That Boy

by annisarofi 7:30 AM 1 comments AYA mid-orientation

Last week I attended mid-orientation for my exchange program at Disney. I got a lot of new friends from all over the world. It was nice to meet them, sharing about how is our exchange year going. Proud and impressed by their experiences.

So there I was, on the first day of the orientation. The day that another AYA students just arrived from their placements. The time that we all meet for the first: Dinner. I was sitting with my Indonesian friends, Eric and Shaqina. They are another AYA exchange students in different states. Lia, Mae, and Ekky? of course yes! We always be together anyway --"
We, 6 Indonesian exchange kids were sitting in the same table, enjoying our food and -of course- talking. We still got some empty chairs in our table, and one by one another exchange student come and join our table. One of them was a boy from a country in Africa. Let's call him Jay (for J). My first impression wasn't special at all. We start to talk, and talk more in a group.

He is a nice guy -just like other exchange students.

One time during the orientation my friend tell me a story about him. A sad story. That means nothing for me but tell that he is rreally humble.

I start to look him as a different person. Not that kind-of-special-feelings, just different.

This was our second day at mid-orientation and we went to Magic Kingdom, one of the parks in Disney. I went with my Indonesian friends in a group, having so much fun. Shortly, it comes the time for Dinner. We went to one of the restaurants, pick a table, and went to get the food. We were waiting in the line to order when he came and wait also in the same line, next to us. We said Hi and asked whom he came with. He said he came himself. We asked where his friends were and find out that he was going in the park himself. The others already went theirselves and thus he didn't get any friends to go with.

I don't know why but I felt kinda mad that time to know that we are not aware enough with our friends that even none of us know if one of our friends had to go himself because no one comes with him.

We had dinner with him, and we also walk together after that. We take lots of pictures with the Cinderella Castle as the background. It was so beautiful, the castle looks so fancy with the light that changes its color after a certain time.

And it comes the time for the firework show in front of the castle. Everybody was busy with their cameras, taking pictures and videos, including me. I record the firework show. But suddenly my camera run out of battery. Well, dang! I didn't bring my other batteries. I left them in the hotel. Arrrgh! --"
I really want to have the video of this. This is soo beautiful, just amazing.
I don't tell anybody cause I know they were also busy, the others that don't got cameras also concentrated to look the castle, feeling the beauty of the show -I guess. That's why I don't want to disturb them. But Jay, he asked me what's wrong. When I told him about my batteries, he look into his bag, looking for another batteries and gave me his batteries. I was like, for real..?
I mean..in this crowd, when most of people don't want to be disturbed -including me, if I was one of those people-, he want to know what's wrong. And again, if I were him I'm not even sure to give my batteries since we still have another park to visit in the next day, and I know those were his last batteries. What a really nice thing he just did!

From that now on, I know that he is a really good friend of mine. I pick a little key chain to give him when I went shopping. I intended to give it to him when we gather for dinner, but I have another thing to do with my group that I wasn't able to see him. The next day I was in the hotel when I went downstairs to have breakfast. I couldn't find him.
I just realized that yesterday was the last day of the orientation and the students start to leave.
He left with his group already, going back to his state, his placement.

It means yesterday was my last time to meet him. I know that that might be the last time like, forever. I alredy got the schedule when to go back to Indonesia and have re-orientation before leaving. His country is not the same batch with mine so I know that I won't meet him in the re-orientation.

I'm glad to have him as my new friend. And if someday we will meet again in whatever event, I hope we can still recognize each other.
He is a really nice person, he really is :)

*anyway, I still have his key chain in my bag..