May I ask you out for lunch?
Isang buwan bago ako nakapag adjust sa buhay dito sa DC. Matagal yun pag iniisip ko kung ilang araw akong kumain sa harap ng computer ko for ten minutes tapos trabaho na ulit. Kasi naman, hindi ko matantsa kung ok lang bang imbitahin ko yung sarili ko sa kanya kanyang lunch break ng mga tao dito. Hindi kasi set na 12 noon lahat maglalabasan o mag-iinit ng baon sa microwave. Eh diba parang nakakahiya naman na feeling close ako sa mga ibang interns kaya ayun medyo nakakalonely yung panahon na yun para sa kin.
Pero naisip ko, pagkatapos ng 30 days, "Ano ba yan!! Nag se-self pity ba ako? Ano bang ini-expect ko, maawa sila sa akin at sila ang pumila sa harap ng office ko para imbitahin akong kumain?" So the following day, sabi ko kay Caitlyn na nasa kabilang kwarto, "Uy invite kita for lunch, ipagluluto kita." Si Caitlyn kasi, she makes it a point to drop by and ask how things are going with what I’m doing. Although I know that she doesnt understand everything that I say, I appreciate the gesture. Tsaka, nasasayahan naman ako magluto so I knew it would make internship more enjoyable fore me.
So I cooked baked salmon with lemon and parsley and bok choi and tofu with oyster sauce for our lunch. I learned how she got to Ashoka and that she takes Spanish classes on Tuesday afternoons for her third language because she’s fluent in French already.
After that, it became easier to invite others. I cooked bacon and corn soup and garlic bread for Betsy; asked Robert for coffee at Starbucks; and prepared roasted chicken, mixed vegetables and melons for Kila. This week, I’ll be cooking chicken curry for Tyler and Cammie, have coffee with Joe, and lunch of catfish steak, tom yum soup, and bamboo shoots in coconut milk with Sarah. In turn, they also invite me when they eat out at Spice of Life, like during Ruchi’s departure and another time when we all went to watch Tyler’s play in Chinatown.
Naisip ko, I have 17 days left in DC so I have to make the most out o if it. I have to make the effort to make these relationships happen and grow. Hindi pwedeng "nahihiya ako" forever and give excuses to myself. Dios mio diba, walang mangyayari sa kin kung ganun lagi.
Sinabihan na nga ako ni Robert at ni Kila sometime in early July na lumipat ako dun sa malaking office para naman may human interaction ko while my boss was away for her London trip. Kasi kung hindi, ang magiging best friend ko ay yung computer. Although maingay doon at mas mahirap for me to concentrate, I took their advice and stayed there for several days and now I’m back in the loop.
So ngayon, kahit na hindi nila ako kasama gumimik pag gabi sa DC (malayo kasi sa bahay namin), I’m proud to say I’ve cultivated some friends here through lunch invitations. I know one meal does not make a relationship last but I think it’s a sweet way to remind them many years from now that we shared this Ashoka experience during the summer of 2007.
