Sakura Sakura ya yo Ino Sora-wami watasu kagiri…
The lyrics seem to regularly echo in my mind. It evokes my memory of the day when we visited Wateri-suzuran-en, a remarkable senior citizen center in Mito city.
It was my first encounter with Japanese senior citizens. At the beginning, I was worried about the event and a perfect day wasn’t really what I was thinking about. But today, World Campus International members received a good opportunity for a special visit at the Watari-suzuran-en, where we met some fabulous senior ladies and gentlemen.
The day was awesome: from Origami to Calligraphy, from singing Sakura to performing Ganbare Nippon for them.At the end of the day, the wonderful lady seated in a wheelchair moved to the center of the room. With her best effort, she sincerely attempted to read a thank you letter, moving us to tears. We all felt so wonderful when the day was done, and I just felt like this whole world of friendship and possibilities have been opened up to us. That was the moment when I realize that the people in Watari-suzuran-en won a place in our hearts.
One Love.
(Aruminingsih, Indonesia)