The joy of being with friends

I had a very busy weekend. Was soooo tired. But actually I feel good about it. Had been a long time since I had such good times and able to spend quality time with good friends and really, really enjoy myself. Today I’m able to spend the whole day at home alone. My host family is coming back tomorrow. After the excitement and my friends with me, I feel so lonely today. Makes me miss Kara and Brigid so much. This is the preview of what it’s going to be like when I do finally go home to S’pore. I used to think that since I’m a quiet person, I can enjoy being by myself and be alone. But since I got here, I know that I can never be a hermit and live all alone. I realised that I’m a social animal. I need to be with friends, not just people, but friends, good friends. I think if I can work on having and keeping my friends, even if I don’t get a life partner, I can still get by fine. Let me recount my last few days:

Saturday - 18/2/06

Went to NYC early in the morning. Met up with my friends from church in S’pore, Yongsiang and Yueping, who came to work in the USA. I brought them around Times Square, Rockefeller Center, United Nations Building, The American Museum of Natural History and Chinatown. Wow, I have not walked so much since Disneyworld in August last year. It was really tiring. The weather was not helping much too, with the wind being so chilly. Good thing I have my trusty warm gloves and hat. We had dinner at Jaya Restaurant in Chinatown. Had Kangkung Belachan, Hainanese Chicken and Stingray with chilly. It was really good. Have been getting a little sick of Singapore Cafe and this change is good. This meal can last me for a few months before I have to go eat ‘Singapore food’ again. Yongsiang and Yueiping are going to come back with me to my house in CT and stay the night. On the way back in the subway, Wendy, another Singaporean friend said she thinks it’s fun for us to be staying together, even if it’s just a night. I managed to persuade her to come too, promising to lend her my clothes and other things. She gave in and came back with us. It was so fun! Wendy slept with me while Yongsiang and Yueping slept in the guest. We were able to talk and then fall asleep. Have been a long time since I did that. Can’t even remember the last time I did that. We slept at around 1.30am that night.

Sunday - 19/2/06

Woke up at around 8.30am to feed Dutch, the Labrador dog at home and prepare breakfast for them and to prepare for church. After church, we went up to New Haven for lunch. I brought them to a noodle place and it was very good. Wendy loved it. Although it’s not a Malaysia/Singapore place, they sell Laksa too! And it was good, though not really the full taste of Laksa in S’pore, but the taste is still there and good. After that, we went for the tour of Yale University. This is the 4th time I’m on the tour. I think I can be the tour guide already. Then we came back home to prepare to leave for Yongsiang/Yueping’s place in upstate NY. Wendy was supposed to go home to NYC. But I managed to persuade her to come with us and she agreed(again!). Haha! It was really a fun time. Because I’m driving, we were able to bring quilt, pillow, tidbits, clothes, towel, etc in the car. It was really a road trip. And I enjoyed just driving and talking with them in the car.

Monday - 20/2/06

Slept till 10.30am. Yongsiang had to go work early but the 3 girls just relaxed at their place. We were sooo tired! At least I had a good sleep. After breakfast, Wendy said she really had to go back to work and so we sent her to the train station. Then, Yueping and I went to the grocery store to buy groceries. It was fun to do that. I never got to do that with my host family. They usually are the ones to make the decisions and it’s not in my place to ask them or tell them what to buy. Yueping and I made pork chop, boiled asparagus and baked potato for lunch. It was very yummy and simple to make. We were able to spend time talking too. I finally said goodbye at around 4.30pm, so as to make it back while there’s still sunlight. It was a tiring weekend, but it was fun and I treasure it a lot, all the more because all of us are overseas without other family and friends. I guess Yongsiang and Yueping are better because they have each other. Wendy is in the city, there’s always the others to meet up with at anytime. For me, in boring CT, far away from the others, I’ll always hold memories close to my heart.