Wednesday, June 21
Final pit stop before heading home: St. Quiapo, Manila.
Holy crap I haven't got to touch a single computer since the 10th; and I've actually been on the road for the past whole week. Save that for later.
ACEH-WEEK
It was alright. The lodging conditions were a lot better than I had thought although the airport services STILL piss me right off my wine-painted toes. Our group rocked shitless; Team HARAPAN. Well of course, we give HARAPAN (hope) to people to loosen up and not take things too hard I guess. That was what most of the other teams were doing. We were more like, taking mile-long walks rather than working our asses off trying to make everything perfect. We screwed up a couple of times but hey, it's the fun and the people you're working with that's worth whatever you're doing. But we did get a shitty schedule though. Some of us think that Dickson's biased towards other groups and turn a deaf ear off us just because we're the most loudest group, but whatever. It doesn't matter to me. All of us wanted to go on this trip on our own accord so who fucks about him anyway? But yeah, he deserves credit for being a clear-headed leader instead of those bossy ones; so he doesn't really bug me. Our group was the first to do farming and we thought we were going to have to undergo a full body 'workout' but we slacked crazy. All we had to do was 'changkul ally-ways' for the plantations; you know the area where you can step on to inspect/water your plantation? Yeah you get the picture. And we dug out a few treasures, including a colony of weeny ants which Lincoln found super fascinating LOL. Xin Yi stomping on the thing like a mad monkey and Reuben posing in the middle of it screaming SIALLAH. We dug and dug for say two hours or less and headed back for lunch and then to another village to teach sewing to the ladies.
They kinda freaked me out at first cos they were really enthusiastic to learn all the stuff. We anticipated we'd be done with sewing that one bag over like five days but some of them did it in like, THREE! So we had to do an extra hair-tie thing at the end to just fil up the time. And for every session over all the seven days, right about 4pm, the host would bring out some stuff for us to eat and drink.
Then we'd head home at about 4.15pm as they ladies head out for prayers. WE'D ALWAYS SCORE GETTING BACK AT THE SHOPHOUSE FIRST. Beat that, suckers. WTFLOL. We're always the first group to bathe so we kinda took longer that all the other groups. Then dinner, reflections and other shizzle our group could never hold in and drop dead asleep some of the time. Sleep, ah yes, /the other shizzle of the journey. See, there're like 20 girls and we're cramped into a space like one-third of a classroom lengthwise. We were like a week's old lot of unsold sardines. It got really hot whatnot with only one dusty standing fan. So for the first few nights, the girls went to sleep in shorts and bra. Our tees felt like woolen sweaters that we could collect a couple of gallons of perspiration in a matter of hours. Well the other nights, we got a second standing fan in so it was a bit better but by then, me and Xin Yi couldn't really sleep. The barking dogs bothered us and we'd end up sitting on the stairs till fourish in the morning or even getting drinks from the ref and trying our best to get back to sleep. We woke Lincoln up one time and surprisingly he didn't bolt. But he'd only hung arounf for like, half an hour and then went back to sleep. And an hour later Zahirah joined us then we went back up Heh.
You know maybe I don't mind squashed up in such a room at least I feel smaller WTBFLOL. Wake up call's at 6 plus but me, Xin Yi and Ruo Ning would get up like around 7.30am, breakfast time and change like 5 minutes before everyone leaves for the teaching in the morning.
Okay, so over the next four mornings, we went to different villages in the morning to teach the kids English. And hell, THEY LOVED US. We got hugged a lot of times when we said our goodbyes and they kept asking if we were ever coming back. I'd say like 45754464757954567 hugs. Even the fourth village we went to, the notorious kids loved us in the end. Well we came in serious that morning and so they got bored of us and almost everyone of them left. They came right back when we did the chicken dance. Twart times.
