Panting and shivering a small Japanese Girl called Whytomi rang the bell for our Receptionist desk. She was not used to the cold Canadian winters and she ran from her bus stop to her appointment only to avoid another minute from being in the cold. She smiled and announced her appointment and the receptionist gladly paged me to greet the young girl to my office.
I started the usual paper work for her to sign and asked if she wanted any tea or fresh cakes we had to offer. Whytomi accepted and the receptionist was rang to bring 2 rose teas and a Pastry sized poppy seed cake. As Whytomi got comfortable she started her story as soon as the receptionist left the office.
"I came here six months ago, and now, I am missing my home in Tokyo. I can`t go back for another year and I miss the things we did back home, things that recently made a fool of me on a date I was on 3 days ago."
Astonished of what it could be I urged her to continue, and told her no judgement would come upon her and this was a safe place to talk to express her feelings and experiences .
Whytomi smiled with reassurance but still bowed her head to the ground embarrassed as she continued on.
"We have a lot of people in our city & we have much to do everyday. But there is a couple times of the day me and my friends really enjoy . The traffic Jams happen in the morning before school or work, and at night when workers go home to their families. People here get angry when traffic gets slow or stops, but in Tokyo we don't. "
"We have time to talk and spend time with our friends in the bad traffic. It's Like going for a cup of coffee with a friend for us. Or it is nice for a date to be in a traffic Jam because it's private in the car, a place to talk freely as we slowly try to get some where. I think it`s relaxing and romantic. I fell in love with a friend who drove me to school every day in the bad traffic, we got to know each other. Many of my friends pretend to leave our parents house to catch the bus only to be picked up not to far away by a friend or boy we like. It is a date to us and I miss it. "
"I had a date for the first time hear in Canada, we were coming back from dinner and we got stopped in traffic because there was an accident. I felt excited when it happened I was so home sick and lonely I made advances towards him but he was frustrated at the situation and rejected me. He hasn`t called me back and now I feel like a slut because I invited him to my apartment when I got home. He thought it was for sex but I just wanted to talk, he called me a tease. I don`t do these things this bad at home I`m just lonely for the Tokyo traffic jams and my friends and family and for that boy back home I like his name is Kenjiro."
Whytomi came back only a few times more before she moved back home.
Now when I find myself in bad traffic, I remember that sometimes slowing down is not such a bad thing to some people and somewhere Whytomi is with a boy she will date and someday marry or she is with her girl friends stuck in a Tokyo traffic Jam.
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