Odyssey to Japan

The 4th symposium on Polar Science, with a special session on Antarctic Meteorites, was the best chance to go back to Japan with the whole belgian team. Due to bad luck, the journey was a kind of nightmare. Nothing really so terrible, but anyway quite annoying. This is a summary of my troubles with an airline and of the great time in between.

Chapter 1: The Finnish never-ending story.

After checking many possibilities, one of my bosses (V.) and I decided to fly Finnair because cheaper than others, reliable (it has been elected the best european airline) and because the flight to Japan was supposed to be shorter with a stop “on the way”, in Helsinki. I thought that in the case we were stuck somewhere, it would have been better to be in a Euro-country. But I couldn’t imagine that my worst prediction would have become true!

Friday 8th at lunchtime we took a flight to Helsinki and after two hrs connection we were supposed to fly to Tokyo… but a delay was announced. Every 30 minutes there was an update: “in 30 minutes more information about the flight”! At 7:30 pm we were all pissed off. The commandant spoke at the microphone explaining the situation: one engine was not working properly, the technicians were trying to fix it but couldn't understand what was the problem. The situation didn’t improve in the following hours. We received a couple of vouchers for dinner at the airport. At 11 pm the flight was officially cancelled and we have been sent to a hotel for the night. It took 2 hrs to take our luggages and to reach the hotel, where a long line was waiting for registration, as there was only one person at the desk. Only at 1:16 am I was in my room. News on our flight had been promised after 6 am of the following day. Obviously we didn’t sleep much. In the morning the chaos was even worse than the evening before, with people with a transfer in Tokyo who were called for a different flight 10 minutes before the departure. We had to go to the airport to figure out our destiny: V. was booked on an evening flight through Beijing (landing in Japan one day later than planned) and I had to fly on Sunday evening with JAL, landing with 2 days delay.

The lutheran cathedral in Helsinki

Although completely covered by Finnair during our forced staying in Helsinki, the lack of information has ruined the opportunity to enjoy Finland. We managed, anyway, to spend a couple of hours in Helsinki. Helsinki is a grayish, small and expensive town on the Baltic Sea, but with an intrinsic beauty. Honestly, I found Helsinki much closer to my ideal place than Brussels, because small, clean and well conserved. Even if it was Saturday, just a few people were around, perhaps because the cold temperature. The second day I was stuck in Helsinki, I stayed at the airport: I wanted to get rid of my luggage (especially because the belgian cheese that we brought as a gift had started to stink) and to choose the seat on the plane, but the JAL desk opened only 2,5 hrs before the departure time. After all, the flight was quite pleasant. Unluckily I missed the bus to Tachikawa for a couple of minutes and I had to take the train, but wasn't a big issue.

Chapter 2: Before the symposium.

We had planned to have time to adsorb the jet lag, meeting with the curator of the museum and, why not?, having a bit of fun going for shopping in Tachikawa. Thanks to Finnair we had to change our plans. The day I arrived, Monday 11, after lunch we had a tour at the NIPR. That wasn’t the November 11 I was used to, with the official beginning of Carnival with krapfen and waltz and the tradition of the Martinigansl (goose of St. Martin) in Vienna or the “castagne e vino” (chestnuts and wine) in my hometown. At least I’m finally in Japan, not so bad. In addition, this time I’m not alone. If it wasn't for the company, I would have quitted my journey in Helsinki. We stayed in a 4-star hotel, quite busy with western-style weddings. Honestly, I've enjoyed more staying in the guest house, because I don’t like the hotel lifestyle, I prefer the freedom of camping than the rigid schedule and dress-code of a hotel, although this wasn’t the case.

The wedding garden in our hotel

Tuesday was more similar to a conference day: meeting other international participants of to the symposium, waiting for other belgian colleagues, discussing technical details of our collaboration with the NIPR. The latter has highlighted the difference in mentality between europeans and japanese: sometimes asking questions might be frustrating because they say “maybe” or “I don’t know” at the place of a clear “no” and they look more for the problems than for the solutions. Their legendary efficiency actually results in lack of flexibility. Somehow the same as for Germans.

