Day 155: Departing for Europe and World Cup Madness/Japan vs. Germany Round 2

My family heritage is Dutch. So today, the second day of World Cup action, I am sporting my best oranje to support the team in their first match of the tournament.

In fact I love my team so much that I will go to the airport 3 hours early so I don't miss any of the match.

Heading to Germany, wearing my Oranje, I settle into my economy seat  - which by JAL (and American Airlines) standards is large. I usually don't watch films on the aircraft media but today I thought I'd check it out - I have 9.5 hrs to kill. One of my favourites was available: Lost In Translation. I just love this movie and in particular, after having visited Japan, and barely sleeping the entire time, can relate - and I can watch it over and over and still find it amusing.

I see places I have visited, customs that surprised and delighted me, and oddities that got me scratching my head. I see Kyoto, the temples, the kimono, the sakura. I see all of those in this film. I experience all of those all over again. Sitting here, on this German plane, asking for ein weisse wein bitte, watching a gawky Bill Murray stumble through Japanese culture, through places I've been, it's a bit surreal. 

I make the effort to speak to the flight crew in German, knowing it probably sounds terrible;  they smile at my clumsy efforts and politely correct my errors. I recall sitting on the Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Nagoya, sitting beside a tiny Japanese man, elderly, headed home from who knows where - work? Temple? Family? Even though I spoke very little Japanese, as soon as I ventured a quiet arigato, he immediately started telling me about Fuji-San (out the window), the trains (he was an engineer on the earlier generation of high speed trains), and dried eel (which of course he had to share with me - delicious albeit a bit oily). 

I think about all the times in our work day when we don't make even the slightest effort to be understood by the person in front of us. This plane is full of people who speak different languages, who call different countries home, and who have different cares and worries. Yet a little effort to appreciate and respect others can go a long way.

And yes, NED won today (5-1 over ESP!)

AMac