Sunday, October 15, 2006

Of kindred spirits and lost souls

Most of today was spent with a new acquaintance named Karen. She and I were invited by Fernan to breakfast at their nice place in Parkview, and this was the first time I met her. Clicking with a first time acquaintance - though not impossible - is also not common. Karen is one of those few instances when the first time meeting felt like a reunion among long lost friends.

Part of it is largely because Karen and I share the same story. We were both asked to move to HK early last year, and we arrived here pretty much the same time. Both of us came here for the same reason - honest-to-goodness regional experience. We both aim for the same thing, bringing back home the things we've learned and use it to make the industry work a bit better back home. We both come from the same school, and conveniently, know a lot of the same people. Our industries are intertwined - she used to be with a research agency and later on moved to a network. On the other hand, i'm in advertising, and as she herself said: "Creative people hate researchers."

That's true, but not in this instance.

Hours after getting to know each other, we found a lot of other common threads. First, we're both still very much attached to the Philippines and continuously long for home. Both our hearts are in the Philippines - she has her husband and her family back in Manila, while I have my family and my life back there, too. But whilst I come home every month, she takes a trip back home every two weeks. She really must miss her husband, and missing a loved one is something I can easily relate to.

Second, we handle homesickness more or less the same way. She told me that whenever boredom and longing for Manila kicks in, she either goes the the parlor, spa or the mall for some therapy. My therapy is shopping, of course. After all, i've got too little hair to cut and am not too big on the spa thing. Karen tells me that she sometimes goes to Worldwide center just to listen to Filipinos chatter - this alone brings her joy, and it's something I've done a couple of times as well. We've talked about uncontrolled "tear rolling down the cheek" spells, and the adrenaline rush that comes with every trip back to Manila.

Listening to her is like listening to myself. Looking at her experiences feels like looking through mine. She's also a lost soul, and knowing her is like finding a kindred spirit. And finding one would actually make life a bit easier here.

Unfortunately, she won't be here for long. After 18 months, she's decided to come home. The call of her heart is so loud, it prevailed over the sound of money, materialism and shopping noise of Hong Kong. She quit her job, she's living the glitz and glamour of this country behind to be with the people who really matter, and the country that's really in her heart. Yes, in a month's time, she'll be back home in Manila.

Of course, I envy her. Doing that is something that has crossed my mind so many times since I first set foot here. Many times, I was just a hairline away from actually doing it - quitting, packing my 70+ pairs of jeans and going back home. But from where I stand now, there's still something to accomplish here: a lot more points to prove, a lot more people to help, a lot more of lives to touch. If it weren't for these circumstances, I might be writing this blog from Makati and not from North Point.

It would have been nicer if we knew each other longer. We could have helped each other guide each one back home. But somehow, knowing her story and knowing she's coming home might just be the guide I need.

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