On Wednesday we visited the japanese space agency (JAXA). Wow! I cannot say more, unbelievably exciting! A limited group of us has been allowed to enter the clean lab, where the samples from an asteroid, returned by the Hayabusa spacecraft, are conserved and studied. For that, we were dressed like astronauts, to avoid any contamination. In the evening I’ve skipped the conference banquet because quite tired and because I don’t like much this kind of social events, where one ends talking only with his friends and drinking a lot.

Chapter 3: The symposium.

The official workshop on Polar Research started on Monday but only Thursday and Friday were dedicated to meteorites. There were some good talks, scientifically or practically interesting and outstanding. It was a pity that there was no time for a poster session scheduled, although a number of interesting posters were hanging in the hall. From my side, I’m beginning to know this new community of scientists. Unfortunately, every time I change topic I have to start again to find out who are the big names and who are the crazy guys in the field. This should be the aim of the reception party, but the Japanese are shy when they have to speak english. Therefore, both Thursday and Friday the social events have been a lot of fun for us but not particularly relevant for new scientific collaborations. Anyway, I’ve greatly enjoyed the meeting, the company and the cheerful japanese atmosphere.

Chapter 4: Mission (almost) impossible, back to Belgium.

London Heathrow

If you have read other of my posts recently, you should know that every time I came back to Brussels I have experienced a kind of trauma. This time I had again some troubles with the airline, so I had no time to think to my opposite feelings towards this city. Again Finnair. Although I had a reservation for a JAL flight to Helsinki and then Flybe to Brussels, the threat of a strike has probably frightened enough Finnair for changing my flights. With my great surprise, I’ve realized the day before leaving that I was booked on a Virgin Atlantic flight to London and then British Airways to Brussels. Also at the check-in desk of Virgin the surprise was great: they couldn’t find my ticket until they called Finnair, which should have sent me the new e-ticket reference. No comment! The flight was the longest ever, 12 hrs on a full plane in a tight seat, with partially working entertainment. This is definitively the longest single flight I’ve ever done: 9569 km. I’ve read about a 19 hrs non-stop flight from Brussels to Australia. Well, I could die in a similar situation. The rest of the journey was less close to a nightmare, thanks to a mug of coffee with cinnamon and the shiny shops in Heathrow. Also in Zaventem everything went smooth, except the taxi driver (only French speaking and charged €5 more for the receipt), but that’s Brussels and we have to cope with it.

Anyway, thanks to Finnair I’ve missed two medium size earthquakes in Tokyo area, one on Sunday morning and the last one yesterday evening. As structural geologist, who would like to come back to study fossil earthquakes, what should I say? Perhaps I should really abandon this idea and keep working on meteorites, although I cannot find them as exciting as the shaking of the ground. I wish Japan was closer to Europe. Its culture is so intriguing! For sure I’d like to go back soon.

24h in Germany

When people count the possibility of traveling to the rest of Europe among the advantages of living in Brussels, I always say that desiring to escape from this place doesn't make having better feelings towards the city. Anyway, the last week-end I decided to take this opportunity and go to Germany. For tourism? Not exactly. My former organ teacher has given a concert in Ratingen, a town close to Düsseldorf, just 200 km from Brussels. What a nice opportunity for hearing again my teacher and visiting a place where I've never been!

On early Sunday I took a train to Düsseldorf. My first experience with Thalys, the high speed train between France-Belgium-Netherland and Germany. Although I had saved on my smartphone the map of the city, I was too proud to consult it, therefore I got lost from the station to the Altstadt. Oh well, I've seen another side of the city. Then, with the map, I found my way without asking information. Düsseldorf center is not as beautiful as Vienna, but is anyway intriguing, with medieval corners and modern bridges on the Rhine. There are a few old breweries but spanish and italian restaurants are everywhere. Obvious sign of area interested by high rate immigration, as I expected in this dense network of industrial cities (Düsseldorf, Essen, Köln, etc.). Nevertheless, even the area around the central station, where many immigrants live, is clean, newly painted and well maintained, even on Sunday morning. Only a few people were around in the morning, but they waited at the pedestrian traffic light although no cars were arriving. Welcome in Germany!

