The far side of the world
"I am getting ready to learn to enjoy sushi", said the 11 year old girl, full of determination.
We were in a cab, Belle and I, and she had been discussing her favorite topic: her love of Japan and all things Japanese. She is planning to study there, after concluding her university course on biology, and wants to learn the language so she can adapt faster. On the trip from our home and the salon where she was to have her her cut, she talked so much about her plans that the driver came to a startling conclusion.
"I am pretty sure that she was a Japanese in one of her past lives".
Belle knows Japan from TV cartoons, Pokemon and stuff like that. She watches anime movies with me with wide-eyed amusement. But she gathered an amazing amount of unanswered questions too. One of her biggest issues at the moment -- and I can say that one of our family's biggest issues -- is to discover how a Japanese computer keyboard looks like.
"When I go there, I am going to take a picture of one and send it to Bernardo", she promises.
How can one not be touched by the dreams of an 11 year old? In that taxi, I started to have a dream of my own. I want to save money for the next four years and go to Japan with Belle when she is 15 years old. I want to see Tokyo through her eyes, visit ancient temples, take the fast train, see mount Fuji. And I want to go to Disneyland Tokyo and DisneySea for my sake, as well as hers.
I know it seems absurd. So much can happen on the next four years. As a teen, my loving daughter might want to do nothing with her mom. Maybe she will change, and instead of Japan another country will strike her fancy. But my baby has given me something really precious: a 11 year old dream to cherish when I am 43.
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