The Road to 40 Day 278/365: Long Distance Friendships

Vino’s friend was still in town, and we hoped to get to play with him again.

It’s his friend’s first time in Singapore, while his mom was last here several years back. I had a list of suggestions for things we could do, but the time was limited as Vino still had classes.

They came with another batchmate whose mom was their friend as well. Since I met her, she made it abundantly clear that she had been here lots of times before, so I let her lead her friend to where she wanted to go.

They were in Marina Bay, so I thought going to the Future Lab at the Art Science Museum would be a good option for us. However, she said she has “seen it many times already” despite me – the resident here – telling her that it was renovated already.

I mean, like her, I’ve been to it “many times” already, but again, it was and shouldn’t be about her, but for the kids.

She let her kid join us, while she stayed outside to wait for us.

Anyway, there weren’t a lot of changes to the place apart from the paper plane-making and flying and the ladder obstacle. Still, the kids had fun, which was ultimately the goal.

They wanted to go to the Merlion, and I suggested we take the bus. However, the friend insisted that we should just walk to it. Now, I’m not one to back down from walks, so I said let’s do it. However, I do also know that the younger sister of Vino’s friend was sick in the morning and is already tired.

Unsurprisingly, the mom asked if they could just take a cab. I said I’d book for her and the kids, but the biggest car could only take 6 people. The friend insisted that she would just walk and we should go ride the car, but as we waited for the car, she made no effort in walking.

I offered for her to ride with everyone while I’d rent a bike. Luckily, the driver was kind enough to squeeze us all in. Three kids went to the back, Vino sat in the middle of the two moms, while I sat in front.

Taking photos with the Merlion is probably one of the main things to do in Singapore as a tourist. I guess we take it for granted, having lived here for over a decade now.

The mom asked if we could let Vino sleep over at their hotel, but he still had classes and I didn’t want him to miss out on school for a playdate. Technically, I probably could, but we have some travel plans soon that would cause him to miss school.

Instead, she allowed her son to come over to our place so that they could still play a bit more.

We had dinner and played a card game, but not much else. I promised to take him back to the hotel at 9pm, but we were a bit late because we left the house at 9.

I’m happy that Vino has made a good friend with someone from our temporary home of Vietnam. He’s living a life that neither Che or I grew into, but we’re hoping that he finds his way.

He doesn’t have siblings, so I only hope that he creates strong bonds with good people around him. He’ll always have family in the Philippines, and he’s slowly building his community here in Singapore. Having someone in Vietnam at least gives him another place he could be comfortable in.