Had half a day of lecture this morning, and I wrapped up my first class. When I asked my students if they learned something, they responded in a loud affirmative. “A lot,” some said. And that was reward enough for me.
After taking a hearty lunch of palabok (a Filipino rice noodle dish) and fried chicken we checked in at a different hotel, the one lecturers usually stayed in. It was a whole lot nicer and wider and better than the first. I stayed in my room all afternoon, preparing for my lecture the following day.
I had my dinner of beef and broccoli at the hotel restaurant. That was the first time I really truly felt I was alone – most of the time I was either in the office, in class, or in my room, so it didn’t count as much as going out and eating by myself. But ironically enough, I wasn’t sad. I liked my own company. Yes, I missed my family back home – and I still do – but it’s them that I’m doing all this for. And that’s all the comfort I need.
I had once thought that this job was too good to be true. Well, I guess I was wrong.