“Peke man ni nga Christmas uy.” (“This is a fake Christmas”.)
Was my friend’s definition of the holiday season here in Japan. And I agreed, because it seemed to be a hollow celebration of the gift of salvation. The lights illuminated the streets but I couldn’t find the gladness of the surroundings, and the carols’ there, but not this familiar feeling of Christmas.
Nevertheless we enjoyed the night before Christmas. After karaoke-singing for 5 hours and having dinner in this great Thai restaurant, we proceeded to wait for the clock to strike twelve in another comfy 24-hour resto: and this was our celebration of Christmas. A fake one according to my friend, which I stupidly agreed with.
Well, it maybe because of the temperature this time of year, or of my lack of sleep, or of my overly vivacious abuse of my throat (yes Kat, I sang with my throat, ;D) during the 5-hour karaoke marathon that I caught a cold and lost my voice. The cause doesn’t actually matter. What matters is the realization that hit me because of my sore throat and my missing voice.
After my friends left (they stayed in my room after we went out, from about 7am until 7.30pm the next day, and this next day is Christmas day), one of my Japanese dormmates knocked on the door and was looking for my roommate, who wasn’t around. He’s returning something to him. Finding that my roomey’s out, he went to and was on the stairs going down; but within seconds, he knocked on my room again, and this time inquired,
“Did you catch a cold?”
me: Ah, yeah. Kindda.
dormmate: “Chutou matte ne.” (“Please wait for a while.”)
He quickly went downstairs (my room’s on the third floor, while his is on the second), and got back with this red pack.
dormmate: “This is oriental medicine. This is good for colds.” (Hands the pack to me.)
me: Oh, thank you. Actually I’ve been taking medicine for it, but I guess I’m gonna try this one.
dormmate: “It’s a little bitter, but it’s good.”
me: Thanks.
He left, taking the stairs going down, but before he went out of my sight he said,
“Take care ne. Merry Christmas.”
It just feels wonderful to be slapped on the face thinking that the Christmas I’m so familiar with back home is more real than the Christmas here in Japan. Their Christmas may be different, but for me to brand it unreal is stupid. All it takes is a little act of a dormmate’s kindness. Thanks to a blessing of a cold. And this is sans sarcasm.
