Inside him, I feel a "blue flame"—quiet, yet burning with strength. And now, I feel that same flame has been lit within my own heart.

And just like that, my "wildly fanciful" dream came true! We spent two of my travel days together. With her company, I experienced a different side of Japan and had deeper interactions with a local person.

I tried making some of the foods my pen pals shared with me, from Indian Jalebi, Brazilian Goiabada, Japanese sakura jelly, and Korean kimchi—let’s just say my attempts weren’t perfect, but definitely fun.

Now I have people I can chat with whenever I want — when I’m bored, when I’m worried, or when I just need some healing words.