Going on a trip really lets you learn more about the parties involved. It is no surprise that there have been people who got together during a trip (like my Australian cousin and his Maltese wife), and there have also been people who broke up after a trip. It is like a make or break thing.
Going on trips as friends tend to have lesser expectations. Afterall, the closer you are to someone, somehow you just kind of expect them to have similar views, thus you get very irritated if everyone has differing views. That is what happened when I went for my family trip.
Going on a trip enables me to find out things about my friends I would otherwise not see in everyday life. Living in such close proximity with each other either make our friendships closer or further apart, but at least all of us emerge unscathed and better than before.
At least I know now who prefers their eggs sunny side up, who is the caffeine addict, who is into beauty and grooming, who must have their daily doses of health and beauty supplements, and who is the “commander” amongst us. Despite all our little quirks, we still managed to live together in peace and harmony.
Maybe it is different going with people who are already mature and independent enough. At least everyone can come to a consensus where to go, what to do, and plan together beforehand. There is also no calculation on who does more or who does less.
The last time I actually went on a tour with friends, I was amused that my best friend and my ex got along much better than he and me! As in compatibility in lifestyle, the things they like to eat, drinks they both like. Okay, I do know his taste and her taste pretty well, but it was only in a setting like that that I realize how “odd one out” I actually was!
For instance, that period of time, I did not dare venture further out into the sea, but both of them were playing water games with each other and having the time of their lives! When we went sun-tanning, I was wrapped up in a sarong, but both of them bared their bodies as much as they could so as to take in the sun as much as they liked!
Okay, there is a reason. I am naturally darker skin, so if I take in anymore sun, I will look like I just came back from Africa, whereas for both of them, they are of fairer skin, so by being a bit more tanned, they look healthier (not that they are not already healthy).
While drinking at the cabana in the moonlight, he and I took turns composing haikus on the moon, the stars and the sea while she made comments, but both ended up ordering the same drinks. Both also ended up ordering the same breakfast the next morning! And when we went for the spa, coincidentally they both ordered the same spa treatment (although separate for men and women)! Hmmmm….
In any case, seeing my friends in a different light is interesting, because you get to see sides of them which you will otherwise not see, even if you know each other very well. No wonder only by staying together can both experience each other’s quirks and peculiarities. No wonder marriage is a big shock to many, as they never expect staying with someone who is untidy, or who snores too loudly, or who puts the toothbrush in a different way.
Still, these are but minor things. Why care so much how one puts their toothbrush, or whether one brushes before or after breakfast? Why care so much how one puts their things? The true test of a friendship is not because things are astrewn, but whether we can remain friends despite knowing each other’s quirks, habits and peculiarities. And that is why this trip is a success in a way, because we are still good friends with each other.
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