Oh yeah I left out another shitty part. OUR VAN WAS STOLEN, literally. We had to switch vehicles with Semangat and cramp into a minivan that's suppose to fit six people but there were ten of us one of time. Cramping crazy. We got so tired we ended up sleeping on each other's shoulders cos the car was too bumpy to rest your head against the windows; rides back and forth whereever we went.
So okay then we started counting how many more nights and days we've got left before getting home. And when the day was nearing, we didn't really care. We just had even more fun. We shopped at the mart TWICE to get foodshit - well all the other groups got to go once only. We had loads and tonnes and gallons of fun over the last few nights. We had a bunch of GiRlY latenight talks WITH JERRY, that gheyman, a handful of girls and Russel and Reuben and Lincoln and Vincent[dude, you still owe me a ride around the world]. These four guys were the only gaywhores that hung out in the girls room and the stair-landing. Then we became bimbos and bitched about a couple of shitheads from school.
The second last night we were told we're gonna do a big farewell thing with the village head around and our chance to thank the translaters, Peduri Kasih itself and our team leaders. Oh Reuben, nice speech by the way and thanks for saving my ass. So our group decided we'd thank Jerry and make a song for him. That same night, we went all out. preparing for both the farewell at out shophouse as well at the sewing villages. Crazy shit. Everyone was getting flu by then too, so you could imagine the situation; the intensity kinda.
Ruo Ning, Zahirah and Xin Yi did what they do best. Lincoln went out the the balcony and grabbed a two-string dusty guitar. I know, WTH but it had to do. Me and Lincoln wrote the Jerry song with a common melo. And Reuben? He listened to different songs and re-did the lyrics so that it fit for Jerry. I swear the song wasn't easy, we were too drowsy and too tired to even move, much less to think. Miss Lim came in and said lights off so we only had five lines by then. The next morning was R&R. We went to this awesomely beautiful beach even though if some of the tsunami ruins were still there. It didnt matter. It was the sweetest thing ever. I got so overwhelmed, I emo-ed and cried so bad I thought I'd lose my eyesight. Good thing I had my shades la. Then we had to move off and eveyone gathered for a big picture and set off on our vans- in our case, a minivan - and everyone's pretty smiling faces were off. A couple of us were emo-ing. We just didn't wanna leave the beach not even Aceh for that period of time. But we had to go to some WHACK swimming pool instead. Wretched house flies; and a moronic Vincent jumping into the pool and losing his glasses LOLMuolun!1 And we found out Eugene's gay what with virtualism.
Then back home for dinner and that big farewell ceremony. Then say about 11 or midnight, FINAL SHOWDOWN. We presented the song to Jerry after like 5 rehearsals. Yeah, we finally got the song pitched in - 2 verses, chorus and a bridge BAM! Jerry was touched & stunned. Thing is, no one would imagine we'd come up with such a thing as a farewell present; because most of the time we don't really pay attention during meetings and we're fucking noisy and too much immature in everyone's eyes. [Check it: We think it's bloody hell funny looking at a lonely ant crossing a matchbox-bridge and going 'haha, loser' and we laugh shitless. It doesn't seem funny to the others. But hey, we're bored people what're we suppose to do, wank?] So the song really came to everyone as an eye-opener, kinda. Their perspective kinda changed, I know Miss Lim did. That time when we were all hanging out at the balcony with Jerry I got really tired so I went back to the room and Miss Lim was there. "Okay, lights out in ten minutes is that alright? See this girl look so tired already can't wait to go home, yes? -i nodded- That was a nice performance for Jerry and the song was super nice. -it was a bit amateurish la cher- But we all didn't think your group would come out with something like that, so good job! I am impressed! -i said thanks and she gave me a thumb's up.-" NOW, how cool is THAT?
