Friendship Means ...

Friendship Means …

Sweet Companionship
Stealing away from the staffroom and enjoying a cup of tea with my good Japanese friend, Yumi, in her little upstairs room.

Hospitality
My Canadian and Russian friends, Jeff and Julia, opening up their teeny apartment for a great Christmas slumber party (including a fun gift exchange)

Sharing Funny Moments (and Forgiving)
Odette, my South African friend, standing next to me and doing nothing but laughing when a Korean hat-seller just grabbed me and shook the living daylights out of me for no good reason. “You should have seen the look on your face!” she said unrepentingly.

Communicating
My Jamaican friend, Wendy-Kaye, and I, exchanging tons of letters after she moved back home with her family; correspondence filled with the stuff that true friendship is made of!

Bantering
Exchanging quips with my Canadian friend and buddy, Leigh, about every conceivable foolishness. We poked a lot of fun at each other, but had some good, meaningful conversation as well.

Disagreeing Sometimes
Not always agreeing with Nalini, my Indian friend, about God and religion, but finding a fast friend and a great and noble sparring partner.

A Great Package Deal
Finding friend, mother, sister and confidante in my Korean homestay ‘mom,’ Nora. We had a lot of great conversations!

Warmth
My homestay halmoni (“granny" in Korean) and her big, bright smile every time she saw me. She couldn’t speak English and I could barely say anything worth saying in Korean, but we understood each other perfectly!

Acceptance
Tall, German, blond-haired, grey-eyed Michael jumping up and down on his bed in joyous abandon to “The Congo Man” – a risqué calypso from Trinidad

Sharing
Yapping with my Chinese-Trini friend, Nicole, on the phone about this, that, and everything, and always trying to get her to come over to my home to read my poems!

Understanding
Hisako, my Japanese friend, being able to read so many of my thoughts with a kindness and courtesy that never made me feel like my privacy was being invaded

Caring and Kindness
My Chinese-Canadian friend, Shuky, bringing a tub of my favourite flavour of Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream for me on my birthday during a grey season of life

Safety
Sitting right between my Japanese colleagues and friends, Hisako and Yamamura Sensei, in the staffroom and resting in the fact that they were always looking out for me in every way.

Sacrifice
Billy, my Chinese-Canadian friend, gladly picking me up at some ungodly hour of the morning to take me to the airport so I could catch a flight home to Trinidad

Giving
Nalini, my Indian friend, opening up her beautiful home to so many of her classmates and cooking up a fine curry feast for us with joyful energy

Selflessness
My Trini friends (too many to name) going all out to help me with a personal project that would have meant giving away their time in the midst of great busyness all in a spirit of cheerful voluntarism.

And the list could go on and on … sincerity, trusting, loyalty, reciprocating!