Dear Issa,
Year 2008 will always held a special place in my heart, thanks to you. It was the year when what we'd been planning finally came about. I finally made my way over the ocean to see you in your bukid. It was timely because if I had postponed it any longer, 2011 would have come too quickly and found you leaving Japan permanently.
It really feels just like yesterday when I made my way to Shinagawa station and waited excitedly for you. I still talk about that trip. I still brag about all the train, bus, taxi, and rickshaw rides we took that week. I even talk about the onsen with fondness. Imagine that!
You really gave me a priceless gift that time. Those experiences rooted in a specific time and place cannot be repeated nor imitated. Even if I go back and retrace our steps, it wouldn't be the same; I would only be making another trip--separate, distinct and probably equally satisfying.
I long for you to visit me here. I can't promise that I'd be half as good a host as you. I cannot equal your good and generous heart. But I'd love to open my home to you soon.
Sorry, I couldn't Skype before Annie's wedding. I thank you for the pictures of the newlyweds. It made me miss you guys even more.
I'll see you again soon---
