Trite, yes. But true.
Sunday morning came and I was a happy guy. Not happy to be leaving Japan, mind you, just happy that I’d had such an incredible time. I’d expected the vacation to be fun, but not to be as great as it was. I put myself together and packed up my luggage, getting ready for the trip back to Korea. I wasn’t even all that sad to be leaving. Sure, it was an excellent vacation, but that’s why I was so happy. I knew going back to work the next day would be no big deal. I can coast off the high I got from this trip for quite a while. And the next trip (yes, I’ll be making at least one more Tokyo visit before I’m done in Korea) is something I’ll really be looking forward to, so that’ll keep me going just as much as the memories from this one will.
I had one last errand to run before going to the airport, but I wasn’t able to pull it off. I’d told my students that I’d bring back candy from Japan, so we swung by the grocery store on the way to Haneda. Unfortunately, we were too early (by half an hour), so it looked like the kids might have to hit up somebody else for their sugar fix.
But there are always places to buy crap at the airport, right?
No.I got dropped off at the domestic terminal, partly because that’s where the shops are, and partly because there was no friggin’ sign showing the way to the international one. Not that we didn’t try, mind you! It was just too well-hidden for us to find. The domestic terminal was a bust since I couldn’t remember where the convenience store I’d grabbed a soda on Wednesday was. I’d resigned myself to disappointing the kids and headed for the shuttle bus to the international terminal.
At least the bus knew how to get there. (It turns out the terminal was down an unmarked road that had orange pylons down the middle of it, making it look more like a construction access road than any place you’d actually want to drive.)I checked in and waited around for passport control to open. While I was waiting, I noticed the dinky snack bar at one end of the terminal (it’s not a big terminal). I wandered down there to grab something to drink and noticed a rack of snacks. Perched on the rack were bags of candy! I grabbed 5 of them and put them on the counter with my drink, earning a curious look from the cashier. I didn’t mind. I was just glad I was able to get some and that I’d be able to keep the monsters at bay for a day or two. Let them eat the sugar in my class and then get wild in the next one when they’ve got the teacher with a stick. My evil plan completed, I went to immigration and then over to the gate. The flight back to Korea was uneventful (no falling ceiling panels this time), as was the bus ride back to Ansan. It was much, much colder than in Japan, though. A fact I was none too thrilled with.
But even the cold couldn’t bring my spirits down. I’ll be floating on the high I got from this trip for quite a while. Easily until the next one. And who knows? Maybe that one will be even better than this one was!