Try not to miss me when I'm gone.

It's been six years since I've visited my family back in the Philippines. Six long years. I'm leaving this Saturday to board a plane at JFK International Airport, and I couldn't be more excited. But I do feel some remorse, I'll be gone for three weeks. That's three weeks that I won't be seeing faces that are important to me. Naturally I won't have any sort of contact to life in America when I reach home, and I can't help but wonder what I'm going to do without my closest friends. I'm sure I'll miss them, and I'm sure they'll miss me too. It hurts a little bit to think about, but I try to keep my mind off of it. Three weeks to spend with family I haven't seen in half a decade, the days should fly by. I love it in the Philippines. I love the day-to-day life in my mom's village, and I always find myself thinking about what it would be like to live there permanently. College in the Philippines is an option, my father is constantly pushing the prospect upon me. It's a far distance, though. I like the way of life here in Ludlow. Some people say they hate it, but we actually have it better than most. I don't understand sometimes. I'm hoping this trip to the Philippines can finally get my mind off of certain things as well. I hope it serves its purpose as a vacation to be an escape from "la vie quotidienne."

- Jeremy

I know that I could count on you to walk me through.

Elle est ma meilleure amie. We spent the day up at her lakehouse yesterday, and I had an amazing time. Particularly memorably, we went kayaking. I was sure that I was going to tip myself over but it turned out that it wasn't that difficult; I was fine. The entire day was relaxing and laid-back, the exact sort of thing that you need after a somewhat stressing week of finals. I could trust her with my life, and I know that sort of thing is mutual. We have our ups and downs, and any one of our friends can account for our sometimes turbulent relationship. But in the end, what matters is that our bond is strengthened every time we go through a rough patch. I never want to leave her side, and it's a daunting fact that high school is now three-fourths over. Our college paths don't seem to overlap, and I know that the time I will get to see her will be cut back exponentially. Even through all that, she will still be the one who is closest to my own heart. I never want to lose her or what we have together. She's my best friend.

- Jeremy