Thursday, May 19, 2005

Of Gruezis and Goodbyes

It's my last day in St. Gallen. I'll be going to Zurich tomorrow morning.

These two days, doing anything here has been weighed down by the thought of having to leave something behind. The daily routine I have etched out for myself, and become so used to, is going to be a thing of the past tomorrow. :(

Downing yogurt for breakfast. Watching Weiming struggle with his cornflakes cos he dawdled too much. Hui Kie leaving food for the rest of us bums to heat up. Running like mad dogs after Bus 9. Missing it and having to walk to the Bahnhof to take Bus 5. Furious writing in class. Taking extended breaks. Hot cross buns and apples for lunch. C&A, Orsay, Chicoree, Le Park, Clockhouse, H&M and all the clothes I can't buy. Rationing internet time. Locking the doors before going to sleep. Struggling with dirty clothes and a lack of hangers. Hui Kie in command at the stove, me cutting food, Kenneth complaining of hunger, Ben offering booze, and Wei Ming the washerboy. Chionging out of school to meet the 630pm supermarket closing times.

All these simple things are things I have become so accustomed to. When I wake up, I reach for the Estee Lauder moisturizer and lip balm even before I step out of the room. It's not something I'd do in oh-shit-it's-so-humid Singapore. And putting my hand out of the window in the morning to decide whether it's short or long sleeved tops for the day, or if I should bring 1 or 2 jackets to school.

1 month is not long enough for me to truly experience life anywhere. Neither is it short enough for it to seem like a mere vacation. But I think everyone would agree with this- that this was an experience of a lifetime.


Laid bare at 1:47 pm
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