The Thing I Miss the Most
~Listening to John Mayer’s “Daughters”~
"Fathers be good to your Daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers
Who turn into Mothers
So Mothers be good to your Daughters too"
I never knew until now, that when you’re away from home for so long… There’s only one thing that you’ll miss more than everything else… Something that you’ll miss so much that you’re willing to spend twenty minutes everyday just dialing to make an international call… Your family…
I may have stayed in hostel for all of my University life. But, I’ve never missed home or called home as often as I have done here… My roaming sim card is carefully locked up… I refuse to bring it around with me in case I lose it or get mugged… I figured that no matter how bad things get here, with that sim card, I will still be able to call home and hear everyone’s voices… And that would make everything ok…
The photos of my parents, my sisters and my brother-in-law (to be), are proudly displayed on my shelf, where I can see them as soon as I get back to my room… Whenever I get homesick, I would re-read the card they all wrote for me… or read the emails they send me... (Thinking about it even brings tears to my eyes now…)… In fact, this blog is kept updated because I know they are reading it... It makes them feel I'm not very far away... The way I feel when I get nice emails from them...
At one point, I was even taking my vitamins every day because it reminded me of my mother…
In the song “Daughters”, John Mayer was trying to teach fathers and mothers to love their daughters… But, my parents don’t need to learn that… This daughter is the most loved girl in the world… Together with her two other equally loved sisters…
I think my family is pretty great in that way…
My parents always made time for us… We’d celebrate every special occasion… (usually a fancy dinner out… and if it’s a birthday… then a cake and presents as well)… We’d go shopping together… go on holidays together… And we discussed everything together as a family… Things like holiday destinations, major changes/plans/decisions/problems, or any expensive item that someone wants to buy… We’re pretty democratic in that way…
My Daddy is the kindest man in the world… Even his employees love working for him! He can chat up any stranger and make the person feel very at ease. (I’ve seen him do it tons of times and it still amazes me…) He hardly ever scolds, only hit me once (when I’d been really disobedient, and even then, he was tearing when he did it) and he’s very loving and careful with us… You know, he’d always come to me and my sisters and tell us that we’re the most beautiful girls in the world… Because we’re his daughters...
My Mummy spends all her time and energy to make sure we turn out all right… She takes time to know us, know our friends, and to find out what is happening with us. Whenever I’m alone with her, I would just tell her everything… I can’t keep anything from her… She’s the disciplinarian, and also the comforter… I still run to her for hugs... And let her sniff my forehead… (Her favourite habit…) She knows exactly what food we like and dislike and prepares for us wonderful “ai xin can” (meals made with love)… Home just wouldn’t feel the same without the smell of good home cooked food wafting out of the kitchen…
We aren’t filthy rich or anything… My sisters and I never got everything we wanted… (I was pretty close to that… But that’s just the privilege of being the youngest…) But that was ok… We live very comfortably… (I may be biased but I think our home is the coziest and most beautiful place ever…) My sisters and I share one room… kinda like the goldilocks’ three bears with 3 beds side by side… It’s very conducive for doing silly things (like dancing around and singing, or making silly jokes) and talking at night when we can’t sleep… Sometimes we’d leave notes for each other… on Er Jie’s Magna Doodle… That was rather nice…
There’s one other thing about my family. They are very very brave… To have let me come to Bangladesh on my own… I know they were all very worried… (Probably still are) My mother was so worried she couldn’t sleep for nights before I left… It’s a big adventure for them and for me… It’s kinda like the song by Corrinne May “Fly Away”…(I have a link to the MTV.)
“You can fly so high.
Keep your gaze upon the sky.
I’ll be praying every step along the way.
Even though it breaks my heart to know
we’ll be so far apart.
I love you too much
to make you stay.
Baby fly away.”
