The phone rang. Sam Hawkin woke up from a deep sleep and looked at the clock next to his bed. It was 4:00 a.m. Still half asleep, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Sam. It's Mom. Your dad is sick again. He's in the hospital. I think you need to come home this time."

When his wife Hiroko woke up a couple of hours later, he told her the news.

"I'm going to book a flight back to Canada for tomorrow. Dad's very sick. Can you stay here and take care of the children?"

"Sure. I hope your dad gets well soon. I'll take care of everything here. Go as soon as you can." Hiroko replied. Later that morning, she told their children, Mina and Karen, that Dad was going to visit Granny and Grandpa in Canada for a while.

Sam had enjoyed his time at university so much that he didn't want to graduate. Not only did he not want to give up his fun student life, he also didn't know what he wanted to do as a job. Most of his friends had already decided on their careers — John was going to be a lawyer, Chris was going to be a journalist, and Mike was going to work in his father's company. It was just Sam who didn't know what he wanted to do. His parents were high school teachers, and they had suggested the same career to him many times, but he wasn't sure. However, one day just before graduation at the age of 22, he noticed a poster on the wall of his dormitory building. "Teach English in Japan!" it said. Sam made a note of the website address printed on the poster. That evening, he applied.

"But Sam, you've never even left Canada! Why are you going to Japan?" His mother asked, surprised.

"You suggested I become a teacher, Mom. I'll be a teacher in Japan! I'll just go there for a year, then if I like teaching, I'll come back and become a high school teacher here in Canada."

"It will be a big culture shock for you. If you feel lonely, you can come back here whenever you like," said his father. The month after that, Sam flew to Tokyo.

That was 15 years ago. Despite knowing little about Japan before leaving Canada, it had become home for him. He was still working at the same school he had applied for after graduating, and he was loved by his students and colleagues. He had also taught himself to read, speak, and write Japanese. Three years after arriving in Japan, he married Hiroko, whom he had met at an international party. Their girls were born a few years after their wedding. Hiroko was a writer, and she had had several novels published. Even after becoming a mother, she continued writing in her spare time at home. They were a happy family and Sam was considering spending the rest of his life in Japan.

Back in Canada, Sam was surprised to see how sick his father was. The doctors told him he could be in the hospital for a long time. Seeing his mother's sad face, Sam wondered if he should change his plans and move back to Canada to take care of his mother until his father had recovered. That evening, Sam met up with his old friends, John, Chris and Mike. They talked about their university days and their lives now. All of them were married and had children. They showed Sam pictures of their families, and Sam thought it would be nice for his girls and his friends' children to play together. He told them about his father.

"Come back, Sam," his friends said.

"I'd love to live here again, but I don't want to go back to college to get my teacher's certificate. I have a family — I need to work right away."

"You could start a Japanese school," suggested Chris, the journalist. "I just wrote an article for a magazine about the popularity of anime and Japanese culture. Many people want to learn Japanese these days."

"Right! Our company has plenty of space in our building. You can use that space for free," offered Mike.

"And I'll help you with all the paperwork for Hiroko's visa," said John, the lawyer.

That night, Sam called Hiroko in Tokyo and told her his idea. To his delight, she agreed.

Sam returned to Japan, but six months later, the Hawkin family's move to Canada was complete. There was enough space in Sam's parents' home for everyone to live together. Hiroko was able to continue her writing work remotely. Mina and Karen were enjoying life in their Canadian school. They had been sad to leave all of their friends in Japan, but they loved spending time with their Canadian Granny and Grandpa. Their English was improving all the time. Grandpa was still very weak, but he was getting stronger every day thanks to the love of his family. When Sam saw his family together, he thought it was a shame they hadn't thought of doing this earlier.

Sam's school was a success from the start. His friends had helped him just as they had promised. One day, Mike dropped by the Japanese school.

"Hey, Sam. We didn't have a welcome home party for you. Why don't we do that this weekend?" Mike suggested.

"No, Hiroko and I should hold a thank-you party for you, John and Chris. It's thanks to you that our move went so smoothly. Come to our house on Saturday with your families, and Hiroko and I will cook some delicious Japanese food for you all."

And so they did.