Singapore lies one degree(137 km) north from the equator, located at the southern tip of peninsular Malaysia. Singapore’s territorial geographic land forms consist of one main island along with sixty-two other islets.( Islets are small islands, and can mainly be found along with larger islands, or even found secluded or in a group of other islets.) Singapore is 277.6 mi² in size. And yet holds a human population of approximately six million. It is widely known for being the smallest known country in southeast Asia. The weather is EXTREMELY hot because it is so close to the equator. The Sun hits the Earth in an angle, therefore hitting directly at the Earth’s middle. Singapore has a rain forest like climate so even the rain is warm. So I suggest that if you ever come here, where shorts, thin shirts, sturdy shoes, and a hat would help.

It is my mother tongue and my It is well known for it’s multicultural population as well as being the most expensive city in the world. But I have to admit the food is delicous and the people there are super nice. I myself speak Tamil. It is my mother tongue and in Singapore, everyone I met who spoke Tamil said so cleanly without a single chunk of English. I mean even my parents speak with hints of English sprinkled here and there. Most of the people there have a really nice accent as well. The buildings and architectural structures constructed there are incredible and it’s hard not to behold over them all. But honestly, my favorite thing out of all of the things representing Singapore is the rain. It just comes so suddenly and then as soon as it starts, it stops. And in the end it doesn’t leave a single trace or piece of evidence showing that it rained j¨st moments before. It’s miraculous it tell you.

• Part 10 Day 6

I rose to the sound of cars driving about as the sun rose from it’s deep slumbers. It’s rays punctured through the crevices of tree’s and reflected on the windows of vehicles and the glass of buildings and the towering skyscrapers. I dragged my half alert body from the bed and forced my feet to walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth. One foot forward, one foot back, one foot forward, one foot back. One foot stepping on a loose piece of paper, one foot slipping on Madhavan’s sock. One part of my face ramming into a closed door, the other half of my face gets a full face of my moms shoulder. Yeah I am TOTALLY the most perceptive person on the face of the Earth. I stared at my feet, or to be more specific my mix-matched socks. I scolded myself for being the stupid person I am, and mumbled offensive things to myself while I brushed my teeth. What a GREAT way to the start the morning in which we prepare to leave the current place we are in and fly to another one. Or to be more clear, we were basically leaving Singapore and flying to India. We were going to do all that in one single day.

I quickly did my usual routine and helped my mom and dad put stuff away in our bags. I checked each crack and corner of the room, seeing if we left anything behind. I probably did that five or six times before my mother and father told me that we had everything in our bags and that nothing was left. I helped my mom make the beds and clean up. We grabbed everything putting it in the car. Ganesan Mama, Deepak, and Sumathi Athai did the same. We then went to Anand Bhavan for one last meal there before we left for the airport. We said our goodbyes to the owner and told her that we would come there again the next time we came to Singapore for another visit. It felt as if the food was even better now that we were consuming it for the last time before we left.  After our brief goodbyes we climbed into the cars.

We arrive at the airport and walk around until we got to the luggage area to put everything away. We got into the point where we had to leave Jagan Mama and  Bala Thatha behind and venture one our own. I hugged both Jagan Mama and Bala Thatha. Thatha ruffled my hair and gripped his firm hand on mine and then let go. I appreciate him dearly, he was there with us ever since we stepped foot on Singapore soil. And he was here when we were going to leave it. I can never ever express my gratitude through such simple choice of words. Jagan Mama and I embraced and said our goodbyes. It went on until it came to the point where my mom and mama had to say bye to each other. It was so sad. And when they left, Sumathi Athai, my mom, and I all left to the bathroom while my dad, my brother, Deepak, and Ganesan Mama waited.

I had been dreading this day ever since we landed. I hate the sight of seeing my own mother cry. I despise seeing those tears trickle down her cheeks and chin like raindrops in a heavy storm. I become pained when I see her doe like eyes become filled with doldrums of agonizing tears. Her sobs ring in my ears like echos in a deep cave. My heart shatters to see her soft kind face break so sorrowfully and misspoken. All this because she has to leave family behind for more than seven hundred thirty days.

I rubbed my small hand against my mothers palm while athai and I said comforting words. As we walked inside a single tear ran down my callused cheeks like a morning dew drop on the petals of a flower. The salty liquid traveled down my chin and dangled there like a rain drop clinging on to a crumbling leaf. The single drop that secreted from my wet eyes reached the floor, dividing into smaller versions of itself. I wiped the tears away from my moms eyes, trying my best to hide my own. We washed our faces and our clammy, sweaty hands. When we walked back out my mom seemed to be a bit better, considering the fact that SHE LITERALLY JUST SAID GOODBYE TO HER OWN LITTLE BROTHER BECAUSE SHE WON’T BE ABLE TO SEE HIM IN PERSON FOR LIKE TWO OR THREE MORE YEARS.

We sat at the gate until it was boarding time. We talked, and talked. And we explored the airport. My brother got a little box full of Angry Birds gummy candies, that came with a little key chain as well. We hung out at this beautiful fish pond where there were many different colored koi fish that swam along and under these wooden planks that we stood on. Deepak and I were in the middle of talking about the mechanism of a robot that can pump blood in a human’s heart when my brother walked up to us saying that he needed water. Just a few moments before he had been running around the perimeter of the little area we occupied. So we understood why he was so tired out. Deepak and I retrieved the water( while legitimately spilling twenty five percent of it). My dad had just gone to the Customs Department so we can receive the taxes for the jewelry we had gotten.

Soon enough, it was time to board the plane to India. I jumped up from my seat. My hand that was clutching Madhavan’s wrist jerked his little body up with a jolt. We walked to where we would board the plane. I always love walking through that wide tunnel connected to the plane and the building. It overlooked the other planes and showed the Singapore’s skyline. Half of me wanted to curl up into a ball and think. I absolutely dread goodbyes. I don’t care if it’s a person, or a city, or even a single house for all I care. Home is where family is. But what if family is in more than one place? I saw from the corner of my eye, a little slip of paper that fell out of my back pocket. I looked back at it, fluttering slowly to the ground. I remember writing on it and ripping it out of my notebook when we first landed. In the messiest cursive ever, I wrote, Hello Singapore. I smiled before I climbed into the plane. Maybe saying goodbye isn’t so bad as to saying a simple hello.

This time we all sat in the middle row while Ganesan Mama, Sumathi Athai, and Deepak sat in front of us. My mom to the left, my brother and me next to her, and then my father sitting next to me. We were taking off. We were slowing descending from the runway and into the welcoming sea of blue that awaited us above. I looked at the window that was to my right, the city soon become farther and farther from my straining eyes reach. I leaned my head back on the cushions of the seat, I loved the feeling of taking of in a plane. And the fact that this feeling was rare for me made it more worthwhile. My hands were pressed against the arm rests. Shaking from the plane’s movement. My eyes were trained on the window, then to the ceiling, then the window again. I sat there in complete bliss. After all, traveling can make anyone a storyteller.