Mother's Day
In May, 1995 I flew with my company colleagues to Atlanta, Georgia to attend a World Sales Conference. The five-day-meeting was held Monday through Friday. By Friday most of my colleagues left Atlanta for Japan.
My Japanese boss and I stayed on a weekend at a hotel, as we were going to visit a customer in Chicago on the next Monday together with an American counterpart.
Unfortunately my boss was up to his ears in his work at the hotel. I was allowed to go on a sight-seeing trip alone.
Immediately I sent for a taxi and visited the Atlanta Theater where they performed the American Civil War-Play. You know, Atlanta was the fierce battlefield between the Yankees from the northern part and the Confederates from the sourthern part.
Then I went on foot through the Piedmont Park to Atlanta Zoo. I took a break and sat on the bench. A decent American woman with a baby baggage appeared out of nowhere. She said, "Konichiwa!" I said, "You speak good Japanese!" She said she used to live in downtown Tokyo. After that I enjoyed seeing gorillas family and pandas in the zoo.
When I went outside, it began to rain. I was worried because I was not sure if I could get a taxi.
As luck would have it, a sightseer got out of a taxi in front of zoo gate.
I jumped in and told the driver to go to CNN Center.
Well, CNN Center was located in downtown. It was a large building. I joined the CNN building tour and saw how the weather forecast was broadcast. It was lots of fun. Actually the weather forecast map was not situated in the background but by sideways.
After the tour, I was worried again if I could get a taxi. Fortunately I bumped into a big black policeman. I asked him, "Officer! Where can I find a taxi stand?" He smiled and told me where the taxi stand was.
I came back to the hotel. My boss was still working on his work. I turned on TV. To my surprise, I watched "Beaver-Chan" which used to be my favorite program when I was a kid. Then there was the breaking news from Japan. Aum sect leader Shoko Asahara was arrested for spraying sarin into the subway of Tokyo. I remember vividely that he was sitting in the rear seat of a van surrounded by the detectives. It was a weird experience for me to see Shoko Asahara on the Mother's Day in America.
My Japanese boss and I stayed on a weekend at a hotel, as we were going to visit a customer in Chicago on the next Monday together with an American counterpart.
Unfortunately my boss was up to his ears in his work at the hotel. I was allowed to go on a sight-seeing trip alone.
Immediately I sent for a taxi and visited the Atlanta Theater where they performed the American Civil War-Play. You know, Atlanta was the fierce battlefield between the Yankees from the northern part and the Confederates from the sourthern part.
Then I went on foot through the Piedmont Park to Atlanta Zoo. I took a break and sat on the bench. A decent American woman with a baby baggage appeared out of nowhere. She said, "Konichiwa!" I said, "You speak good Japanese!" She said she used to live in downtown Tokyo. After that I enjoyed seeing gorillas family and pandas in the zoo.
When I went outside, it began to rain. I was worried because I was not sure if I could get a taxi.
As luck would have it, a sightseer got out of a taxi in front of zoo gate.
I jumped in and told the driver to go to CNN Center.
Well, CNN Center was located in downtown. It was a large building. I joined the CNN building tour and saw how the weather forecast was broadcast. It was lots of fun. Actually the weather forecast map was not situated in the background but by sideways.
After the tour, I was worried again if I could get a taxi. Fortunately I bumped into a big black policeman. I asked him, "Officer! Where can I find a taxi stand?" He smiled and told me where the taxi stand was.
I came back to the hotel. My boss was still working on his work. I turned on TV. To my surprise, I watched "Beaver-Chan" which used to be my favorite program when I was a kid. Then there was the breaking news from Japan. Aum sect leader Shoko Asahara was arrested for spraying sarin into the subway of Tokyo. I remember vividely that he was sitting in the rear seat of a van surrounded by the detectives. It was a weird experience for me to see Shoko Asahara on the Mother's Day in America.
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