My six weeks here is almost over. So much has happened. As someone will put it, too much. But of course at that time, he was referring to the price he paid for his HTC phone.
I don't even know how or where to begin. Perhaps I should just talk about the people I met.
First up, there's Nisreen. I can't remember when we became close. Perhaps it was after the metro incident. We were waiting for our train back to Foggy-bottom when a man approached her, asking when is Eid. Soon he became interested in the multi-nationality of the three of us and started asking more questions. I gave him my number and email. No harm done since it's a temp no. I shan't repeat the mistake I made 2 years ago. To cut a long story short, Sami became our favourite conversation. That marked the beginning of our friendship. Of course, there were times when I became an unbearable person. Like when I was being overly obsessed with doing the charts my way instead of letting others help. Nisreen surely did not approve of that.
And then there was Wendy, the lady with an influential background in her home country. She truly surprised me with her friendliness and down-to-earth nature. I will never forget the day she made me cry on the bus to New York. So much has gone through in her life and she had held on strong. Compared to her, my life is as mundane as a car manual. She will also be remembered as the one who has the naughtiest imagination. It didn't surprised me one bit that she got the room with a bathroom with red light.
Who's next? Maybe it should be Andre, the guy who was always late in class. We hardly spoke much. Merely casual hellos and goodbyes and how are you. But I do know him as a great person. Extremely outgoing. Love peace more than anything. Always the guy to break the tension in the workshop. Without him, there will be bloodshed. I guess we truly became friend after he offered to share the presentation with me. We made a great team. We were entertaining as well as informative (that's what I would like to think). Thanks, Andre for the macaroni and cheese and introducing me to woosh woosh.
I think I must mention Tom at this point. He is after all my permanent lunch partner when everyone else has their own plans. From the very beginning, Tom is a quiet and technical (OMG, he loves to write formulas on board) guy. He is also one of the most gentlemanly guy in the class. He held the door for the ladies, he let the ladies walk first, and other little gestures that make me appreciate having him in my team. Like an older brother I have never had.
Perhaps it's time to talk about Esref, one of my favourite person in the class. In the beginning, I dread having him and Edwin in the same group. They fought all the time. They fought in class and in workshop. One in Turkish accent, the other in thick, Indian accent. They really gave me headache all the time that I zoned out. But now, they had become the greatest asset in the workshop. Seems that I can't talk about Esref without Edwin. While there were some major tensions in the beginning, they made peace in the middle of the workshop. Esref with his jokes really lightened up the discussions, earning them the nickname "Pinky and the brain". As the whole team forced them to present the program scenario, they strategised by shooting questions to other team before they can shoot back. I must say that's a pretty good strategy.
Then, there's Arie the photographer. Can't believe he made me carry his SLR into the US Treasury Dept, resulting in me being marked as a typical Asian tourist. Although I must say I truly appreciate him and his camera. Most of the good photos I have originated from him. Six weeks into the course, Arie is officially 10 months pregnant. I am glad I have good self-control when it comes to food. But not so good when it comes to stuffs like great books, famous people and movie scenes.
Other people worth a short mentioning:
Dorji, one of the first few person I made friend with. He took me to Trader Joe's, Adams Morgan (pub) and my favourite uncommon cafe (which happened to become Tom's fav too).
Dear, sweet Rosa who loves shopping and will be marrying her fiancee next year. I only remember going out to the pub and shopping with her. She is the prettiest girl from Cape Verde I have ever met.
Claudio, the friendly Brazilian. I like the way he calls my name. There's a certain pitch to it. Must be the accent. But man, he can be quite stubborn. I mean, if the chinese dude said we can't have the outside table, then we can just sit inside. I don't understand why he is so particular. Oh well.
Adrianna, the pixie size girl with long, straight hair. Really long hair. We talked but we never went out together. Such a pity. I do know she shops a lot. I just don't do it as much.
Peter who sits next to me must the the tallest guy in the class. He loves sport and taking photos. Of himself not other people. I heard how he almost got into a fight with some locals over basketball. Wished I had seen at least one game but I never have the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment