I’ve been away from home for close to two months, experienced a fire, an earthquake, travelled from Singapore to Berkeley for a school experience I can confidently say taught me many things I never knew before, and brought me in contact with people of more walks of life than I imagined I’d meet in one trip.

I learnt to trust while distrusting, and that I will always seem like just a kid in parts of the world. I joined in the 4th of July Independence Day celebrations in San Diego, felt the supernatural in San Luis Obispo, met really nice people in Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and on the Amtrak train. It’s enough, and I want to go home.

I’ve sung Singapore national day songs in the room of an inn, eaten way to much bread, and wanted to thump the head of more than one irritating kid. Been to Legoland, San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium and Disneyland California Adventure where I took an upside down roller coaster ride for the very first time, probably my last too.

And for my first time away from home for such a long time, maybe a little bit too long, I’ve spent enough time and money away from home for now. I miss the people I love, and the keys of my piano, and my Japanese work. I miss how small Singapore is and how foreigners will almost never feel the same way about the country the way Singaporeans do.

I appreciate Singlish, because it really is all we have to identify one another, and I appreciate our multi-cultural, multi-food food courts, multi-everything you can squish into one tiny island-state home.

I’m looking forward to going home. To the place I know I won’t be able to sing the next National Day Song because it’s just TOO contemporary, but love it anyway.

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