“Trust Me, Okay?”

It took me waaay too long to be able to make this post. It is because I can’t write about our buddies without crying. We have five days left and all I can think of is that it is very likely that wouldn’t be able to see these people ever again.

When we first got here in Palu, I was shocked that we had to ride motorcycles everywhere. I thought we can ride public transportation. In the Philippines, I do my best to avoid riding motorcycles because we are taught that they are dangerous and that many accidents happen everyday because of them. This explains why I was so terrified.

I told this to one of our buddies, Akhsan. I told him that I don’t know how to ride motorcycles and I’d probably squirm a lot. He simply answered “Trust me, okay?”. And I did just that.

Now, I’m perfectly fine at riding motorcycles. But more than that, I have inevitably gotten close to our buddies. I just wanted to express my gratitude to them for being so selfless. They tend to our every need, and made friends with us in the process.

I reckon that these are the type of people we only meet once in our lives, and never again. Rahma and Asna who are so sweet and always told us what is acceptable in their traditions, making sure that we don’t embarrass ourselves. Akhsan, who is soooo caring and industrious. He makes sure that we always get what we need and that we are happy and well-fed. And last but not the least, Adrian, who I admit I have been the closest to, who I treat like my younger brother, who was always there to eat with us and share stories with us.

Our buddies didn’t just help us with our daily needs and lesson plans, we also shared stories with each other, learning from each other in the process. We were tired together, sleepless together, sad and happy together. They made our stay in Palu so much better and worth it.

They simply made Palu home for us.

So from the bottom of my heart, my buddies, friends, loves, thank you so so so much for being there for us when we needed you most. I will forever miss our late night talks and inside jokes. Please never forget your Filipina buddies. Because I will never ever forget you. I cannot thank you guys enough. Thank you. Thank you.

Aw shucks, I knew I would cry in writing this. :’)