In the afternoon I took a S-Bahn to Ratingen. What a sweet town! Actually it is a city, but with the atmosphere of a medieval village. The city walls are partly preserved or rebuilt, the center is enclosed by a ring street. The hotel where I stayed was also very cute and... german. I've enjoyed every moment in that town! From the coffee in the "Italienischer Eissalon" to the vegetarischer kebab in a turkish place open till midnight and the delicious breakfast in a bakery with eine Tasse Kaffee as large as that I make at home (I'm not much Italian for that). In this corner also renting or buying a flat is affordable. I wish I can live in a similar place in future. I was afraid of hearing a cryptic dialect, but the local German didn't sound weird to me and I could have a very basic conversation with sellers and normal people. The concert of my former organ teacher was the cherry on the cake! It has been a bit funny, meeting him in front of the church, I guess also for him, but we started immediately talking about music and we were again back in Padova 10 yrs ago.

On Monday morning I took a S-Bahn to Köln. While waiting for the ICE to Brussels, I've walked around. I've been already in Cologne maybe 15 years ago, with my parents. The cathedral is impressive. In a few steps, iper-modern buildings are next to medieval towers or roman roads. That's amazing! The Rhine peacefully continues to record the history of the city. I had the time to do some shopping, finding again the brands I was used to (also in Vienna) but limited by the size of my suitcase. The central station is as large as a gigantic shopping center! Waiting in front of the information screen, I have been asked by 5 people about trains. As usual, it seems I'm an information office in every place I am. In less than 2 hrs I was back to Brussels and the impact was tough, the difference too much obvious. Despite my effort, I'll never get used to live here without complaining for the bad maintenance of the buildings and the pavements. Hopefully I'll find soon another excuse to go to Germany again! I already miss you!

DRT in Leuven: when the past comes to meet me

The DRT (Deformation mechanisms, Rheology and Tectonics) meeting is a conference organized every second year in a different city in Europe. This has been my first conference ever, when I was at the beginning of my PhD school, in 2005, in Zurich. Then I had to skip the following meeting, in Milan, because of the organ diploma. I went to Liverpool, in 2009. There was one in 2011 in Oviedo, but I was already in the meteorite impact research. After having sent tens of applications for a post-doc in geology and at the end being relocated to Brussels working on a complete different topic, I was sure to have definitively said "farewell" to structural geology and micro structural analysis. I was wrong! The DRT this year is in Leuven, 20 minutes by train: even for fun, I couldn't miss it!

A surprise waited for me. Although I asked a poster presentation, I had a talk. I've presented a side-project I was working on in Vienna, but my speech wasn't good. Amen! I was freezing in that room and I bit distracted by the feeling of being again among structural geologists, some known, some new. Many elders were not there, I don't know if because of contemporaneous fieldwork or teaching. I was the only italian, though my current affiliation is belgian. This was a bit sad. A professor that I met in 2006 remembered that I play organ. Well, this means that I didn't change much in these years, I'm still equally divided between my two great passions: geology and music.

The conference was, anyway, quite interesting. Not only for the state of art in the field, but also for the opportunity of talking of possible collaborations on what I'm working on now. Surprisingly, other geologists are interested in shock metamorphism! The conference has given me also the opportunity to visit Leuven, which was recommended as candidate for moving out of Brussels. The town is really beautiful, with gothic buildings, pedestrians areas, historical squares, and an old catholic university. But I cannot live there: as I was afraid of, the city is sized for students. It would be like living in Oxford. It's not for me, I'm too old for that. Anyway, it was nice to jump back in the past, enjoying travels by train and a conference in a nice, quiet and clean place. Hopefully this was also a glimpse of future.

