Today I slacked on the packing. Yes I know, that's not good considering I have to be done by Friday. But I have a good reason for the slacking - I was off visiting the grandmothers today.
I was a wee bit tired from packing late into the night, so I woke up behind schedule this morning. It took me a while to wake up completely, but eventually a little caffeine infusion seemed to do the trick. My brother wanted to go too, but he was having a bad time of it, so I waited, letting him sleep in for several hours. I should have spent that time packing some, really - but didn't do much.
Finally hit the road after lunchtime, and after a few errands we were off for a short trip down the freeway to the downtown area. We visited for a bit with my paternal grandmother first. It was kind of hard, because she only speaks Japanese, can't hear too well anymore, and is currently in her 90's. Still, she showed us pictures of her parents and siblings from when she was a child, and it was really interesting. It was also a little shocking, looking at those old pictures and realizing that they were taken about 90 years ago, when my grandmother was just a child. I also saw the family resemblance between my great-grandfather and my dad, and from there to my brother. Some of the facial structure is still in my face too, but the blood from mom's side gives me these tarutaru-ish cheeks, making it hard to see. *shrug*
We stayed for a while, hindered by difficulties in communication - my Japanese is very limited, and while I understand a little better than I speak, that's not really saying much. I think she understood when I told her I was leaving the state for a while, but I'm not completely sure. I wish there was more I could have said. As it is, I'm not completely sure she understood everything I said, or that I understood everything she was telling me. When the visit came to an end, my brother and I both gave her a hug, and told her to take care, and that we'd see her again next time.
After that visit, we stopped briefly in Little Tokyo, where I stopped to get some imagawayaki, as I figure I won't be finding these little suckers up north much. mmmm... nummy stuffs... I was such a pig, I had 2, fresh from the griddle. I also grabbed some extra imagawayaki and some bread, then we were on our way back on the road - this time, we went to our other grandmother's house.
We gave her the sweets, which she really likes, and talked for a bit. She said it would be lonely with me leaving the state, but said she understood that I needed to at least try, if that was what I wanted to do. But she did seem a bit sad about it, and she wanted to do something special for me before I go. In our family, that usually involves a meal with all your favorite dishes and stuff. I told her not to worry about it right now, because I'd be back for Thanksgiving, when everyone makes all my favorite dishes anyway.
Also took the parents, the brother, and the brother's girlfriend (of 4+ years now) out to dinner tonight, to thank them for everything they've done for me over the years. Dad wanted steak, so I took them to Black Angus (which he prefers over the Outback *shrugs*). It was fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
I'm really going to miss my family. I know it's what I want to do and all, and I can always come back and visit... but at the same time, things will never be quite the same after this.
Then again, I guess that's true for every single day we're alive.
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