Hebe wait up in the coffee shop as she waited for her friend Susan. She said that she has very important things to tell her. She sounded so serious over the phone as she did not even laugh at her reply to her and she thought that it was a witty reply to her words. Did something bad happened to her ,as she  wondered in between sips of her hot coffee.

And soon enough,she showed up as she walked slowly to their table. There was a smile in her face and yes there is also anxiety in her eyes.  She doesn't know why she got this sinking feeling in her heart.

"So what is the big  news you are going to tell me?" as she excitedly faced her.

"Iam not going." she said. "I can't go with you," she  repeated it . Hebe stared at her unable to comprehend what she is saying until it hits her.What does she mean she is not going with her. They have planned this together. She only said yes because she is going with her and now she is backing out at the last minute. Panic rose in . "What do you mean you are not going?"

"I can't go with you.I am so sorry." she said. "I can't leave right now. There is just too much going on."

"But you promised me..I can't back out now and wait for you. My family will be expecting .." she said.

"I know I am letting you down doing this but I got my reasons.I hope you do understand." as Hebe saw the anxiety in her eyes. "You just don't know how it hurts me letting you down." as she saw the teary eyes and yes she can't let her friend cry for her..

"It is alright. I do understand. I have my obligations to my family as you are  yours. I understand more than you know." she said. "But it would not be the same without you."

Later that week as Hebe waved her hands to her family in the airport as she took a last glimpse of her Mom and Dad and took a deep breath and then rode on that plane....and yes image of  Jiro is floating on the skies with her. Now it is definitely goodbye...

--------------------------------------------

The big city, of lights and noises. As I landed on the airport in the middle of the night. There were multitudes of lights before my very eyes as a tear fell. I took a deep breath as I gathered my things and waited for the people from the agency to pick us up.

Somehow I feel like I am in a dream and I was not me but just a spectator of the things that has been happening around me. I feel numb and floating. I feel like I was cut off from my very source of life and power and that I don't have any control anymore of what is going around.

There was another girl who was with me. And yes she is also crying as we left home. Maybe it is harder for her cause I saw a boyfriend bid her goodbye aside from her parents. I wonder if she is crying more for the boyfriend than for her family. We looked at each other and tried to smile through out tears.Like me,this is her first time away from home,and yes both of us are not ready living out on our own.

The city is not as I thought it will be.It is more beautiful and more glamorous in the picture and on the screen. Never knew that it can be too hot on summer months and the noise unbearable. And yes the streets are not that clean either and the people are not that friendly and kind...

We were thrown in the room for the night as we waited for the next day to be transported to the hospital where we will be working,and yes we will be living in  their nurses dorm which is just across the hospital.Pretty convenient,i might say. And that night,Lisa and I was unable to sleep. We sat on the floor looking out at the window and the sky and cried our hearts out and then later laughed at ourselves...Now it is just gonna be  ME and I might as well be strong and brave about this.. And yes I am ready to conquer the world..and face everything and they 'll better be  ready for me..