Day 23: The end of an adventure

Tuesday March 22nd, 2011 by Celine Vincent

As the sun rose on Thursday, March 17th, so did the participants of the Satori Study Tour. At least, most of them, since two didn’t want to say goodbye to their beds and had to be dragged out of their room. Fortunately, even they were up and ready to leave by the time the bus had arrived.

We headed for Kansai International airport, which was built on a man-made island in the sea near Osaka. Its enormous hall is impressive and it was there that participants used their last Japanese Yens to buy even more souvenirs. It was there that memories were exchanged and experiences were shared. There and then, we said our goodbyes to Japan and the Japanese people and we silently thanked them for the things they have showed and taught us during the past three weeks.

At 11:00, our plane took to the skies, headed for the Netherlands. The flight to Schiphol went smoothly and most spent their time sleeping or watching movies on the in-flight entertainment system. One member even used the flight time to study for an exam, which was inconveniently planned the next day. At 15:00, Dutch time, our plane landed and we once again set foot on Dutch ground.

From there, some said goodbye to the group and left to go to their homes and families straight away. Others took the train to Eindhoven to conclude the trip in the Walhalla, the bar of study association Thor. The eight minute delay the train had made us laugh, recalling that annual delays for Japanese public transport are measured in seconds. The litter in public places made us want to go back to Tokyo, to the cleanest streets we had ever seen. Even the unheated toilet seats were a reason to long back to Japan.

In Eindhoven, the Walhalla waited for us. After being checked for radiation by Thor’s board, we could finally enter to conclude our journey. Many people were there to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day (or to welcome us home, who knows?) but most must have gone home jealous after hearing the first stories we had to tell. And so our adventure ended, sitting at the bar with a beer by our side, telling stories and fighting the jet lag. Wow, what an adventure it was.

Day 1: And so it begins

Wednesday February 23rd, 2011 by Rick van Kemenade

At noon today our group, consisting of 30 students and two supervisors, gathered at Eindhoven Station. The train rolled away as friends, parents and staff waved us out. After a lengthy train ride with the NS we arrived at the well-known Schiphol airport, where everyone was quick to check in their bagage. At the time of writing the group is scattered all over Schiphol. Some have discovered the Irish pub, while others prefer to chill in one of the many lounges.

At 16:25 the group will gather at gate F8 to board KLM flight 0861. At 17:45 we will take off on an eleven-hour flight to Tokyo Narita airport, where we will arrive early tomorrow afternoon (GMT + 9:00).

Today marks the start of the Satori Study Tour. The committee and participants alike have worked extremely hard to make this all happen. The fact that we are about to board an airliner and embark on our journey makes for an almost surreal moment. We have passed the point of no return. We are going to Japan… finally!