Friday, August 21, 2009

The week in summary

This week my thoughts are with Lil, one of my beloved aunts, who has been warded for fever and what seems to be some infection of her brain lining (?!). I miss having her all lively and bossing everyone about. But it's pretty marvelous how the family network sprung into action - people bringing porridge and bovril for the patient, visiting, checking in on the family... it really feels like some sort of safety net: fall, and the rest link up to catch you.

So as I went to check in on my cousin this week, I thought about how - many years ago, I was a blur sotong of a twelve year old, and my aunt came to my rescue. I was supposed to go to my aunt's after a class event at the national stadium. Only thing is, I figured it would be faster for me to take a public bus rather than go back to school. So I persuaded my teacher to let me go... but after the class had left, I found that I didn't know which bus-stop to take the bus from.

Recap: Twelve years old, all alone at the stadium, hardly any money, handphones didn't exist yet, and I think I asked some passers-by for a coin to make a phonecall with:)

At any rate, I managed to call my family to let them know where I was. While waiting for Lil to come get me, it started to pour. I felt sooo miserable and lost and pathetic.

In the end, Lil zoomed down in a car that she happened to have possession of that week - borrowed from someone at work who was overseas (again, cars weren't all that common then). It was raining buckets, we were both drenched, and I was so cold my teeth chattered together in the car. But I was safe with my aunty Lil, and that's all that mattered.

Ah, the drama of it all. Missing my aunt the drama queen...

***

As for the rest of my week: busy juggling some new areas of work as I get ready to switch units at the end of the year (finally).

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