Dawn finally came and by six we were all set to leave. We know we're already missing Aceh, and the people. But of course we miss home and our moms so much more. THEIR AIRPORT SERVICES STILL PISSES ME OFF. We had two domestic flights, and both delayed (even on the trip to Aceh). Some of us nipped around for chairs to get some forty winks or so. The rest tried to clear up their journal/reflection entry. I went all emo with my entry LOL. Not on purpose though just got the writing flow going at the point of time- I even had time for a prose. Then we got lunch but a few of us just really didn't care about food in the instance, I for one. All I wanted was to get home so bad and real quick. Jerry treated Harapan to donuts ripped from the fey-moosh DUNKIN' DONUTS. We went nuts and got a dozen. Reuben opted for the good old staple though, and he actually jumped for joy when he spent under 20 000 rupiahs LOL. Oh and may I add? Reuben's got square shoulders.
Then that second flight. Everyone slept through the journey even before we lift off. I woke a bit later and I turned to my right to find a silent-sleeping Xin Yi and I turned to my left and found a smiling Snoopy, got the shock of my life LOL
Soon enough we were on the ferry home and I was thanking God and my lucky stars. I had this sick feeling I was going to die weeks before the trip; be it on the way to Aceh or at Aceh or on the trip back home. [That explains why I wrote a will- laminated- and placed it on the ref door so my mom could take note; should I somehow die and not make it back] Then we had one last 'de-brief' and we're off home TO OUR MOMMIES AND ROOMS AND COMPUTERS AND INTERNET AND TOILETS! :D
I miss the team. I miss Jerry too. I miss the gheytimes we had. Bloody hell, I was at some whack club when the reunion was on. But I called back so don't kick my sorry ass, kaye? :D
TWO DAYS LATER, I touched down in Manila, Philippines. Took a good four-hour flight and another four one the road to my hometown Sabang. I miss my family here crazy. I miss my good old wooden house too. I used to come back here and look forward to meeting my grandparents but unfortunately they're not around anymore. It kills me to have to let go of that same anticipation. And I step into the empty house and sat around and kinda cried, I miss them real bad. So first thing I did the next morning was visit their graves on my own. Everyone else was still sleeping in but I couldn't take it. I had to go see them quick. I sat at their graves a good hour. I prayed a lot and talked a lot and I lit tonnes of candles. I cried a lot too. By the time I got home, my parents were by the veranda. They were cool about the part where I went on my own. It's not exactly safe out here. I spent a few good days with my family before heading off on a roadtrip to the eight cities with a bunch of close friends. Okay here's the SHIT. My parents became overnight millionaires, literally, cos the handed me a thousand Sing dollars in cold hard cash and another $500 in check. Like, FUCK. HOLY CRAP, HELL YEAH!1 I blew them all away like no one's business. MAJOR SHOPPING but I didn't really get anything off HMV, it's much more cheaper in SG it's the sale season anyway. But I got a lot of new shit, basically giving my wardrobe a whole new face. And a few old vcds. The roadtrip was AWESOME. We didn't get to Cebu and Alabang though. Pretty far apart from one another and the other cities so we figured we'd skip. We did knock into a couple of thugs one time but we got by safe. We didn't check into any motel so we slept in the van and dropped by public toilets to get changed and bathe and everything. I've been on the road since last tuesday and I'll be at my hometown by tomorrow by the evening, so yeah GOOD TIMES that don't come easy for me.
I'll be back in SG say 26th night. But I'll pon school for a day I guess, catch up with the sales and all. I SO HAVE TO GET RECORDS PRONTO.
I miss my Mom. Oh yeah, my family's all over the place right now. My mom's in Batangas - some stuff to handle, I'm in Manila, my siblings are in my hometown and my dad's in Japan - he had to cut his vacation short cos he had some work there. I miss my brother real bad. I hadn't seen his face for like, 5465756487 days, including the week I was at Aceh. Alright I'm gonna get my ass to Lipa City and make a detour back home. I see you guys when I get back to school and please bless me that I don't get caught for my hair.
I miss you guys.
OH YEAH AND I MISS TKF GIRLS TOO.
Come on dance with me,
Stand up baby cos tonight's your night.
NOW THAT'S ONE LONG POST.