I may have decided to come to Dhaka, in part because I had to stop being babied by them… To learn to make decisions on my own, and to grow up… But I could never turn my back on them… They are God’s wonderful gift to me… My family has been my strength and refuge. Even when the world is mean and horrible, I know I will find love and acceptance in them… All of them… My Daddy, My Mummy, My Da Jie & My Er Jie…
"Fathers be good to your Daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers
Who turn into Mothers
So Mothers be good to your Daughters too"
I never knew until now, that when you’re away from home for so long… There’s only one thing that you’ll miss more than everything else… Something that you’ll miss so much that you’re willing to spend twenty minutes everyday just dialing to make an international call… Your family…
I may have stayed in hostel for all of my University life. But, I’ve never missed home or called home as often as I have done here… My roaming sim card is carefully locked up… I refuse to bring it around with me in case I lose it or get mugged… I figured that no matter how bad things get here, with that sim card, I will still be able to call home and hear everyone’s voices… And that would make everything ok…
The photos of my parents, my sisters and my brother-in-law (to be), are proudly displayed on my shelf, where I can see them as soon as I get back to my room… Whenever I get homesick, I would re-read the card they all wrote for me… or read the emails they send me... (Thinking about it even brings tears to my eyes now…)… In fact, this blog is kept updated because I know they are reading it... It makes them feel I'm not very far away... The way I feel when I get nice emails from them...
At one point, I was even taking my vitamins every day because it reminded me of my mother…
In the song “Daughters”, John Mayer was trying to teach fathers and mothers to love their daughters… But, my parents don’t need to learn that… This daughter is the most loved girl in the world… Together with her two other equally loved sisters…
I think my family is pretty great in that way…
My parents always made time for us… We’d celebrate every special occasion… (usually a fancy dinner out… and if it’s a birthday… then a cake and presents as well)… We’d go shopping together… go on holidays together… And we discussed everything together as a family… Things like holiday destinations, major changes/plans/decisions/problems, or any expensive item that someone wants to buy… We’re pretty democratic in that way…
My Daddy is the kindest man in the world… Even his employees love working for him! He can chat up any stranger and make the person feel very at ease. (I’ve seen him do it tons of times and it still amazes me…) He hardly ever scolds, only hit me once (when I’d been really disobedient, and even then, he was tearing when he did it) and he’s very loving and careful with us… You know, he’d always come to me and my sisters and tell us that we’re the most beautiful girls in the world… Because we’re his daughters...
My Mummy spends all her time and energy to make sure we turn out all right… She takes time to know us, know our friends, and to find out what is happening with us. Whenever I’m alone with her, I would just tell her everything… I can’t keep anything from her… She’s the disciplinarian, and also the comforter… I still run to her for hugs... And let her sniff my forehead… (Her favourite habit…) She knows exactly what food we like and dislike and prepares for us wonderful “ai xin can” (meals made with love)… Home just wouldn’t feel the same without the smell of good home cooked food wafting out of the kitchen…
We aren’t filthy rich or anything… My sisters and I never got everything we wanted… (I was pretty close to that… But that’s just the privilege of being the youngest…) But that was ok… We live very comfortably… (I may be biased but I think our home is the coziest and most beautiful place ever…) My sisters and I share one room… kinda like the goldilocks’ three bears with 3 beds side by side… It’s very conducive for doing silly things (like dancing around and singing, or making silly jokes) and talking at night when we can’t sleep… Sometimes we’d leave notes for each other… on Er Jie’s Magna Doodle… That was rather nice…
There’s one other thing about my family. They are very very brave… To have let me come to Bangladesh on my own… I know they were all very worried… (Probably still are) My mother was so worried she couldn’t sleep for nights before I left… It’s a big adventure for them and for me… It’s kinda like the song by Corrinne May “Fly Away”…(I have a link to the MTV.)
“You can fly so high.
Keep your gaze upon the sky.
I’ll be praying every step along the way.
Even though it breaks my heart to know
we’ll be so far apart.
I love you too much
to make you stay.
Baby fly away.”
I may have decided to come to Dhaka, in part because I had to stop being babied by them… To learn to make decisions on my own, and to grow up… But I could never turn my back on them… They are God’s wonderful gift to me… My family has been my strength and refuge. Even when the world is mean and horrible, I know I will find love and acceptance in them… All of them… My Daddy, My Mummy, My Da Jie & My Er Jie…
posted by thebemusedphotog @ 11:55 PM
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