360: Leaving 217

"Last coffee in Room 217," I held up my cup and Van and I drank to that.  For five minutes, everything seemed just like any other day.  But of course it wasn't just any other day.  It's the day we leave our flat.

Photo by Van Tengga / 365 Project

It could have been worse.  We could've been fired.  Our visas have just been renewed and in return we were stripped off of some privileges we used to enjoy.  

We began packing like crazy.  I uncovered some things I have completely forgotten about but there was no time for nostalgia.  Books in a box.  Shoes in a bag.  Clothes in the luggage.  There was rhythm in our packing, probably because I blasted Pomatic's mixes just to fill the room with a certain amount of joy.

By 2:00 PM we were done and ready for the van.  We had an hour before the van arrives so we decided to have a late lunch.  Walking to the nearest shopping center, the beauty of our neighborhood flooded back to me.  From the moment I walked out of the building to the time we reached the estate's shopping mall, it was complete bliss.  You pass through a playground when you get out of our building.  Children play under the shade of a huge tree.  Old people chat the day away on benches that line the path of the estate.  A few more steps and you reach the overpass that will take you to the shopping center.  A small building that houses the basics of estate living--a McDonald's, a grocery, a wet market, flower shop, beauty salon, computer stores, restaurants, convenience stores, etc.  Below is an LRT station, the first stop of the train that comes from the station in front of our building.  It is that convenient in Yau Oi Estate.  And I'm sad to leave all of these perks.

When we got back to the flat, we packed our lappies and so we had to stop the music.  The mood became somber.  We were quiet for a while as we surveyed the room.  The room is now almost empty save for the bed, the sofa and the shelving unit that used to hold the TV.  Van let out a shout.  It startled me.  And so the move began.

Room 217 will be greatly missed.  Somehow it was close to our hearts, for me especially, because my mom also lived there.  The walls in that flat have witnessed the way we have grown in the last two years.  Right now, for me, it symbolizes freedom.  Because at least in that room, we could be as we are.  And when you can be as you are in a place, then that's where you are most comfortable--as comfortable as home.

Quick Question of the day: Would you trade privacy for a bigger living room?
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