Have you ever been somewhere really, really far away from home, possibly in another country and run into someone who is from your hometown? It has happened to me at least 3 times! We New Jerseyans need a break from the tri-state area sometimes.
A friend of mine here in Paris is from a small Caribbean island. While at a house party we all asked him if he had spoken with one woman who was also from his island. He told us he had for about two minutes. We looked at him in confusion. He told us he had enough friends from home and doesn’t need any more of them. I asked him why he wasn’t excited to talk to someone that he could relate to and reminisce about home with. He said he did not come all the way to Paris to hang out with people from back home.
I am the opposite. When I meet people from my hometown or home state, I feel an instant connection and we wind up chatting most of the night! The last time I met someone from my hometown was in a club in Paris. As it turns out, we could walk to each other’s houses back home!
I believe it is a small world afterall and I celebrate that.
How do you feel about meeting “neighbors” while far away from home?
Where Are You From?
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Comments on: "Where are you from? No way; Me too!" (10)
I love meeting people from home anytime I travel, it is really re-assuring to know you are never too far away from home. There’s no place like…lol!
@marcia clarke, It does make you feel like you’re not too far away from home. A great feeling if you happen to be homesick too, like meeting an old friend.
Once when I was a kid my family and I took a vacation to NYC. We’re from South Carolina, so it’s pretty far for us. As we were walking in downtown New York close to Times Square my dad stopped, shook someone’s hand, exchanged a brief word, then continued walking. We all looked at him, “Who do you know in New York, Dad?” I asked.
“No one,” he said, “that was our orthodontist.”
I love telling this story. Also, my mom who is from a tiny town in southern Georgia once ran into some ladies she knew from home when she was traveling in Italy after college.
It’s a small world after all!
@hswinson, Those are both cool stories. You never know who you’ll run into! 🙂
Back in 2007 I was in South Africa and while I was walking down a dirt road in the middle of a lion sanctuary and car drove past, and then reversed and all of a sudden I heard someone yelling my name! Turns out it was a classmate that I went to university with back in Minneapolis, MN. It was too strange! This is a small world, and it’s getting smaller all the time!
@ Two Britts, That is even crazier when you’re far away from home and someone knows you! Strange coincidences but sometimes they happen.
I too love bumping into ppl from ‘home.’ Somehow it feels like meeting an old friend (even though you might not know the person at all!)… I think it’s because you find someone you instantly have a connection with and you can relate with one another. Enjoy your travels! I’m jealous!
@fig and the wasp, Thanks for the comment! It does feel like running into an old friend because the two people can relate to one another and share similar stories.
I met someone from NJ on my trip to India!! Now I will just assume wherever I go next, someone from New Jersey will be there! I think it’s great 🙂
I love meeting people I know in unexpected places! That can actually happen fairly easily in Alaska, where I’ve been living the past 5 years, because although it is a huge state in size, it is small in population. Fun post! And yes, it does make me feel at home when this happens! ~ Sheila
@ Sheila, thanks for the comment. (Alaska is high on my travel to-do list!) I’ve never thought about that in Alaska but makes sense.