Re: What is the Coolest Experience You've Ever Had
The coolest? I have too many of that in my life. Everything's a shade of memory, every bit worth keeping for me. Well not every bit but still. But to name one:
When my student/best friend saw my true color:
Her name is Kath, but I call her cat so it goes along with how she calls me dog. I had to be her personal English tutor in uni because she couldn't find any volunteer to help her. And since we were both blind and I was pretty much the only one in the disabled dorm zone who knew English (I still suck now), she came to me for help. Most of the teaching went with me trying to teach her, her taking ages to get it right, me yelling at her in a friendly remark to "freaking remember already, you puny". She was a slow learner. She'd do one question in her homework right but got the next completely wrong when it used the same method as the first. She was indeed puny though. She was quite an undaring type. She didn't dare running because she was afraid she'd crash into things. She was uncomfortable when someone was being harsh to her, something I didn't realize until it was almost too late. Let's just say her personality was nearly a complete opposite of mine, when I was loud and blunt with no intention to harm anyone. But of course what I did back then harmed her, and she didn't give a word. While I myself thought playful yelling like that would lighten the mood of the teaching rather than making myself sound like a serious pro, little did I know it made her afraid of me. She never said, never did anything as a signal. She just thought someone like me couldn't be that soft. (She got my yelling completely wrong too. I didn't yell at her in insulting cursing way or anything of that sort. She already had the impression of me being a nerdy know it all student who wouldn't look down at her just because I was good (which I had no idea where she got it from since I was none of that)). I never, ever had an intention to press her to "freaking get it" as I said. But she took it that way and pressured herself when she didn't live up to my expectation, something I still consider a grave mistake in my life. (I didn't expect for her to be good. I just wanted to help her pass midterm and final already and she just kept messing up).
One day in the third semester of our first year, we enrolled in the same class, fundamental Buddhism. Our senior student, Ta, tutored her and I was there to listen, not because I wanted the knowledge. I had nothing to do and was bored so I guessed I'd join in. I had no idea it could lead to something big in my memory. Ta knew Kath before she came to uni, so she intentionally tutored her and remarked whatever she wanted to "teach" her, which in turn made Kath very depressed. This student/friend of mine was a softy,sheltered, protected, vulnerable to pretty much anything in the world. Anything hard and harsh could easily depress her. My way of teaching was one, and her Buddhism tutor's pressure was one as well. She'd get to a certain point that said something she saw was Kath's weak spot, then she'd phrase and rephrase it just for the sake of depressing her. Then all of a sudden, Kath crashed. She had a really big outburst over what her tutor tried to pierce her heart over and over and over. I was there, still and silent. I didn't even know there was a big explosive volcano in her heart, not until all the lava came flowing at me that was. In the end, Ta had to leave. But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I moved to the spot Ta used to be, beside Kath to be exact. I gave her a hug, let her cry on my shoulder and said, "If you wanna let it out, let it. I have all the time in my life for you."
My roommate interrupted it by calling me for dinner. I had to leave. But her sobbing and crying just didn't leave my head. I couldn't eat and ended up leaving after taking only a spoonful. I went back to her room. She was still crying. I was there the whole evening, letting her cry to her heart's content. It was then that she told me how much she was afraid of me and never thought I'd have such a heart to be by her side and comfort her like that. It was by the same time that I realized how much my loud personality could be taken seriously wrong. I ended up staying with her the whole night, telling her to wake me up anytime if she wanted to talk.
We've been really close friends ever since that time. She supported me hugely in my darkest time of life. We'd go out of our ways to help each other and extend it to help others as much as we could. She's not soft and innocent to the world as much anymore due to some hardship, but she's still someone I always feel like protecting. We laugh at the joke she once was offended. I still call her puny, but only for us to smile together. She calls me dog too, playing with tone change in my nickname (Mars). It's been four years already, almost five even, and we sometimes reflect on the moment back then before stuff tune us to the same melody of life. I can't find anyone better. She's one of not more than 15 I can die for.
Not long before this, I asked her what she actually remembered from the whole 4 years I've been teaching her, English wise, computer wise, or anything other than that. She said, "Na, I don't...Well, I remember you taught me something about do." I asked, "What was that about do that I taught you?" She replied, "I don't know. I just know it has something to do with do."...splended...
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