My Surprise Return

My first return to Malaysia after my freshman year of college was hailed with eager anticipation on both sides of the globe.

However...I like to keep things slightly more complicated than they need to be, so, as soon as we bought the plane ticket for my return, I made my parents and siblings swear to complete secrecy about the actual date of my arrival. I widely propagated news of a return date approximately 2 weeks after my actual return date.

My friends responded to news of a return date by creating countdown calendars and planning all manner of fun and frivolity. One friend sent me daily emails with "# of Days Left" in the subject line.

Did I feel guilty about tricking them?

No, not really, because I was too busy being proud of the master plan I had created. When do you get the chance to surprise people by showing up on a side of the globe you're not expected to land on for another couple of weeks?

I arrived on a Wednesday, and on Thursday our family headed out to a waterfall park to stay busy and out of sight of our friends until my grand "reveal" on Friday evening at youth group. Catching the reactions of my friends was so much fun.

After the long, long year away, it felt so good to be home again. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'd play the trick all over again just because there's not much I love better than a happy surprise. So, Americans, ye be warned.

{This is Day 29 in my 31 Days Series: 31 Days of Growing Up in Malaysia}