Ok, well... the not-so-distant past :)
Thursday was dedicated to time with my previous coworkers and my closest girlfriends/college mates.
My two closest girlfriends from my previous job met me for a sushi lunch at a restaurant near my previous office, in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas - Deep Sushi! I have definitely been missing American sushi and I was SO excited to get to stop there during my trip! Not to mention I was really excited about getting to see the girls. These two have stuck it out with me on some of my toughest days - after all, don't we spend most of our lives at work? - and have also been great friends and mentors for me along the way... I think I have kind people like that in my life now at my new job, but they are all guys instead of gals....
Anyways, there was of course much work talk. Telling me what I've missed, or venting to me about what I certainly don't miss. Being that I know the ins and outs of their jobs dearly, I am a good person to vent to - so I served my role well during lunch. It was also fun to tell them about my new job and what it's like living in Taiwan now.
After lunch, I joined them and headed back to the office to say hello to everyone.... and actually, it just made my day! My previous firm was a fun place, with a fairly small environment (multiple offices, but our office floated around +/- 20 employees) where I felt like I got to know everyone quite well. We had closely knit working teams who went through the good and bad together, and some days it operated as my extended Dallas family. It was really great to be able to go back and visit all of these people who I sincerely like and appreciate, as a non-employee, no strings attached. I could tell them how my life is going, sympathize or relate to how their life is going, and just give them each a big hug and tell them to keep in touch.
Definitely glad I got to see the old firm - there is a lot of good there - but equally glad to return to my new job, that I like and appreciate for all new and different things.
Thursday night I hosted a slumber party for all of my closest Dallas girlfriends (who happen to all be girls that I graduated with from TCU). We graduated with a pretty small class in Interior Design - about 20 girls - and after having spent those 4 years together, practically every single day, we became I would say "like sisters". Those of us who ended up in Dallas post-graduation have mostly kept in touch, and we still get together for birthday parties, weddings, and just to chat sometimes when we feel like it! I'm just hoping they don't all forget about me now that I am so far away! I can appreciate that it takes time to build such strong friendships, so here's hoping that there are such great people in my life here in Taiwan over time. Worth the investment though - both places :)
The night was - as you can imagine - filled with gossip, laughing, stories, and conversations that only girls have, only when no one else is around. Bonus - my sister also drove down from Oklahoma to join the fun so that we could have some more time together too! There was limited talk about my travels and new life - just some - but I think that is because all of the girls said they've been too busy to meet up lately, and it felt like maybe I never left yet? Maybe this was just our next get together, as usual. Sadly... It will probably feel like I've left this time, since I won't be seeing them for awhile... but I am looking forward to hosting the girls in Asia anytime... ladies, start trip planning... please! :)
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