When I packed my bags for Europe, sat on a plane and thought about what I wanted for exchange, I knew every month would feel different. I knew every month, there will be changes...in perspectives, in growth, in friendships, in self-discovery. I knew there will be change, but every time you notice the change, it takes time to make sense out of it. This is one of those moments. For the past 10plus days, I started hosting different Singaporean friends over at Paris. Each so rich in their own stories and experiences. You know they morphed and grew. You know they made many self-discoveries as a traveler, as a student, as a human being. But tonight is the last night I will have two friends sleeping under my roof. And we were talking about what kind of traveler we are/were. These friends are the mega chill kind, going to places more for the friend staying there than the tourist attractions. They traveled for human connection. Most Singaporeans when on exchange travels non-stop (like me), and only Singaporeans do that. And each travel you learn somethings about yourself, about being alone, about other people, about the world. Some lessons are learnt the nasty way, so stop believing all the pretty photos we post up on facebook. We dont tell the world our lonely moments cause loneliness dont come in photo size. Neither do bad experiences nor creepy people. Yes we dont take photos of creepy people. So anticipate change, and know you will take time to make sense out of it. At this point I will jump onto a completely different note...no one who went on exchange says this, or at least I know of, but every month, if you take time to sit down think and reflect, you will notice the change. The weather, the mood your perspectives, everything. You can anticipate change, but you will always take time to make sense out of it. As I spent time this week in Paris, I realised what I had all my other friends didnt have. I had time to know Paris intimately, they didnt. To do Paris thoroughly, you need 10 days, especially if you are a museum/history junkie, and you love parks, food and pastries. I have more than 10 days. I have the chance to go to the same place and watch it change. The point is integrating into a city, interacting with it, knowing the street names, metro stations, the food places like I would in SG. So one of my friends (the last two staying tonight) asked me...will I miss Paris when I go back to Singapore. I said I dont know. But I think I would.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 23:58:45 +0000
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