This year is my very first Eid Fitri in foreign country. I used to worry about how will I welcome this special day without my natural family. But that was before this day has come :) I'm so thankful for Allah SWT for all the gifts in life given to me. That I've done my fasting in Ramadhan until the day for welcoming "The Day of Victory" - Eid Fitri.
Last night of Ramadhan, I could see some of my family on social networking updating their statues about going back hometown and how happy they are welcoming the Eid Fitri. Some of them tried to annoy me as I'm the only one who will be absent, in a joking way. And how I overcome that situation is just stay positive. I'm young and new. I didn't even know if I could figure things out. Simply like where to pray on Eid Fitri and how to get there. Eid Fitri praying is so early in the morning here in Japan. At about 8.00 am for the first round and 9.00 am for the second round. But then, I found out many informations all of sudden. Text messages, postings on social media, websites about all I need to know on how to celebrate the Eid Fitri in Japan.
From my city, I need to go to the central of Tokyo for about an hour by bus and train. So, I left home around 6.30 am because I'd reach the nearest station by bus in 30 minutes. Luckily, in the station I met many other muslims and to one surprised, they are also from Indonesia. About 20 or more people under the nursing program exchange. They welcomed me warmly as they invited me to reach the place together. I felt so lucky cause I only know how to get to the praying place until the last station. I didn't know whether to take a bus or just take a walk to get there. So, we all rode the same train, changed train at one station and finally arrived at the last station. A little trouble happened to me. My charge for the e-ticket card wasn't enough. Therefore, I needed to stand in line to re-charge at the charge machine which was long as the normal train station's morning life. Not enough for that, I found another common problem. I got out of the station and tried my best to ask people's around depict the fact we-don't-know-each-other. I was speaking in Bahasa as I heard them speaking in Bahasa in among them. So, I took a local bus where they rode. Which bus stop should I get off? Never mind. I was already with people who were going for the same purpose. I hang up myself to them, please God direct me wherever I go. At a moment, some of them began to get off of the bus. I got off to. Then, we took a walk for 5 to 10 minutes and finally I found a symbol of Burung Garuda accompanied by "Balai Indonesia" which is Sekolah Republik Indonesia - a school for Indonesian in Tokyo. My heart was pound. I've never been this happy to find a place to pray before.
Minutes before praying, I suddenly recognized a face who seem so familiar to me. My senior at school. I met her there. We had a mini-talk just like Minal Aidin Wal Faidzin and asking for each other's condition. After the praying, I met her again and she asked me If I would like to go with her and her friends to the Indonesian Embassy. They held an open house from 10.30 am where we can eat the Eid Fitri special menu for free and meet other Indonesian muslims in Japan. Of course, I didn't want to pass this special day without the special menu. We went there on foot for like 15 to 20 minutes. The line was so long. So many people came there from different cities in Japan. It was so crowded. But that's Eid Fitri. When people are gathering together, asking for apologies whether they know each other or not. We went home at around 11 am. I was so tired that I got wrong taking the train bound. I took the one for Tokyo while I need to take the opposite bound. When I got on the local bus already, I was even half asleep. But that was a relief when I got home already.
Tonight after dinner, my host family offered me to phone my natural family as today is our special day. So glad to hear my parents, my grandparents, my aunties, and my uncle's voice. My host father even talked to my dad in English. But, I didn't have much time because the International call fare is so expensive here. Even so, I'm still feeling gratitude for today and the days before today. Hope tomorrow always be better. Happy Eid Mubarak to all muslims all around the world! :) 
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