A page from the personal diary of Avika Gor Travelling to Tokyo to participate in the International Drama Festival last month was the best experience of my life till date. I don’t think I will be able to forget it ever. This was my first trip overseas and my parents accompanied me to the festival. The icing on the cake was the award I bagged there! It was quite difficult after landing in Tokyo, because I did not know a word of Japanese. It was difficult to communicate with people over there. Thank God, my parents were with me. Slowly I managed to pick up bits and pieces of the language and now I can even manage ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ in Japanese. When I went up on stage to receive the award, I even had to deliver a speech. I was a bit intimidated but managed somehow. Everyone appreciated it and it was indeed a very proud moment for me. They even screened an episode of Balika Vadhu during the festival. After the screening, almost everyone present wanted to speak to me and know more about the serial. I felt very honoured and excited. Most people were surprised to know that many Indian shows ran for at least 300 episodes whereas over there local shows there wrapped up within 15-20 episodes! Apart from participating in the festival, I also managed to roam around quite a bit. I visited Disneyland in Tokyo and shopped like crazy. I bought a lot of clothes and chocolates. Unfortunately, my schedule did not permit me to do anything else during this sojourn. But I am sure the next time I visit Tokyo, I will indulge in more shopping and see new places which are still on my must-visit list.