In August, I went home for the summer holidays to spend time with family and friends. It was great to be back home after being away for so long and missing a lot of people. I was glad to have spent my birthday with the people dear to me, to see my beloved youngest sister (and how much she’d grown while I was away), to eat food that I missed, to catch up on everyone back home, and to do things I enjoyed doing in Manila.
Japan has been great so far, and I’ll be honest – things are much safer here, and the standard of living is much better. I’m quite happy here, but there are times when I feel a bit lonely and sentimental, and I start missing people back home. It sounds a bit contradictory, being happy but also feeling occasionally sad, but it’s quite possible, and it doesn’t mean that I’m not truly enjoying Japan or anything. So imagine how happy I was to see some loved ones again. Manila may be chaotic, but that’s where many of the people I care about are. (If only I had more time to see more people, though!)
I relished eating Jollibee again, as I love Jollibee’s spaghetti, burger steak, and Chickenjoy. I also enjoyed being able to eat non-fastfood burgers for an affordable price (Zark’s Burger is awesome!), trying new restaurants, and singing karaoke again (the karaoke machines in Tokyo have a wider range of songs, but it isn’t as fun singing alone, or with people I’m not yet close to). And of course, I missed attending some events here and there – this time, with an added twist, as I had to do some fieldwork for my thesis. (The events that I attended while I was in Manila weren’t the major events, though; too bad.)
For privacy reasons, I’d rather not post photos of my family and friends here, so instead, have a photo of some loom bands that my youngest sister made for me. Loom bands became a fad in the Philippines while I was away, and she took up loom bands as a hobby. She became good at making loom bands, so, while watching her make them, I asked her if she could make me one. It’s still with me right now, but since it loosened a bit and almost got lost as a result, I’ve just kept the loom band at home. I wouldn’t want to lose something from her!
I also got a bunch of gifts and trinkets from other loved ones. I treasure the gifts that are given to me, so, friends, rest assured that I’m appreciative and grateful.
Until the next visit then!
Golden Time Lover 