One day, I met an AFS candidate who was going to volunteer and help out with registration, which I was coordinating at this year’s Bandung chapter selections.

Her name was Ruben. The first word that came up in my mind when I saw her was ‘quirky’. The next word was ‘responsible’ — I quickly decided that she and Vitara, another candidate, were to handle the files and front-line work for registration. Partly because they were the only ones left on the afternoon of the first briefing session, but I definitely made the right choice. Between handling files and sorting archives we had short conversations and quickly became friends.

Then I got busy. My grades were freefalling and I had to go into geek mode. In the mean time I applied to be part of the AFS National Orientation committee and I was assigned to the Equipment division. I went back and forth Bandung-Jakarta to prepare orientation, until the D-Day finally came.

This year’s orientation was for Ruben’s batch of candidates. That’s when I saw her again after several months of losing contact.

The next few days we exchanged glances, did :P’s (I just had to turn an emoticon into a verb, right), and several other menye-menye moments when I realized…

I was falling in love.

Three days later, Ruben, now my girlfriend, left for Maryland.

It’s been two months now aaand I miss her.

Tuh kan jadi galau.

Tau ah. HAHA JELEK YA AKHIR POSTNYA.

But hey, then again, the best cheese is in the cupboard, right? :D