Spring

Spring is settling in in this part of the world, and it actually feels like it's battling with summer already (blame global warming for that). It's my second time experiencing spring and, for me, it's definitely not the same as before.

When I first came to Japan, spring welcomed me with strong breezes and cold temperatures. I was a newbie, and I couldn't go anywhere on my own here in Tokyo. The first time I went for a hanami (cherry blossoms viewing), I just went to a nearby park with my roommate and took a few photos. I didn't even know about the big parks. But for this year, it's surprisingly not as a cold as before, maybe because I've gone through the grueling winter cold and have gotten used to cold temperatures. Plus, for this year's hanami, I went to Shinjuku  Gyoen, which is one of the most famous parks  here in Tokyo, and it was beautiful. I don't even have the words to describe every thing I saw that day.

However,  there's  one more thing that is different for me - the feeling that goes with the season changing. When I came here, spring was a scary time. I don't know my way around places and I don't even know how to talk to people. But for this year, spring came naturally, but it made me more aware of how different everything are from last year. Knowing that things are different somehow makes me sad because I used to be the kind of person who wished that everything stays the same. It took me years to learn how to accept temporariness and changes. I was even a hoarder too, thinking that memories are engraved in material things. But that version of me barely exists anymore. I've learned to accept change, and I've realized that it's the biggest part of my life. And for the past years, it may be good luck or bad luck, but change always came in a sudden manner for me, but I'm not complaining either. It's helpful actually. Every sudden changes are all worth lessons and experiences that are now a big part of my being.

What excites me about change is knowing that not everything should be a routine, especially when living in a country that promotes it. I can change. And that, I think, is the beauty of spring. Being able to come anew.