Wien bleibt Wien

I've recently discovered an Austrian author, Alfred Polgar, famous for his aphorisms. The title of this post is part of one of them: "Wien bleibt Wien - und das ist wohl das schlimmste, was man über diese Stadt sagen kann" that means: "Vienna remains Vienna and this is really the worst thing one can say about this city." Another one tells "Die Österreicher sind ein Volk, das mit Zuversicht in die Vergangenheit blickt“ that means "Austrians are people that look with confidence to the past". These two sentences summarize my feeling towards Vienna, while I was living there and now, after a short visit. Vienna is perfect, as always, even too much, as I've been complained before leaving, stuck in a happy past, ignoring the recent history, but this makes the city... a dream. That's the novel of my short dream a few weeks ago.

Saturday: departure.

Don't cry! This is what I've been repeating to myself since I booked the flight. I usually begin planning my journeys days in advance, but not this time. Whenever I tried to look at the subway map of Vienna I began crying again. Again! Like on the way back from Japan. This has to stop! This is why I've prepared my baggage one hour before leaving and I was at the airport 3.5 hrs earlier than the departure time! I was hungry, despite the crazy prices (€3,50 for a L 0.5 bottle of water?!) I looked for something to eat but I could take only sweets for I-don't-know-which-law that forbids selling sandwiches after a certain time. Cold air conditioning, noisy gate area,... STOP complaining on Brussels! I'm going to Vienna, I'll enjoy some days vacation in the place where I lived for 3 yrs and 1 month, I'll meet my dear friends, I'll hear again that sweet rural dialect (Wienerish)... Well, why am I so nervous then? Because I feel as Jasmine in the recent Woody Allen's blockbuster "Blue Jasmine" (if you don't understand what I mean, watch the movie!), but just because of me. Going again to Vienna will be like meeting again an ex-boyfriend, although I've never had one. I can't wait but, at the same time, I would escape the meeting.

Anyway, everything went smooth, the flight landed earlier than scheduled, my baggage was delivered sooner than in any other airport, the train was on time and, after a delicious Italian dinner with some dear friends, I've ended up riding a bike through the city and passing in front of my old flat. What a wonderful life I've had here and I didn't realize!

Sunday: soul and stomach

Early rise for the mass in my "old" church. The priest smiled when he recognized me again, at least this seemed to me. He didn't know, anyway, that mine was only a short visit. Lunch with friends with homemade "sugo alla puttanesca" and grilled vegetables. E.B. is a great cook indeed and a perfect host! The weather was... Belgian, probably I've brought it with me. We therefore stayed at home chatting and drinking coffee until dinner time, when we went to Grinzing for a glorious meal in a "Heuriger". Nice place! But it took a while to understand that "gebackene Fledermaus", literally baked bat, had nothing to do with the flying mammals, but rather a part of the beef. Then we went home on foot, enjoying the quiet Viennese night (more than 8 km). What a dreamy place for vacation (life is different, this is why I complained also when I lived here)!

Monday: papers

As I've been repeated so many times in this blog, bureaucracy was invented in Austria. I was really afraid to have to fight against that, but this didn't happen. Despite the mass of paperwork, still handwritten. In fact, in 10-15 minutes I was done in my former bank. For lunch I've met some of my former colleagues that are still in town. The humor and the long list of complains about the situation and Vienna didn't change. The whole afternoon flew on chatting and in the evening I had to run to catch the D tram, as in the old days, to reach other friends (from ItaliansOnLine) in Rathausplatz. Finally my stomach enjoyed again the so long dreamed Käsespätzle and the local beer. Last view of the shining viennese monuments in the clean Austrian night. Stop, or I'll start crying again!

Tuesday: again "adieu"?

Very last visit at the university for giving back the office key and then last brunch-lunch with my girlfriends, under the shadow of the U6 arches. Last shopping in a local store, last "farewell" to Vienna, last journey by S7 to the airport. It's time to wake up and cope the current life.

