There are many reasons why I treasure friends around me. Different reasons too. For this blog post, I want to talk specifically about friends that I know during exchange. They are sooo dear to me, for some specific reasons.



This small group of people have shared a part of my life with me that I have never had with any other group of people. A special experience. They have seen a lot of me that I didn't know I had, good and bad. All of us (on exchange) have felt that we have lived in a dream in Wuhan, in a different time continum. We have supported each other, living in a different country. Some, if not all of you, genuinely care about me. Touch I am. Very.



What initiated my urge to write this blog post was my meeting today with Wan Xian. This is the first time that I meet her in Singapore! It was a weird feeling at first, seeing her in Singapore! We have only met in Wuhan, and it's weird seeing each other back in homeland. It was an impromptu meet up, and it was real nice. Wan Xian pointed out that we are people who have different social groups, and I guess phrasing the sentence in another way, if not for our exchange to Wuhan University, we would never have knew each other. Never would get so close. Share the most precious experiences and intimate things with each other. But I'm glad that I had her on my exchange. She was so much needed, and I can't complete my exchange experience without talking about her, despite our various differences.



I'll now talk about the individual people that I met on exchange that meet a lot to me.



Wan Xian

I'm really glad that I met up with you today, different feeling, but very nice. You've seen the good and bad side of me, a lot of me. I realised through the experience of being your housemate that I'm not an easy person to live with. I have too many emotions that I carry with me. Thanks soo much for putting up with me. Really. You're a great friend and supporter. We've been to so many places together, experiences and stuff. Had the same group of friends, believed in Jesus...you have to agree that we meeting in Wuhan and being housemates is what God planned. My exchange experience would be very different without you. We've learnt to talk things out with each other, whether we like it or not. I think that's what is known between us. If there's anything that we are unhappy about with each other, we confront each other. And you know coming from our culture, that's not an easy thing. You're much more rational than me, and I guess with your presence there, you pull me back down to earth more. Thanks for that. You're so sincere and gullible at times that I feel bad trying to trick you, if I do. I sincerely hope that we do see each other again in the very near future. *winks*



野田

野田，你也是我的亲爱的室友。起初，也不知道怎么样才可以和你沟通。我和婉娴又不会日语，只好用中文或英文和你解释。渐渐地，你的中文也进步了。也因为有Josh，所以你的英文也渐渐地进步了。慢慢地，我们也开始了解多一些关于对方。我最珍惜的是我离开的时候，还送了我日本包包。真的很可爱。两个月后，我才发现那包包里面还有一个野田亲手为我画的卡。我看着，一边笑，一边在想野田这人还真鬼祟呢！今天，我还发现了除了卡，还有一个发夹！野田啊，你真是一个出乎预料的人啊！我很感动，我离开武汉过后，你还常常和我沟通，说话。你和我之间的感情，我真的越来越珍惜了。真希望我们在这星期内可以在Skype 用日文和中文说话！呵呵^.^ 我们是好朋友！



Josh

Although you don't believe in a god, you have to agree that it was a divine appointment that we met each other. I really treasure that friendship that we have. You are very special to me. Never had I met someone who I felt that's so similar to my own complicated personality. I have never felt so close to someone before. I can tell you many many things, and you would understand. I enjoy having debates with you, talking about Germans, Japanese, US, NZ, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. I'm glad that I did not immdiately dismiss you as someone that I don't want to talk to douring the first few weeks. I've learnt a lot from you. Human rights, western culture, the differences between mine and yours and how we can accommodate each other and be the best of friends. I can say all I want, but the understanding between me and you is best described in unspoken words. I love you sincerely as a friend. :)



Ayrton

Oh yes, I had hiccups with you in our friendship. But yes, you can proudly say that you're my first African friend! Ayrton, you're really very talented. You speak 6 languages, speak 3 or 4 of them equally well. And I'm sure you're good in what you put your hands onto, cus I can see the potential and talent in you. You're great with people, and know many people through your friendliness, including me. I appreciate the friendship that we have, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to talk to you about things that I was not comfortable with. You are a dear friend, and I hope that you'll put effort into your dreams, and achieve it in the end! God loves you, and the friends around you love you too. :D



Christina

I'll type to you in English here ya, cus the language in my head is English, and I can express my affection to you better in English. :D I'm so glad to have met you in Wuhan. You are the first person that I remember asking me and Wan Xian whether we need help. Very helpful person, inspite of the impoliteness around us in Wuhan. I still remember that day at night, when Josh, Wan Xian and I were standing at the bottom of our hostel chit chatting, and you asked whether we needed help. Thanks so much for that. I'm glad that we bumped to each other again and got each others contact. I did not get to know you better until the last 2 months of my exchange. And I'm so glad that I got to know you more. I can tell you a lot of things, and you would also understand. You're a very lovely girl, and I love you. You are a very capable person too, from how you manage your studies, committee, business, friends and all! Amazing. You remind me a little of myself, where I try to do as many things as possible. *smiles* I'm glad that you stay just one level above me. You can visit me and I can visit you very conveniently. Thanks so much for the Indonesian meal that you cooked. It was amazing. Thanks so much for hosting us. Thanks for allowing me to stay at your place, sleeping on the same bed as you (lol ;)) during the last period I was in Wuhan. Got to know you and Meng Meng even more. And thanks for sending me off during the last day in Wuhan. I can still remember your face as I was in the taxi, and turned around to see you waving to me, saying that we would keep in contact. And I'm so glad that we did. I still talk to you every week, used to be every day when I just left. But it's okay. At least I still get to talk to you and know what you're up to. Busy bee, but always having time for friends.



Zheng Ning (钲凝)

真的很高兴认识到你！我很开心和你同班，认识到你和涂畅。虽然我们没有常常hangout，可是每一次上课时都会看到对方。渐渐地，我也和你和几个班上的人熟起来。我还记得涂畅还约我去她的生日会呢！真的很高兴可以认识你们到那个程度。你们也邀请我去帮你们in the HR interviews。Thanks so much。我也发觉到，其实我和你从一个角度来看，也是蛮相同的。我觉得我和广东人真的很容易打成一片！我们俩都有很强的个性，可是从一些人的角度来看，他们可能看不出。呵呵，还记得我，涂畅和你去了美术馆过后，你就和我一起流浪一天，也从那天的经验，认识了我的朋友。还attended Ayrton 的生日会！呵呵。从那儿也认识了刘丹。真的很神奇啊。我很高兴到现在我还和你在facebook联络，也很高兴你现在在台湾，认识认识其他国家的人。你就充足地用你exchange experience 来认识认识多关于自己，关于其他人和他们的文化！I love you!



There. I did it. I have expressed how I truly feel in my heart. I haven't done so in a blog post for a long while.



I realised one important thing about my exchange friends. That keeping in contact is very important. It shows continuity in the friendship, that it is not just there and then. It shows that we treasure the friendship, and that we really did connect. Thanks so much you great people. :)



I have other friends who had a great impact on me too, like 刘丹，大头，涂畅，何祚宇，etc. It'll take effort to talk so much about everyone, so till now, it's sufficient. And thank you to everyone who I know on exchange. Whether or not I mentioned you, I treasure you, and have probably learnt something out of you, whether you realise it or not. ;)