Shoko

I dedicate a full blog to my new friend Shoko. She works at Kajinho - the infamous pizza place in Motobu, where u can get "Pizza in the Sky". The place has one of best restaurant service and ambiance, and also one of the most beautiful views in Motobu - mind u, my town is beautiful and it affords many an amazing view.


I had heard of the place before i even came to Okinawa, because a fellow vegetarian JET told me how the place makes veg pizza! And when I finally arrived here, and had my first pizza there, i was mildly disappointed. I missed mum's homemade pizza with pineapples and lots of veggies. the pizza at kajinho, was oishii, but it had too much cheese and very little vegetables. for the first time in my life, i worried about my weight and i felt guilty about eating so much cheese!

well, all that changed. I have come to love that pizza, and not worry about my weight. its the only place in town where i can go to and not worry about daashi (fish-broth) or katsuo-bushi (fish-flakes) smuggled into my food. i am safe from these surreptitious dealings at Kajinho.
so, Shoko who works there has become a fast friend from the many visits to this place. she has invited us to parties in Motobu, introduced us to her guy friends, shared many a good times and for me she has been a life-saver.

it was one Thursday, exactly a week after my scooter accident, that it rained hard and heavy in my part of the universe. i still uneasy with riding in the rain, walked to work. i slipped while walking and hurt my sprained leg worse. i couldn't walk, the rain beat me, the wind chilled me, i was late to work, wet and depressed. one dark thought led to another and i found myself in a whirlwind of depression and uncontrollable fits of crying. i reached school, unable to be at peace. locked myself in the loo and retched. it was one of the worst days of my life. i hated how my life was being governed by factors i had no control over: my placing in Motobu by the JET Prog., my predecessors indifference to my situation, my Board's unwise decisions taken on my behalf without my consultation, the rain etc etc. so many things could have been done differently whereby i would not have had these troubles, and all these had been out of my bounds.

i guess i had hit rock bottom of the culture shock wave as well. i missed my friends. i missed the relative security i had back home. i missed being in control.

i was sent home that day. there weren't any classes that demanded my presence, and even if they did, i was in no condition to attend to them. i was as unstable as a blob of uranium. i could spontaneously burst into a rain of tears at any given moment. God knows how many tissues I cried that day.

I cancelled the dinner I was going to make for Shoko that night. I couldn't make food for myself, let alone a meal for another. and i had run out of all groceries and couldn't go get more becoz of the rain. i sat wrapped up, alone, sad, cold and hungry in my apartment, trying my best to curl up and diminish away. until I got a call from Shoko.

she brought me good cheer and she brought me pizza that night :) i truly believe that some greater force had a hand in sending her. it is always a miracle to get food (and what delicious one at that!) when one is starving. And more than that, Shoko brought friendship. she gave me encouragement. and even though i didn't tell her at all of the things that worried me, she was perceptive to my situation. she herself stated the problems i was undergoing by having an apartment so far from the town center. she offered help in case i wanted to shift apartments. she was kind and understanding.

when i was finally able to cook an Indian meal for her, it was another wet Thursday. and she said how whenever it rained she remembers me and worries how i will get to work. that is all i need to hear to keep me going on. i don't want "Juhi, you must try to be strong!" because no-one knows how hard i try. i don't even want "well, you can fix it if you want!" because rain is not a tap i turn off. I get encouragement from knowing that I am remembered and cared about.
Shoko has helped me in more ways than one. her pizza and she gives me the strength to go on. ....and this is my testimonial for Shoko.