, I found myself a little outside my comfort zone. This was the first time I was going to be away from home for this long. But I didn’t have too much time to bother about this. I was filled with joy and excitement. Something in me told me that it was the start of something new, something that was to change the way I looked life, something that I shall reveal to you later in this very article.
After several hours in the flight and several cups of coffee, we were finally at the Narita International Airport, Tokyo. I was extremely hungry, always am and so I found my way to a coffee outlet and spent about Rs100 to get a caramel latte which I must say, was really filling. As I sipped on the edge of the straw I imagined what the two weeks were going to be like and wondered if I could pull through. We had quiet sometime to kill at the airport and during this time we clicked several million self-portraits and got acquainted to a few delegations who were to later become nothing less than family.
We left the airport a few hours later and arrived at Katsuura, an international training facility. We spent a week there. During this week I had a chance to meet and work with people who from different countries. Each of them had a very interesting story to tell and getting to know them was one of the best things that had happened to me. The warmth they extended was nothing less than what I was a party to at home and made sure that I felt like I was at home. We delegates, were assisted by a group of student staff who were full of joy and energy. They gave all of themselves to make our stay extremely comfortable and were always there for us no matter what. At Katsuura, we played games, stayed up at night chitchatting, attended seminars and of course made tons of memories.
A few days later, we headed to Tokyo to spend four wonderful days there. Tokyo was a whole new experience altogether. I was hosted by the Suzukis who were extremely kind and caring. I had the opportunity to introduce them to Indian food which till date has never failed to surprise me. They were impressed by the paneer and the extensive dependence on spices. Indian food managed to surprise them as well. The people of Tokyo were extremely sweet and it was also the place I got to know the fellow delegates better. We were a part of the schools fair and also spent a lot of time with the Japanese students and well. We called our good byes at Tokyo and went back to the facility at Katsuura. We were a week away from getting back home and wanted to make the most of it.
Back at the training facility we were working on our presentations to address the issue which was the changing food culture. The forum was well aware of the fact that all work and no play, made jack a dull boy. To make our days more interesting, events like JapaCul (Japanese Culture) nights, thalassotherapy, football and many others were organized. We were finally done with our call to action (presentation) and were just a day away from graduation.
The beginning of a wonderful journey, came to an end. Friendships that last a lifetime were made. The forum taught me many thing. Now, every song in my playlist has a memory attached to it. The forum taught me that Life was a puzzle and the one must find the pieces of life to complete it. Every single one of us have a piece and we have to find it. Another thing that WSF taught me was selflessness. This the wonderful something that I had discovered. Life is not always about achieving targets, it’s about helping and inspiring others achieve their targets as well. Interaction with these wonderful people made me realize that, selflessness is something that exists across all realms and worlds, but somewhere along the line we’ve forgotten it. Selflessness helps you achieve and paint a better tomorrow. This experience changed everything in my life. Well actually, not everything. My love for coffee has and always will be the same.
— Tejas Sudarshan
