A Friendship

Just got back from Jakarta...

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, after a heavy cleaning of my room, I started to think that I have to write something on `friendship`, as I learnt a lot from it within past few months. So, here I am, sitting in front of my computer, while listening to old songs from Michael Buble, and sipping a cup of coffee, I start to write about something (or someone?) that inspires me a lot..:)

I, or to be exact, we have new friend. He is a (very) junior diplomat from my office, just finished his diplomatic training, and got an internship at our embassy in Tokyo for 3 (three) months. Before coming, he has contacted me through emails, asking about this and that, advices and suggestions. On the day of his arrival, I was the one who picked him up at the airport. At first, nothing special, just another of my junior (I thought..:)). I noticed that he is tall and well built, and the first thing that came up to my mind...hmm...boleh juga buat ngangkut-ngangkut kalo ada acara di wisma or di lobi...:)! Well, dont blame me, we all girls at the embassy, the only guy among the `kesets` is only Yudho, and he has already so many works to do. The first impression about him, nice kid and...quite (which turns out to be totally wrong...)

So, we arrived at the embassy, and I introduced him to Yudho, since I thought, well, it is a time for a man-to-man bonding between him and Yudho:). At that time, I was still very occupied with many guests that come and go every week, and I have to even spent the weekend to take care of those `rombengan`. I did not really pay attention to the new guy, until one day I realized that I have not treated him to some place to eat. It is a kind of tradition that you treat the juniors to go somewhere to eat. So, I asked Rima when will be the good time to treat the new guy.

The four of us-me, RIma, Yudho and Kiki (the new guy) went to a restaurant near our office to have a dinner together, we chatted and chatted, and shared many stories. Like I said, he was nice, and fun to talk to. He can always come up with any topics, so there were no silent moment among us. After that day, if we had chance, we went dinner together, or lunch together, usually with other girls, or with Yudho, and we became friends. I introduced him to my husband and my sister in-law, and in instant time, he also became close with them.

As time goes by, he turned out to be very talkactive, funny, laugh a lot, talk a lot. Some people at the embassy even considered him as a comedian, not as a diplomat. He is funny, nice to everyone and never differentiate people. He even made friend with a person at the embassy that I have never wanted to be acquinted..:) That is such a rare quality, considering that many staffs think that we, diplomats, always consider ourselves higher than them. By seeing him, I could not stop thinking, how come he can be that nice to everyone..:)? But I began to learn something from him, that it is no harm in saying `hi` to everyone, that it is no harm in doing good things to everyone.

Another thing that I learn from him, he is always helpful to everyone, and always doing his job properly and as fast as he could. When I had guests that I have to taken care of, I asked him to accompany me to Asakusa, and to have dinner with them. He accompanied me and helped me a lot in taking care of those guests, and that I really appreciated it. Other time, he accompanied me to the airport to take care of the family of Mbak Tika. I did not ask for that, but he voluntarily accompanied me, and that I really appreciated it. He took care of us, the girls, without any reservations, and that is something.

He is also the one who can be with everyone, he is a good listener, he listened to everyone, and he paid attention to what we are trying to say..There is a time that we just need to be listened to, and there is other time that we really need an advice, and he can be at those time..He opened up to some of us, and in return, I finally can open up to him, to tell him my past that I hide from my other friends (even from my longtime bestfriends). I did not know what made me put so much faith on him, but I just know that I could always share my thoughts, my fears and my happiness to him as my bestfriend.

We went together to many places, and we enjoyed each and every moment of it. Many sleepovers, my place, Rima`s place, the girls sometime joined the sleepovers, spent the nights talking, gossiping, laughing, and sometimes eating..:). I have never experienced that kind of thing ever since my graduate time at Niigata. It was so much fun and so memorable, that reminds me of how close we are and how I could not forget such wonderful times together.

Our bonds became much closer when we had to take care one of our friend who is hospitalized due to some illness. At that time, we were the ones who found her in real pain, I could not forget how worried he was when he was asked to buy some medicine for her...how worried we were when we forced her to go to hospital with us... So many nights that I ended up worrying, so many nights that I ended up crying...During that hard times, he is always beside me, giving me a shoulder to cry on, helping me to take care many things...I know I could not ask my friends as they had already many things to do, but he is always there to lend me any assistance, to give me helps more than I could ever ask for.... I could never forget how I was so stressed out, how I cried so much in the car, he was beside me, trying to calm me...I could never forget how he dragged Rima to my apartment late at night, just because he was worried about me after coming back from the hospital...I truly, truly cause him so much trouble...but I really, really touched by that...and for that, I could never say enough thanks..I have found my bestfriend...

I learned a lot from this. Yes, friendship can be made overnight...Yes, a true and long-lasting friendship can be made within 3 months...I now believe that..:). He came with no reservations, he is nice and sincere, and maybe that helps a lot to create such bond, such friendship which I always treasure...It is funny how life can lead us to this...yet, it is remarkable how life can give us such wonderful friends..

I have never told this to everyone, but you know, within those couple months I actually felt that I have lost my longtime bestffriend, my friend since college. She has become distant and has changed into another person which I barely know...On that couple months, she has done something that hurt me, and made me sad...But within that months also, God has given me another bestfriend who has helped me through one of my hardest time in life, whom I can count on...so that I could stay strong, stay as who I am now...

Thank you for coming into my life, Dek...