SP Guitarists

“Hajimemashite!” was often heard during the flight from Tokyo to Komatsu Airport as we rehearsed the phrases to greet our hosts. A mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement was felt as we were only two hours away from our hosts that we had been looking forward to meet. Before we knew it, we had landed at Komatsu Airport.

After receiving a warm welcome by the lecturers from the Kanazawa Technical College (KTC), the team boarded a coach and headed towards the college. Upon reaching, we walked towards the plaza where many smiling and eager faces awaited us. One by one, our names were read by Mukai-sensei, my stomach churned as he did so. Bidding goodbye, each of us followed our hosts home to experience a whole new lifestyle and culture.

My host, Takuya Karasawa, spoke English well although not fluently and that put aside my worries about the potential communication barrier. My host mother, Kozue (whom I addressed as Kā-Chan) welcomed me with a smile that sent my uneasiness thousand miles away. As she had stayed in Florida during her university days, she had no problem speaking English at all.

After dinner, I presented presents and souvenirs for the family. Their faces beamed with delight as they recognised Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. As they had never been neither to Singapore nor Indonesia, they had many questions for me. With books about Singapore and Bintan Island, I illustrated what the countries were like.

My first morning in Kanazawa started with a warm greeting from Takuya’s aunt (Akiko) and six-year-old cousin, Kuu. As I stepped into the meeting room, other MILE participants were discussing how the first night was. The rest of the day was filled with surprises and fun as we had a courtesy visit to the Principal, Dr Yamada and Chairperson, Izumiya Rijiicho. We were delighted to learn Dr Yamada’s plan to visit Singapore Polytechnic this coming March.

During the campus tour, we visited the Yumekobo (Dream Workshop) where students could transform their brainchild into real applications. Students could also take part in research on soccer robots, solar cars, etc. Being in SP’s Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Control Centre (ARICC), I was excited to know that the Kanazawa Institute of Technology had also developed a Teen Size Soccer Robot for RoboCup. That gave me something extra to look forward to next year’s RoboCup competition.

We had a privileged industry visit to Nakamura-Tome Precision Industry Co., Ltd., manufacturer of machine tools, and Shibuya Kogyo Co., Ltd., manufacturer of automated systems such as bottling systems. It was once-a-lifetime experience to visit and gain insights of the world’s leading machine-building companies. I noticed that the employees in both companies were very passionate about their job – that is what makes a company successful.

I was glad that my host family treated me like part of the family instead of a guest. Throughout my stay in Kanazawa, I had the chance to try various specialties such as basashi (horse meat sashimi), kushiyaki (skewered meat) and wagashi (traditional sweets). They had also brought me to visit many interesting places such as the Ninja Temple, Kenrokuen garden, Kanazawa Castle and the UFO Town. It was truly an eye-opener. To express my gratitude towards my host family who had showered me with care, I treated them to Morimorizushi restaurant for dinner.

Everything was so perfect that without us realising it, it was almost time to say sayonara. Although the preparation in the morning went by smoothly, nobody seemed to be really elated. Perhaps, it was simply too hard to face the fact that we would be leaving our family soon. Nearing the performance time, we had our emotions under control and made the final preparations. Mrs Kai Tamin-Goh, our Director (Corporate Communications), made time to attend the Sayonara Party despite her hectic schedule. Her presence gave us a morale boost that we needed.

The mood that night was jovial and climaxed with us performing the Indian dance Chori Chori Hum Gori Se (from the movie Guru). Though the music stopped unexpectedly towards the end of the Indian dance, we sang the song ourselves and continued the dance. The audience enjoyed it as much as we did as they clapped along to the song excitedly. The finale was a song dedicated to our friends and families in Kanazawa. Through the song You’ll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins, we hoped our friends and families know that they would always be in our heart. Though we might not be there in flesh, we would always be there in spirit.

The morning before I left was especially quiet. Everyone in the family seemed to have a lot to say and yet, no words came out from our mouth. Perhaps, words could not express our feeling. Or rather, we all knew very well that any words could cause tears to fall. Before I hopped on to the coach, I passed a letter that I wrote in Japanese, along with a piece of my heart, to my host family.

Right after the coach left, the tears, that I had been holding back, finally rolled down my cheek. With every meeting, there will come a time to say goodbye. Well-said, but said is always easier than done.

To have met the other 12 MILE participants and everyone in Kanazawa was the best thing happened to me in this trip. The friendships we shared were special because it was an affinity to have met each other in our lifetimes. For I had left a piece of my heart with my host family, I had more reasons to return to Kanazawa, to the place where the beautiful memories of mine nestled.

- Kuri