Cafe latte and sofa. Those are the two things I want when I go to a cafe.

On December 19th, 2023, I found a perfect cafe in Krakow. It had a large armchair, an espresso machine, and a variety of sweets and sandwiches. I ordered a cheesecake and a cafe latte. 

I sat down in a green armchair by a large bookcase. Most of the titles were in Polish, but I enjoyed guessing the contents by their covers. 

For some reason, I remembered a cafe in New York I went a long time ago. Probably it was because of the cold breeze and the holiday decorations made by strings of miniature bulbs outside the window. Or it was because I was in an unfamiliar place all by myself.

I was alone. And I have never been so content. 

Sipping thick-foamed milk from a large mug, I was surprised at how much I felt at home even though I was thousands of miles away from my apartment. 

“I belong here”, I thought to myself. Although I don’t understand a single word of Polish (well, technically I knew one word which is “bagel”), I found myself I was in the place I always wanted to be.

For a long time, I have been wondering what I look for in traveling. Novelty? Excitement? Awe, inspiration, or love of my life? 

Those are all the essential parts of travelling. I love visiting new places, immersing myself in an exotic culture, and getting mesmerized by the fact how different and yet similar we all are. 

But most of all, I love the feeling when I walk into a world I have never known before. 

There is a certain part of me satisfied only by travelling. Some would call it wanderlust. But to me, it is like music that Ican hear only while travelling. The once-in-a-lifetime type of rarity and transience makes me emotional and humble. It reminds me of the fact that there are many places I will not be able to visit in my lifetime, and I will be gone in a few decades of time. 

In other words, I can be truly myself only during traveling. And that is the best version of Chiyo. She is adventurous, optimistic, playful, easygoing, curious and compassionate. Yet she is practical, organized, and good-natured. Sadly I don’t have much chance to meet her in a busy everyday life. And I missed her so much. She is a driving force to get me through a life. And I noticed that chances I could see her are getting less and less scarce as I age. 

Feeling overwhelmed by the surge of the emotion, I grabbed my pen and a notebook and started writing to capture the moment. I wanted to seize the best version of myself so that I can come back to this very moment if I ever got lost. 

Now I’m typing this story in a small private Tanka library in Kyoto on a cold February day. I have come a long way, but I am still halfway. I will continue to write essays with a cafe latte (alternatively chai, mate, or hot chocolate) and a cheesecake (could be muffins, cupcakes, cookies or apple crumbles), on a cozy sofa.

Those are the staples of my soul. Those are the sustenance of my existence.