The Belgian welcome was a bit tough as always. The flight was about 20 minutes late, after walking for 15 minutes across the airport I had to wait further 15 minutes for the delivery of luggages. I've missed a train for a few seconds, luckily there was another one after only a quarter of hour. I took a bus and I walked to my place rather than crossing alone at 10 p.m. the South Station. The night view of Brussels is beautiful (you don't see the ugly buildings, only the nicest ones are illuminated), but why there is this unpleasant smell around? Please, don't tell me again that I should'n complain because Italy is worse! I'll do my best to forget the recent Austrian dream but I hardly believe I'll miss this place when I'll have to leave it. Anyway, who knows? Never say never.

Vacation!

No way! I did my best to show the nicest corners of Brussels to my parents, but also the weather (hot and rainy) has ruined my efforts. My mother tried to be positive, my father noticed the same defects I hate of this place. The only outstanding locations are the church Notre Dame du Sablon and the Jubilee Park. The rain has spoiled also the St. Gilles market on Saturday. The little town of Grimbergen offered more opportunities, with a bell concert, a nice museum in an old mill, and the garden around the old castle of the local prince. After showing Antwerp to my parents that have appreciated the pedestrian areas and the beautiful buildings (included the gorgeous railway station), we moved with the camper van towards the southern Belgium. The selected destination, suggested by a Belgian friend, was Durbuy, a medieval town in the Ardenne. Unfortunately the camping site was deserted and we reached Erezee, another cute town in the Ardenne.

Nassereith

The following step was traveling across Belgium and Germany, down to Kempten in Allgäu. We stayed in a camping close to a clean, warm, and very inviting lake. How sweet was hearing again the local musical dialect and receiving congratulations for my German. It has been like being in the heaven for me! The day after we visited our old friends in town. It was sad to see how much they are aged... they are over 80 and he is going to be 90 in a month. We stopped a night in Nassereith (Austria), a town that is noteworthy for the Baroque churches and painted walls of the buildings in the traditional Tyrolean style.

Italy welcame us with traffic jam in the highway and no information. Typical! I've spent the last Saturday climbing the Mount Cornetto, between Lavarone and Folgaria. After a long time, I overcame again over 1000 m altitude gap. I got a sunburn on my forearms but the landscape from the top of the mountain was worth of the effort. Far from any trouble and, above all, far from the ridiculous news about the Italian politics! We stopped one day in my hometown before I took a flight back to Belgium. This has been the hottest day ever. Finally, the flight to Charleroi was sad, not because it marked the end of my vacations, but because it marked the return to the Belgian life. I'm still not accustomed to this situation. The long queue waiting for the bus and the little issues found in the letter box have been the adequate conclusion of my happy  vacation days. The autumn atmosphere, with rain and 17°C temperature, did the rest.

De Fide

Torno a scrivere in Italiano, solamente per un post, perché la questione merita una maggiore attenzione alla parola. Il grande Eugenio Scalfari ha recentemente pubblicato un intenso intervento su Repubblica a proposito dell'attuale papa, Francesco. Nell'articolo pone 3 domande al papa, ma mi permetterei di dirgli che non occorre essere ricevuto dal papa in persona per rispondere a simili quesiti. Qualsiasi sacerdote o credente dovrebbe poter rispondere. Purtroppo non è sempre così ed uno dei maggiori difetti di una parte del clero è di rifuggire il dialogo e la discussione critica. Proviamo dunque a rispondere ai quesiti di Scalfari, pur nella mia ignoranza, per fare umile autocritica, non certo per presunzione di potersi sostituire al capo della Chiesa di Roma o alla Congregazione della Fede (l'organismo preposto a simili risposte, non il papa). Ovviamente le risposte sono frutto del mio ragionamento e della mia educazione, non hanno alcun valore, potrebbero addirittura essere considerate eresie, ma spero siano lo spunto per un tentativo di pensiero proprio. 

"Prima domanda: se una persona non ha fede né la cerca, ma commette quello che per la Chiesa è un peccato, sarà perdonato dal Dio cristiano?"

