He started calling me "Hani" when I first met him and it stuck with me since then.
But people who had met me before then knew me as "Han," short for Han Gyeul.
And this year, I got to see and spend some time with some of those people.
Yes, that's you:You who met me even before I knew how to ask a proper question in Spanish.
You who welcomed me into your little cliques regardless.
You who grew up with me in height and in maturity, who went through the horrible hurricane Isidoro, who were sitting in class when Armando came in to break the terrible news of 9/11.
You who gave me many rides home after parties since my parents would sleep early.
And you, who helped me grow up, encouraged and shaped me in my adolescent years.
Now we are talking about further studies, jobs, future, and ideal spouse.We don't reminiscence so much but we talk present. We talk future.
We remember our past together without saying much about it. We play with several ideas to see each other again.
It was weird to be called "Han" again after so long, but it felt good, it felt right.
It felt good knowing that you still treat me as if we had been in constant touch,
that you still show more respect than jealousy,
that you still care.
Due the limited time of my stay, I didn't get to see all the people I wanted to see.
Please accept my apology and know that Merida is so much more than its exquisite food and beautiful centro because of you. Each corner paints a memory in my mind and your yucateco accent brings me comfort.
I realized how much I had missed you the instance I saw you.
I realized how much I would miss Merida the instance I heard your latest news.
Let us try our best wherever we are, hoping our paths will cross again, knowing that we can always count on each other.
