Faraway Friends


      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1pt1O98NzW3-qGd2WNuQfOZU2BCK0Tlvg


One of the benefits of travel is that I get to meet faraway friends. Every time I travel I meet at least one new friend. When I was in Santorini, I met two nice Filipina ladies traveling together. One was a local from Athens, Greece and the other one was from Canada. They have become my Facebook friends since then. 

I flew straight to New York from my Venice/Santorini trip and from there took the taxi to New Jersey to start a new life there. Soon, I learned through Facebook that two of my schoolmates from high school live not too far from me, one in New Jersey and the other one in New York. 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1gPyGq8HzumSec_EUZlNIiy_LfUxXP8Cr


We got together eventually. It was strange in a good way. I have not seen them since I was in high school in the Philippines, so it was like I was getting to know them again, but at the same time it was like we picked up where we left off. I didn’t get the chance to see Brooklyn Bridge the first time I was in New York and I wanted to see it at night, so they took me to see it. They treated me to dinner and some drinks. We had a chance to catch up and reminisce about old times.
     https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Xo6gjgz1FekK04KWzhNivUoSc8x9w4eb

I never expected to see them again after all these years. It is a mystery to me how the world that seems so big can also be so small. There is a quote that goes, “You never really travel alone. The world is full of friends waiting to get to know you.” I’m so lucky ― not only do I get to meet new friends, but I also get to meet old friends again.

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