Transatlantic, cross-continental, virtual relationships. I never believed they would work for me. Yet over the course of five months (and it was only after the third that we met!), spanning 3 countries, we’re still going strong.
I met Mark and Yoo-mi for the first time, face-to-face, two months ago. Though we’d only known each other through email, our meeting seemed merely a continuation of our friendship. Countless adventures and steaming roadside thalis later, it’s hard to believe they’ve left.
Flashback November ‘04. New as I was to Chennai, it was a little daunting to begin settling in and forging friendships anew. (Less easy than Shanghai, where you could hop into a Starbucks and get bad food but meet interesting people. At Chennai’s Murugan Idli stalls, however, excellent food but…) Yet three weeks into my stay here, I was in Madurai visiting Pavi and it was as if we'd always known each other. Soon, Rahul, Mark, Yoo-mi and Viral came by, bringing with them a little wisdom, more craziness, and a gigantic amount of California CF cheer. I can hardly think of anything as fortuitous as landing up here with an already-established network of great friends.
On Saturday, Mark, Yoo-mi, Rahul and I met up with my Chennai pals Archana and Kiruba -- only India's No.1 blogger -- over an inspiring meal at Annalakshmi. (Pictures at www.kiruba.com.) Though admittedly I was a bit nervous about the Chennaiers-meets-crazy-San Franciscans dynamics, it was a blast, despite the occasional provocative Mark-isms :) (And Kiruba, the way Rahul pronounces your name, I can’t tell whether he’s referring to an island in the Bahamas or…) In just a few weeks, a Penn college pal and a fav travel-pal will be coming to town to visit this corner of the world.
I love it when worlds and people collide, distances shrink, and time becomes simply a matter of one's perception.
It’s beautiful when life comes full circle. Especially when you least expect it.
I met Mark and Yoo-mi for the first time, face-to-face, two months ago. Though we’d only known each other through email, our meeting seemed merely a continuation of our friendship. Countless adventures and steaming roadside thalis later, it’s hard to believe they’ve left.
Flashback November ‘04. New as I was to Chennai, it was a little daunting to begin settling in and forging friendships anew. (Less easy than Shanghai, where you could hop into a Starbucks and get bad food but meet interesting people. At Chennai’s Murugan Idli stalls, however, excellent food but…) Yet three weeks into my stay here, I was in Madurai visiting Pavi and it was as if we'd always known each other. Soon, Rahul, Mark, Yoo-mi and Viral came by, bringing with them a little wisdom, more craziness, and a gigantic amount of California CF cheer. I can hardly think of anything as fortuitous as landing up here with an already-established network of great friends.
On Saturday, Mark, Yoo-mi, Rahul and I met up with my Chennai pals Archana and Kiruba -- only India's No.1 blogger -- over an inspiring meal at Annalakshmi. (Pictures at www.kiruba.com.) Though admittedly I was a bit nervous about the Chennaiers-meets-crazy-San Franciscans dynamics, it was a blast, despite the occasional provocative Mark-isms :) (And Kiruba, the way Rahul pronounces your name, I can’t tell whether he’s referring to an island in the Bahamas or…) In just a few weeks, a Penn college pal and a fav travel-pal will be coming to town to visit this corner of the world.
I love it when worlds and people collide, distances shrink, and time becomes simply a matter of one's perception.
It’s beautiful when life comes full circle. Especially when you least expect it.
2 comments:
Pavi showed up at our class one evening to show us her documentary Infinite Vision - small world, huh?
Smita,
You have another friend yet to have met in the Bay Area :-D
Post a Comment