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Reconnecting with an old friend

Have you ever wondered what happened to your best friend from junior high or maybe your puppy love in 4th grade? Our fast-paced, stress-filled lives take us in different directions, and it¡¯s easy to lose touch with one another. We don¡¯t intend to forget our friends; we just overlook the value of their friendships.

During the summer vacation I got a visit from a very old friend that I hadn¡¯t seen in maybe 16 years. Sure, we communicated on Facebook and sent emails to each other, but we hadn¡¯t actually had the chance to sit together and just chat face to face. I¡¯ve known him since college and I was so excited to finally see him again in person. I remember the days when we would march along the streets of Manila protesting college tuition hike, unfair labor practices, agrarian reforms, etc. It was the early 90s, a turbulent time in the history of Philippine politics. We were the so-called ¡®militant students¡¯. We would spend hours and hours discussing socio-political issues, drinking cheap gin, painting protest banners and making Molotov cocktails for upcoming street protests. Ah, I miss the good old days!

My friend now works for Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), an organization dedicated to campaign on the world¡¯s environmental and social issues. He is also a well-known photojournalist in the Philippines. He came to Seoul for an FOEI conference and decided to come down and pay me a visit while in Korea.

Needless to say, we had a blast. He had only three days to stay but it was more than enough to reconnect us. It was really good to see him after all these years. We relived the old times, reminisced and shared fond memories. We talked about our old friends, old professors and the places where we used to hang out. The old jokes were funny again. The faces of the people we knew were visible again.

I took him to Kyungju and Busan. He was so impressed with Korea¡¯s modernity and efficiency but commented about the lack of biodiversity. He took awesome pictures. Thanks to him, I had a chance to see Bulgoksa, Seokkuram, and Haeundae beach again in a different perspective.

We discussed about where we currently are at in our lives. We talked about our spouses and daughters and shared the joys and pains of parenthood and marriage. We found out about each other¡¯s current interests and hobbies and reveled at our incidents of personal heroism. We listened to the twists and turns our lives have taken. We took turns giving advice on matters that concern us the most. We justified why we value certain things over others. We both understood that our lives are much more different and difficult now than in college. We realized that the lives that we lead are so different from each other, and accepted the fact that we¡¯re too old to argue about the differences. And yes, we drank, too.

Reconnecting with old friends is always rewarding. It could be months or years of absence from each other but a true friendship always holds a promise of unconditional support and a sense of belonging. Think about the people you miss the most in your life. Give them a call, send them an email. Or better yet, pay them a visit. There might be a surprise waiting for you.

by Cecile Hwang, Language Education Center

Cecile Hwang  -

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