friends

I heard about this lady for the first time about five years ago. We opened our wedding presents a day after wedding celebration that our church made for us. Then we opened a present with two names I'd never heard before. They were endearing elderly ladies brought color to our church. They were sisters who took care of each other. Their health hindered them from coming to church. The younger one never got married, the older had family. However, two of them lived alone. The younger one took care of her sister wholeheartedly for the rest of her older sister's life. The older sister passed away years ago. Since then the younger sister, Obie moved to a nursing home.

Whenever we carolled on Christmas time to Obie, I could see that she was in joy. Sitting on a wheel chair, she asked one kid to sit on her lap. Hymn sing was her favorite. She would requested some songs, hymns that she used to sing. She sang and showed her bright, content smile. Then, she would ask us to carol to everyone at the nursing home. We would then walk around the corridors with Obie leading in front of us. I could see some people were curious on what was going on, and some muttered the song we were singing.

Last Christmas we went there, she wasn't in a great condition. I wouldn't have known if my friend had not asked, since she showed her usual joyful face. After telling her health problem, she said that it was nothing compare to the joy she will received when she met the Lord, while she had her finger pointed up. She was ready, but in the mean time she used her time to spread her faith and shared her overflow happiness to people on nursing home. I never spend much time with her, but from our short meetings and from people's testimony about her, I could see that she was a very faithful, special and influential lady.

This freezing winter morning, I attended her funeral. A joyful funeral, since finally met her dear older sister. Joyful, since it was a celebration of her meeting Father 'above' there.

Sending Christmas card was one of my Christmas ritual until I was in was a sophomore of junior in college. I could spend much time looking for best Christmas cards that fit my budget. Pictures on those cards would bring my imagination to places covered with snow, with snowman and conifer trees in front of Victorian houses and children with their toboggan and scarf were laughing enjoying their time. I didn't care about santa and his reindeer, so they never came to my imagination Not only that, I enjoyed writing on the cards using my best handwriting, gluing stamps, then inserting them to mailbox also.

Yet, the most excitement was when I heard a honk (the honk was loud, kinda annoying) from mailman's motorcycle around Christmas time. I would run outside, receive a heap of mails and hope to find my name written on those envelopes. There's a joy when I received card from friends. Then I saved those card in my 'card' drawer that was located at the lower part of my pink desk I got when I was a third grader. When I cleaned that desk before that desk was given to someone, I found piles of Christmas cards since I was in elementary school.

As time went by, the technology become more advance, people no longer depend on Christmas card to send Christmas greeting and wishes to their respected ones. Like most people that I know, I also preferred sending message (sms) from cell phone because I could send one for several people at once. Besides, it is cheaper, more practical, and less using paper. People also get very creative with creating messages. Even with the earliest cell phone, they could create clever graphics using limited symbols and pixels available at that time.

Slightly parallel to sms trend, e-card and other electronic media was great choice to send Christmas wish without traditional-Christmas-card hassle. In my country at that time, not many people had their personal internet connection, so many had to go to limited number of internet cafe. Sending message still won that years. About after 2004, getting internet connection has becoming easier. Social networks played big role in society and people change information, greet and meet through it replacing traditional cards or even cell-phone' messages. That time, I was not surprised when I heard from the news about store and card company complained about their decreasing demand for their products.

Moving to the US in 2005, I experienced different situation. Cell phone wasn't as common as that of in Indonesia; and sending text message boomed just now and mostly for young generation. Internet connection was so easy and cheap to get, yet somewhat couldn't fully replace that classical-annual practice. On my first Christmas, I was surprised to receive Christmas cards from friends mostly from friends that we met every week. Those were my first Christmas cards after my years dived in sms era. Some even handed it to us directly when they met us. Seriously, I was puzzled. Back home, Christmas card works as extended hand for people that we can't reach directly. I guess here in the US, it is more like a culture.

After that first year, not much for getting surprised, I try to understand Christmas card purpose, but enjoy cards that has their kids picture. Year after year we can see how much the kids has grown! We never replied their Christmas card nor sent to our other friends because we thought we meet the people anyway, and always wish them a merry Christmas on Christmas service. Yet, year after year we kept receiving cards from friends. After 4 years, this year we decided to follow the culture and give our very best Christmas greeting to our dear friends through Christmas cards

It is not very common that we have friends visiting our house. This time is exceptional, that especially our brother (I don't like to mention him as hubby's brother since he is my brother too now) visited us on his new-year break. Every big day like thanksgiving and Christmas, many people visit their family or get their family over to their house. I often asked him to visit his sweet sister, but he never had any chance. Hubby only has one brother, and having marrying him for more than 3 years, I can understand that relationship between brothers is so much different than that of sisters. Maaann...guys are weird. They talk only when they really need each other. Well...sisters too. But for sister, talking and ask each other's doing are needs! For hubby, his brother is fine by default so he doesn't need to call or check on once in a while. "If he's not fine, he'll tell", hubby said. When our brother said that he and his girlfriend were going to spend time with us, I was delighted! Oh, did I mention his girlfriend? Here women played important role for social interaction, especially for this brothers reunion

Bro and his girlfriend came two days before new year. Hubby and I cleaned the house and put more insulation days before. But since kids like to un-order the house on Sunday, we practically re-cleaned the house started on Sunday night. On Tuesday, I cooked bao and some dishes for dinner. That day my job seemed never ended. The cleaning part wasn't completely done since hubby didn't feel well the night before so he didn't stay up late to get stuffs done. That Tuesday, he still worked late and got home 10 minutes before our companies came. Initially, I was a little bit nervous if we couldn't communicate well. I mean, since we barely talked from heart to heart, I was afraid if we didn't know what to say and the whole visit would be lame. But, my nervousness was unreasonable. We had a great time and never lost interest of talking!
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I couldn't go through this day without thinking about what was happening thousand miles away in my college town. I could picture him, wearing his best tux, displaying his smiley funny face but his eyes showing his earnestness at his most-loved one while saying "I do".

Easygoing, handy, humorous, smart, and artistic, are his attributes in addition to his personality that makes people love him. He was my classmate at my last semester in college, and since then we became best friends. I'am so blessed to know him; and definitely upset for missing his greatest moment.

The rest of my days in Surabaya was a wonderful reunion. I didn't expect to meet that many friends because I knew there are all busy.

One hot day, Rika, Dwina and I had chance to visit my college and had had lunch at the cafeteria. I'd been a long time since I graduated, but the cafeteria remains the same. My fave juice vendor is still there. Yay! We took a tour to the campus, to the floors where I spent my years at.

Surabaya is famous of it's varies delicious food. Some of them are owned by my friends. My friends Ferry and Milka opened a duck restaurant couple months ago. The special menu from the restaurant called smashed duck. It's a marinated fried duck, then shredded, not a whole breast or thigh. Combined with rice and super-hot chili; and lots of good friends, it was purr...fect!

I didn't like porky food before I tried Joni's restaurant. I think I am addicted to it now. Hok Siong, Joni's restaurant was one of my list, and I've recommended it to my friends. We were going to his place but he and Filia, his wife were at home. That night, My bro, Dina and I went to Joni's house instead. They have a very cute little girl name Ella. I believe many people wish to take Ella home A day after, Joni, Filia and Ella came to Rika house, where I stay, to give us three packs of sioke siobak. WoW! what a blessing! I could sleep well then Thanks to Joni and Filia.

Surabaya grows so fast. I visited there last year, but this year found many additions. There are several highrise apartments and malls adding Surabaya's skyline. One evening, Meikel and Rika took me to Sutos, a new mall that has outdoor plaza. We met Asoy, my super-energetic friend. Rika treated us at suki restaurant. We took bunch of pictures after that. What a funny night.

Another one hot day, I met my college friends. We ate at bebek pak Komar, our favorite place when we still work at one architecture firm near that area. It was unexpected and unbelievable to meet my friends there. Last year we arranged several times to meet but it never happened. On Saturday, one more time I met my college friends. We hadn't meet for about five years. Things have changed, but I still felt the same toward them. Seeing them reminded me to years back, when we had fun at college time.

My visit is not enough without eating at places near campus. There's plenty to list. I am happy to be able to eat at Depot 28 and Hidayah. I wish the price in US is as cheap as here I also had chance to go to Guntur's Warung Gerobak near campus. What a yum yum...
On Sunday, my bro, Dina, Rika took me to an ice cream place. The place was great, the food was fine, and the ice cream was fabulous. I think I never say enough to ice cream

The most different things that I could feel was the member addition of my friends' family. Joni and Filia has chubby Ella; and Filia is expecting a daughter. C Lusi and mang Armand have adorable twin daughters. Pranata and kak Herma has cute Regina; and kak Herma just delivered her daughter two days after I met her. Merry and Bobo is expecting their first son. Now Asoy just found out her pregnancy. WoW! My church has several candidates for the elders thirties years from now.

On my last night on my visiting Surabaya, Pranata and family took us to a seafood restaurant, then we moved to warung jagung bakar for dessert . Pranata was one of persistent guys that could make me and my other three friends go to church when we were a new student. I am so glad to have fellowship with Pranata and kak Herma; and play with Regina, their tho-years-old daughter.

Although that week my stomach was still upset; and I couldn't eat much, my visit to Surabaya was great great great..... Overall, my biggest thanks to Rika who always took me around and understood me the way I were. I had a great moment with her that full week. Thanks for the sharing, the love, and the joy you shared. Thanks to Meikel for the hosting me. Thanks to everybody I met. You are a part of my joy. I have to block a week on my calendar with big highlighter. See... I am so blessed with friends.