So Long, Kuala Lumpur

3 years of having ‘quality time’ with Kuala Lumpur, you are officially my 2nd home. You nurtured me very well to be independent, to understand deeply about friendship and family, about trust, about tough times, and of course about believing in myself.

You have welcomed me with open arms since the first time. And you’ve never stopped giving me new experiences since then. You have taken the most important role in shaping identity that I’ve been looking for this whole time.

I came from a small town to a big city. Without knowing a single person. All the way by myself, when I was 18 yo. You know what happened? I was homesick. I thought I’d be feeling homesick after 3 months staying or so. No. Right at the time I was landed in KL and got into my dorm, I felt homesick right away. I just realized the stupid move I took, when I was thousand miles away from my family. I was not ready. Then I remembered what my mom said, “If you get lost, ask.” I still could recall those 30 minutes of homesick-ness. Then I took a deep breath, I knew that I could not just sit down and feel homesick, I should do something. I came out from my room, hang out in the livingroom, met a fellow Indonesian, and another Indonesian, and some international students, we had dinner at the downtown, came back to my dorm and found my Korean house-mates. The next thing I knew, I was hanging out with new friends in new places everyday.

But, it’s only the beginning, only the introduction. Among those fun times, I have bestfriends who always kept my feet back on the ground. Felix and Dita. My second family. There are no words could describe and reveal what we had been through together. KL and two of them will never ever be separated. They are reminding me of family, love, unconditional support, unlimited care, discussions, projects, dinners, laughters, disagreements, they are both my brother & sister, part of my heart. We were not always together, we had our own lives, but we always be there whenever we needed each other. I dont know, our relationship was just special. And it still does. We are apart in 3 different places, doing our things, missing each other, yet still connected closely.

I had to be independent, working my ass off to survive. Survive in college and survive in the environment. Nothing had come easy on me. However, thank God I was surrounded with great friends who were like my own families.Well, I believe that a strong relationship is built through hard times. Therefore, thank you for letting me learn in the last 3 years, for all the precious experiences, for all the sweet memories, and for the great families I have found. So long KL, you are definitely a part of my life.

"I'm a new soul I came to this strange world, hoping I could learn a bit about how to give and take. But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear, finding myself making every possible mistake" Yael Naim - New Soul