A charming soul who made my twenties unforgettable.

Better known to me and to her closest friends as Onnie, she is one of those people whose presence takes me back to a very special chapter of my life in Orlando. I met her when I was in my twenties, during a time when my world felt bigger, lighter, and full of new experiences. She was one of the first people from Asia, and specifically from Thailand, that I got to know closely.

Before meeting Onnie, most of my circle of friends was Latino. Getting to know her opened something in me. Through our friendship, I began to appreciate more deeply how much we can learn from people who come from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. She helped me see friendship in a broader way, not limited by where someone comes from, but shaped by the connection, kindness, and memories shared between two people.

We met during the years when she worked at SeaWorld, and many of my memories of Orlando are connected to her. Because of her job, she would help me with discounts to visit SeaWorld and Wet ’n Wild. We also went to Discovery Cove twice with other friends, and those were some of the moments that made my twenties feel especially memorable. We spent time at Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach, enjoyed the Florida sun, and shared the kind of simple adventures that become more meaningful as the years go by.

Onnie was always easy to be around. She had a natural charm, a warm personality, and a good heart. She was beautiful, but what I remember most is the way she made people feel comfortable. There was something genuine in her energy, and that is one of the reasons our friendship lasted.

Over time, she became close to my family as well. She met my mother and my brothers, and she developed a very good friendship with my sister. I also had the chance to meet her mother and her brother through a video call. Those moments may have seemed small at the time, but they showed how close our friendship had become and how our lives had connected beyond just the memories we shared in Orlando.

Although we do not speak as often as we did during those earlier years, the friendship has remained meaningful. Life has taken us in different directions. Onnie is now happily married and living in Bangkok, Thailand, while I have built my own life in the United States. Even so, the affection and respect have remained.

When I traveled to Thailand, I made sure to visit her in Bangkok. We went out to dinner with her husband, and it was genuinely special to see her again after so many years. It felt good to reconnect with someone who had been part of such an important chapter of my life. She still had the same charm, warmth, and charisma that I remembered from Orlando.

There are many people who appear in our lives for a short time, but some leave memories that stay with us long after the years have passed. Onnie is one of those people for me. She will always be connected to my memories of Orlando, my twenties, the beaches, the parks, the friendships, and the time when my world was beginning to open beyond what I had known before.

I will always value her as a close friend, a kind person, and someone who helped make that stage of my life more meaningful.

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