A che gli servirebbe il perdono di un Dio cristiano cui non crede? Il perdono è un dono e quella persona che non si pone dubbi sulla propria esistenza probabilmente rifiuterebbe un simile regalo. Oltretutto, per la Chiesa di Roma, il perdono va chiesto. Si deve riconoscere di aver sbagliato e pentirsi del proprio errore. In questo caso credo che una persona venga perdonata anche senza dover fare la coda presso un confessionale.

"Seconda domanda: il credente crede nella verità rivelata, il non credente pensa che non esista alcun assoluto e quindi neppure una verità assoluta, ma una serie di verità relative e soggettive. Questo modo di pensare per la Chiesa è un errore o un peccato?"

Ho sempre fatto mio il motto "dubito ergo credo". Porsi delle domande è la via verso la fede. Personalmente ammiro molto le persone dotate di fede spassionata, che credono senza ombra di dubbio. Qualche volta i dubbi ci sono, lo spirito critico acquisito con la scienza pesa, ma l'impegno per trovare la Risposta c'è tutto. Ritorna il concetto della domanda precedente, se uno non crede che interesse ha nel giudizio della Chiesa sul suo modo di pensare?

"Terza domanda: Papa Francesco ha detto durante il suo viaggio in Brasile che anche la nostra specie perirà come tutte le cose che hanno un inizio e una fine. Anch’io penso allo stesso modo, ma penso anche che con la scomparsa della nostra specie scomparirà anche il pensiero capace di pensare Dio e che quindi, quando la nostra specie scomparirà, allora scomparirà anche Dio perché nessuno sarà più in grado di pensarlo. Il Papa ha certamente una sua risposta a questo tema e a me piacerebbe molto conoscerla."

Questa domanda mi sorprende. Gentile Scalfari, non c'è già abbastanza letteratura sull'argomento? Non si trova già la risposta nei Vangeli? Pure la "scommessa" di Pascal prende in considerazione la cosa. Se per i non credenti con la scomparsa della specie umana scomparirà tutto il nostro mondo (non la Terra, mi riferisco alla filosofia, alla religione, alla letteratura, alla musica, etc.), per i credenti si tratta di un passaggio, di un'evoluzione ad un'altra vita.

In conclusione, davvero mi aspettavo di meglio da un fine pensatore come Scalfari, con tutto il rispetto per la persona in questione. Se un non credente si pone delle domande, s'interessa al giudizio della Chiesa (che non è giudice) e del suo Dio sulle sue azioni, forse è sulla via della conversione. Forse no, vuole solo fare il polemico di turno, cosa che va tanto di moda di questi tempi ma che non mi permetterei mai di sospettare nel celebre giornalista. In ogni caso ben venga una riflessione sull'argomento!

Discovering a corner of Japan 2

... continuation of the previous post

A long weekend

This was a 3-days weekend, because today, Monday, is the Marine Day. It's also my last week-end in Japan, because in a couple of days I'll go back to Europe. But let's begin from Saturday. I've spent the whole morning just for shopping. Usually girls love it, but not me. The only good thing was enjoying the air-conditioned mega stores, looking at Western prices for Western clothes. I found nothing of what I was looking for, but I managed to sort out something for my friends. I've tried to find also the catholic church I wanted to visit for the mass, but it was closed.

After 5 yrs from the Organ Summer Academy in Haarlem (the Netherlands), I met again two dear friends, obviously organists and obviously Japanese, in Tokyo on Sunday. Although they don't live in town, they came just to meet me! This is the sweetest present a friend can give. We visited the Jojijoj Temple, my first time in a buddhist temple. Oh well! The business behind the religion is the same in every confession, here as well as in a catholic sanctuary. We had lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant. I was surprised to have to remove my shoes at the entrance, but then I've astonished my friends with my "ability" with the chopsticks. I'm learning. In the afternoon we had fun in the shopping center under the Skytree, tasting sweets and refreshing drinks and making my friend's baby smiling in front of the camera. We promised to meet each other again, in Europe or in Japan, possibly much before than in 5 yrs.

