Daryl Tay.net

It’s been a couple of days out of Kingston and I’m always so aware of how much noise and people there are in big cities like New York compared to the small town of Kingston. I really miss that.

But I also miss my friends.

It’s not like friends haven’t changed over time. Friends in primary school aren’t the same as those in secondary school who aren’t the same as those in junior college who aren’t the same as those in army who aren’t the same as those in university and they won’t be the same as those at work.

But I guess previously, you always knew even when you ended a phase of life, your friends are still pretty much at “home”, ie our small island of Singapore. Even with friends overseas like Q, Sam, Hubert, it’s usually a matter of months before we see each other again.

This time, though, it’s different. “Goodbye” means some people are staying in North America, others back to Europe, others back to Asia. It could very possibly be years before we see each other again, almost certainly years (if ever) to see the same group together at the same place and time.

Goodbye isn’t “see you soon”, goodbye is a hug and “safe flight home”, where home is many timezones away.Even though technology means it’s easier to keep in contact than even ten years ago, it’s still not really the same, is it?

So to my friends who I made while in wonderful Canada, thank you for being part of this crazy experience and I’ll always remember you fondly. Don’t forget to drop by when you’re in Singapore.