Goodbye Masami

Since I resided in the birthplace of my all time favorite basketball comic, "SlamDunk", I wanted to continue playing basketball while I still have the strength and stamina. I was immediately rejected by the school team because I was too old. So I started looking for a local Japanese team on the municipal government website. After visiting a few teams, I settled down with a team called "Dat's", located 6 stations from where I lived, with practice on every Sunday night.

I went to the practice with close to ZERO Japanese ability. Nobody could communicate with me. I did my best to observe people's gesture, mood and atmosphere to get an idea of what was going on. That went on for about 4 months. There were a few who were able to speak foreign languages. When I first arrived, a little girl tried to explain the rules of the drill to me. She was definitely speaking English, but I really had no idea what she was talking about at the time.

In October of 2008, I ran out of time and had to quit the team after my return from Canada, but regularly I would check the bulletin board to see what's going on. Also, a few of the team members would message me from time to time to see how I am doing. Last week, I got know that that little girl is leaving for America and her last practice & dinner would be held on Saturday. I spaced out my time just to attend it. I felt bad, because had I been more proactive in communicating with them, I would've known it a few months earlier and would've had the chance to help her with her English.

It would've been almost 1/2 a year since I last saw them. Familiar faces and familiar drills, there is a memory embedded inside my body that's awaken every time I start running, and jumping on the court. I didn't realize how much I miss the sports and how much I miss them.

After the practice, everybody went for a farewell dinner. I had some time to talk to Masami. She wasn't able to speak in English fluently at the time, so we spoke mostly in simple Japanese. This will be her first time leaving her family. She'll be attending a community college in Spokane for 2 years. I sensed the stress from our conversation, she has so many questions and doubts in her mind about the new life waiting for her. I left my contact information and offered to help her with whatever I can. I felt very glad to be there for her. After all, I am one of the very few foreigners she has ever met in Japan.

I am glad to have met so many wonderful people in Japan. We're all from very different walks of life and all share the passion in basketball.

And of course.. there are strange people too..