On Monday morning I bought the food for the last days, I've unsuccessfully looked for stamps for Europe, and I've reserved the bus to the airport. I would have been to see the ocean, but the weather forecast called rain and I was enough tired after two days of walking. Therefore, in the afternoon I had the last glimpse of Tokyo, thanks to the Italian physicist and his Japanese girlfriend. They have shown me the Imperial Palace and gardens and an important Shinto Temple. It was great! Far from the crowded shopping areas, in the peace of quiet little wood, where one can forget to be in maybe one of the most traffic congested cities in the world. Sayonara Tokyo, perhaps we'll meet again sooner than you can imagine! 

the last days in Japan
I must admit that Tuesday was quite boring, just work, except for the evening, when we went out for my farewell party. We were seven, from the boss to the post-doc, but I guess they asked a female post-doc to join us just to have another woman in the party, besides me, although she almost didn't say a word. I had been warned about this kind of party... In fact it has been very nice: eating good food, drinking beer and (finally) sake, talking about science, history, travels, etc. Nevertheless, the talking was a bit limited, because only the older members have spent some years abroad and speak fluent English. The sum of my and someone else's limitations produces no conversation, alcool doesn't help much, at least for them. At 9 p.m. I was already in the guest house.

Wednesday was a bit more adventurous, also because I'm always quite nervous when I have to leave. At lunch time, I've rented a bycicle at the guest house and had my first and last (for now) ride in Japan, driving on the left side. It wasn't just for fun. I looked for a post office to send some postcards. I don't want to get crazy at the last minute at the airport! In the afternoon I was almost ready for leaving, with samples for my colleagues in my backpack but a bit upset for not finding again one sample I was interested in. During a farewell tea, we ate rare and expensive cherries from the Prefecture of Tohoku, as last present for me. Finally the time to say goodbye to my kind hosts has arrived. I promised to visit again the NIPR and I wished to meet them again anyway at one of the next international conferences. Then I went to my room, to clean it and to try to organize my suitcase. My plan was to sleep at least 6-7 hours before beginning the longest day (traveling to west) of this trip, but I didn't succeed. I slept maybe 3 hrs.

The longest day. Waking up was not a problem... as I didn't sleep much. The reserved taxi was waiting for me and , oh! surprise! T.T. waved from her balcony, in front of the NIPR. She woke up at 5 just to be sure that everything was fine for me. So nice from her! The bus arrived on time and in 2hrs we were at the airport. Passports were checked 3-4 times, once also on the bus, but everything went smooth. The breakfast was a bit sad... with packed sweets and an American coffee not particularly strong. The airplane wasn't completely full, so I had more room in my row, but I got sick just at the beginning. of the flight*. Maybe the coffee, perhaps the lunch or the cold temperature in the airplane. Just the time to check my emails at Vienna Airport, in one hour I was peacefully sleeping on the last flight of the day. A taxi brought me quickly to my place, while a warm sun still shined over Brussels. Goodnight!

* From this moment until landing in Brussels, suddenly I began crying and couldn't stop. Like the last Sunday in Vienna, when I've been for the last time in "my" church and then I crossed the AKH Campus, still covered by the snow. Exactly in that moment I realized that the happy and equilibrated life I had there was at the end. During the flight I didn't cry because I was sick (common thing and also quite short), but because everything on that airplane (Austrian) reminded me my time in Vienna. I expected, somehow, this reaction when I chose the flight but I didn't imagine it so strong! Also writing these lines I cried again. This morning is going much better. There was something unsolved, not accepted, about my new life. The person I was in Vienna doesn't exist anymore, I'm back to the odious single lady I was in Padua before emigrating. I hate the place where I live, although I love my new job and I try every day to make me enjoy Brussels. Back from Japan, I should summarize my impressions on that country, not regretting my (forced) choices. But it's time to move on, saying definitively farewell to Vienna and trying to be happy also here. Even if this would be the only good thing I learned from my Japanese trip, it is a great achievement!