They say if you really want to know a person and you want to test your dynamics, travel with them.

This trip made us show the best and the worst version of ourselves. In the everyday office setting, it's always at least the four of us hanging out together during breakfast, lunch, and meryenda (and sometimes dinner too!). In-between the eating sessions, we also always have random chitchats together (which was very convenient because we all sit close to each other). I always have fun being with them, and it just makes work feel less like work, if you know what I mean. 😊 Being with them in this trip was a whole different setting, literally. Placed in (slightly) stressful situations of finding our way around the city or choosing our mode of transportation while feeling half-asleep and tired, we discovered our ways of coping and adjusting with each others' mood swings and unpredictable tendencies. It should have been a giveaway for all of us to realize that we bond best over food, so take that out of the equation and for sure, one of us will be massively pissed off. Some of us treasures quiet time and me-time the most, so understandably they will feel irked when their personal space and moment have been invaded. Also, we learned that we can compromise our differences in our beliefs, and we respect each person's decision when they decline to participate in an activity. To each his own.

Despite all of these subtle misunderstandings, the greatest takeaway that I had from this trip is the fact that we will be there looking out for each other. I learned that we are very willing to cover up for another person to shield them from being hurt. I realized that we know each other enough to feel when it was time to goof around versus when it's time to be quiet and just give space to each other. Our brain waves work in the same frequency already that we will unspokenly respond to a situation in similar ways. This is such a wonderful revelation for me because now I can say that I really know these people now, and seeing their flaws made me like them more. 💓

As much as this trip was a discovery of the different layers of our friendship, it also became an avenue for me to know more about myself. I discovered that I would always be drawn to the peace of the breaking dawn and the beauty of the sunrise (that's why I tried to wake up early each morning of our trip), and that there are more than one way to approach life's challenges: resist or accept things as they are 😁.


For sure, this trip has transformed our friendship into a whole new level. 😊

Next post: Day 0 - Travel to the airport (I can feel life will interrupt again so at least this post is already out to the Universe. I wonder when will I ever finish my travel logs? 😅).