It seems funny writing about a despedida when I am already in the country I'm supposed to be just leaving for. The rush of moving, the panic of packing, the hassles of settling down, the beginning of new habits ... it's now almost a month since I first wrote. But I told myself I wanted to chronicle my journey so I cannot ignore the events that I cherish when I'm feeling homesick.
I had a simple goodbye dinner with my high school friends. We're this bunch of 6 friends who first got together in the 6th/ 7th grade. Been classmates for awhile and I don't know how we got together as I hung out with a different group before. Let's just say they were supposed to be "cooler" than the other people I was with and in grade school as long as you have a group to eat lunch with, well, automatically you're barkada (or 'kada as my youngest sister would say). We've known each other for more than 10 years, some for about 20 years and there are those who move away or who we drift apart from but I can say that these are the people who are the most loyal. We do not often hang out with each other. Interests change as you grow older. We do not necessarily like to do the same things when we go out. Or others do not like to go out at all. Still another has a family. But I know they will always have my back. There's a certain level of comfort as well that comes from knowing someone that long and seeing them grow up. Plus these are the people who can blackmail me with all those awful high school pictures (the high hair, the bangs, the braces, the over-done make-up for prom, ugh!)!
Afterwards, it ended up that my other "barkada", if you will, threw me a surprise party. This other group is my post-high school barkada. We were in the same high school section but most of us had separate barkadas outside of class. (Isn't it funny how in high school, we define people as she's with this barakada. I can actually categorize in my head some of my high school batchmates according to the people they hiung out with. Must be all those lunch breaks that I've seen the groups huddled together.). Anyway, it's funny how I ended up with these other group of girls. The reason is actually so cliche: Boys! Duh. Sounds so vapid! Well we ended up hanging out with a group of boys we've met from the chatrooms (clean fun, it was just the rise of the internet then) and we became a tighter group as we hung out each week-end and voila, a group was born. So random right.
I had a simple goodbye dinner with my high school friends. We're this bunch of 6 friends who first got together in the 6th/ 7th grade. Been classmates for awhile and I don't know how we got together as I hung out with a different group before. Let's just say they were supposed to be "cooler" than the other people I was with and in grade school as long as you have a group to eat lunch with, well, automatically you're barkada (or 'kada as my youngest sister would say). We've known each other for more than 10 years, some for about 20 years and there are those who move away or who we drift apart from but I can say that these are the people who are the most loyal. We do not often hang out with each other. Interests change as you grow older. We do not necessarily like to do the same things when we go out. Or others do not like to go out at all. Still another has a family. But I know they will always have my back. There's a certain level of comfort as well that comes from knowing someone that long and seeing them grow up. Plus these are the people who can blackmail me with all those awful high school pictures (the high hair, the bangs, the braces, the over-done make-up for prom, ugh!)!
Afterwards, it ended up that my other "barkada", if you will, threw me a surprise party. This other group is my post-high school barkada. We were in the same high school section but most of us had separate barkadas outside of class. (Isn't it funny how in high school, we define people as she's with this barakada. I can actually categorize in my head some of my high school batchmates according to the people they hiung out with. Must be all those lunch breaks that I've seen the groups huddled together.). Anyway, it's funny how I ended up with these other group of girls. The reason is actually so cliche: Boys! Duh. Sounds so vapid! Well we ended up hanging out with a group of boys we've met from the chatrooms (clean fun, it was just the rise of the internet then) and we became a tighter group as we hung out each week-end and voila, a group was born. So random right.
I believe that you always show a different side of you to various people. It is all different versions of the same you. But sometimes, you just cannot be a certain version to a group that is used to seeing you as another type.
This group is the one I hang out with more on week-ends as I guess they like to go out more as I do as well. Sounds shallow but true. People tend to bond over memories made. Sometimes I think it's funny that when some go out, all they talk about is "remember when..." which makes me wonder what they talk about the next time.
But I'm all over the place. Back to the surprise.
It was sweet. I expected it because I guess I demanded it! haha. But it was heartwarming to see people gathered in one place for me.
I miss Saturday nights where we more or less expected to meet and do someting. I thought I wanted to get away from being stuck in a rut and doing the same routine every week. But the problem with a routine is that it becomes a habit and so you cannot hep but look for it when it's gone. They say familiarity breeds contempt. I belive it actually brings affection and a little bit of addiction.
