Ever since Papa Pollack introduced the concept of "reverse cultural shock", fear gripped my heart because I knew it would inevitably happen to me. All was well when I first returned home. The familiar environment. No emotional distress. It seemed as if I never left Singapore and I thought it would be no difficult feat to adapt back to the Singaporean lifestyle.
I was wrong. I was naive to think that everything would return to normal as it was before I left for Japan. My Singaporean life has been halted for 5 months, yet the people around me have moved on to their next phase in life.
I am elated to discover that a good number of my CG friends have matured spiritually after availing themselves for the recent mission trip to Indonesia. Yet, they have moved so far ahead that I find it difficult to catch up with them. Considering that my calling is in Japan, I may never catch up with them at all...
I have come to the realization that it doesn't matter how much time and effort I had invested in the lives of my friends. If I weren't relevant to their lives at any given point in time, I will be left behind. That's how I feel in school now. Friends around me talk about professors whom I don't know, lingo which I couldn't understand. I just can't relate to them anymore...
I've become utterly irrelevant in Singapore. Just another 9 more months to go before my life as a student comes to a closure. Eagerly anticipating my rebirth. But can I really make my way back to Japan? Only the land of my dreams can grant me a second life.