They Grow Up Too Fast

One day, I was in Jakarta to see an old friend. He's been away from his family for a long time. It had been more than three years since I had returned home to see my family. He then stated that he wished to return home because he realized how time had passed, his parents had grown older, and his sibling had grown up. He resented the fact that he had missed seeing them grow older and more mature. That struck me as well; previously, I didn't want to return to my hometown; instead, I wanted to return to Bali from Jakarta and look for work in Bali. That conversation, however, changed my mind. I made the decision to return home, to my people, to my family. 

My friend was correct when I got home. My younger siblings have grown so much that they are now

Had fun at Paradiso beach, Kupang
(ignores the trash floating)

almost as tall as I am. Before I left home in 2013, they were just little babies to me; small, skinny kids who I used to beat up when they got in my way. They, too, cried a lot but also laughed a lot. I recall being assigned to babysit my youngest sister one day, but I promptly fell asleep. I awoke to find her having cut half of her hair with scissors, thanking God she hadn't hurt herself, but she was so amusing. Perhaps she copied me because I, too, liked to secretly cut my hair back then because long hair was too much work for me. Today, my youngest sister takes better care of herself than I did when I was her age. She looks exactly like me, only less crazy. She sings beautifully and even plays instruments. She excels in school and also enjoys sports such as Kenpo and badminton. 

Awkward pose, beautiful smile though 

My younger brother was a goofy kid. He enjoyed fooling around and making people laugh. We'd tell him to put on glasses and pose for pictures, and he'd just do it, even making funny faces for us. He is now the tallest member of our family. He's such a cool, calm kid. He prefers to spend his time at home, learning languages, reading books, playing instruments, and singing karaoke. He is a very social person who likes to hang out with his friends until late at night. Fortunately, we can still easily find him at home most of the time. He's also a good cook, even better than my older sister, hehe. 

Hi, I am the tallest in my family

I'm thankful that they're both maturing into such wonderful children. They listen well most of the time and give us fewer headaches than their older siblings did. The majority of their age group is known for being spoiled brats and troublemakers. They are, however, good kids at heart.

I am cute and I know it :)