Christie ten Haaft

"Hello! Good morning, can I speak to Miss Kam Choo Choo?" a lady with a Caucasian accent greeted me.

"Speaking"

"This is DHL office and we are going to deliver a special parcel to you at 1.00p.m.
You must personally receive this parcel from Canada".

I was going to ask whether anyone in the home could just sign on my behalf but decided to wait. However I thought the voice sounded familiar but could not put a finger to it.

At 1.00p.m. sharp my doorbell rang and there was my Canadian classmate, Christie ten Haaft! So she was the "parcel" from DHL! I cried tears of joy for it had been almost 12 years since I last saw Christie when she visited me. Somehow we lost contact and I had been thinking a lot about her.... wondering where to find her.
Christie was clever.... she managed to contact one of my friends and got my number from her. For the past 12 years, I had moved some 5 times but my best friend, Lian, had been staying in the same old flat with the same old telephone number.

I will never forget Christie's kindness and friendship. We first met at our French Immersion program and she was sitting next to me in the train. At first, Christie thought I was a boring Chinese student who had been unfortunately chosen by Professor Monod to participate in the one month French Immersion program at Quebec. During the three days journey I literally "hibernated" in the train as I was utterly exhausted. After I had my rest, the group was relieved to find me chatty and lively again!

During one summer, I had to go to England for dental treatment, as dental treatment was very costly in Canada. When I came back, I was horrified to find that there was a postal strike in Canada, and I could not receive letters from home. It was stressful because I had to renew my student's visa and all I had in the bank was only C$120/-, way below the minimum sum of C$3,000/- that would be required by the Immigration Authorities for renewal of visa. My scholarship funds and remittances from my sister could not be received via the post. I tried to borrow the C$3,000/- from a Malaysian family friend, but they were reluctant to help. Noticing that I looked somewhat sad, Christie asked me if something was troubling me. When I told her my problem, she immediately said, "Choo, let me help you." I had not asked Christie because she was also a student like me. Two days later I was relieved when a Malaysian friend brought me C$2,000/- in cash. My sister was worried about the postal strike and when my friend was coming back from her vacation, she asked her to bring the cash to me.

Christie and I are like two peas in a pod. We could read each other's mind .....and yes, we argued and quarreled sometimes, but these differences and misunderstanding only enhanced the strength of our friendship. Christie became very interested in other cultures, and volunteered to teach in China and Africa after she graduated.

True friends are precious and difficult to find. My late papa had always reminded us to have a heart of gratitude to God and people. We must never take things for granted, but to constantly remember people for their kindness and friendship. I thank God for bringing Christie into my life. Christie invited me to spend one Christmas with her lovely family in Golden, British Columbia. She had made my student days in Canada more rich, meaningful and memorable.

Gan Chau