Dear Brunei: Guess it's goodbye?

"Are you gonna be back next week? Or anytime soon?" 

"Last day? So you are not coming back anymore? Forever?"

"Come back soon! I hope to see you again!"

Friday marked my last day in Brunei - or the last official day, at least - and it was with some reluctance that I had to (hastily) bid farewell to everyone from the people I've been working with to the housekeeping staff at the hotel, some of whom always made it a point to chit chat with me. I've become fond of a lot of them, not least because of the infectious smiliness and friendliness of everyone there. 

There is certainty in the everyday pace there despite the little external entertainment, and each trip was curiously anticipated. I like that I can count on Kaizen's beef teppanyaki when I'm feeling angsty, that the lady selling satay in a makeshift store at the corner of the street knows me, that the people I work with are so cheery, that the security guards know me by sight, that the airport's less than 15 minutes away, that the parking lots are big, that I can drive all I want there, and that the physical distance from Singapore allows me to reshape my perspective. The only thing I didn't quite appreciate was that the (only) cafe near the office got my drink right just a quarter of the time. (But hey, at least the success rate improved, right?)