A letter to my sparring partner, little sister, confidante and friend.

“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure,

to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.

There is more security in the adventurous and exciting,

for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”

(Alan Cohen)

It will be almost three years since we first met, I remember you then as a tall, demure and seemingly shy girl when mother introduced you to the rest of the group. And you were! Well for the first few days at least… I also remember the first time you ate at the cafeteria; you were rather uncomfortable with the goings-on around you, like a lost sheep in a lion’s den. Since that time, you never looked back.

Little by little I came to know and appreciate the person that you are. I’ve seen your many moods (from a crying baby because someone told you off, to a hyperactive dance instructor, to a respectable program facilitator, to a dead serious SAP profile attach-er) and realized that one will never really get to know you without experiencing all of them. I’m glad I’ve been privy to most if not all your many sides because you’re one person truly worth having as a friend.

I won’t say goodbye, because this is not the time to do so. 6th floor maybe a few minutes away, but I am sincerely hoping that the distance will not affect what we tulisans have established. I cannot say that things will not change, but on my part, I promise to make the effort to ensure that you will remain in the loop. You will be missed of course; after all, it will just be blank panel now when I look to my left.

I also cannot assure you that things will be better for you this time; I can only pray that your move will allow you to acquire a wider perspective, one which will likewise permit you to know yourself and the role you would want to play in this world. I know you still have a lot of doubts at this point, but I admire your courage to start on that quest. I hope that later on, you’ll get the answers.

However uncertain, taxing or terrifying the road may be, you know where to find me.