Friends here, friends there, friends everywhere...

This time in D.C. is supposed to be M.'s vacation, and my time with my family-my sister and mother. But I would also like to catch up with a couple of friends.
I actually haven't made many friends in D.C. in three years. I'm not sure exactly why? I mean, I used to be an accessible, smiling person who would make friends within minutes. Does it have to do with the fact that I got married? Or with the culture shock I've survived here? Or maybe I'm just getting older and becoming more picky. All of the above?
I've made couple of friends in my acting course.I made couple at AU. In the process, I've met many people, but those are acquaintances, not friends. A friend is someone you like to spend time with outside of the shared interest or activity. And someone you trust. And who trusts you back.
I've lost a lot of friends in Serbia when I moved to the States. We just drifted apart. No one's fault, really. It's just the nature of the beast.
People evolve, thank God! That doesn't mean that they cannot be friends with someone from the previous stage. But it also doesn't mean they should, or have to.

High school math friends all over America

I just had a skype conversation with two people from my native town.They both live and work in the United States-one in New York, one in Arizona.I went to high school with both of them.It's next to impossible for all of us to be geographically so close to each other 12 years later.We all took different paths which led us to this country.
One of them got a great,lucrative job offer from a firm in Pennsylvania.The other works for a successful hedge fund in New York.They're both done so well for themselves.They're both stayed, more-less,on math-path. But not me. I've ditched my math aspirations a long time ago, for art. I don't think I was cut out for it anyway. My head is more in the clouds.
Two of them, on the other hand, were perfect for it. Smart,talented,hard-working...I believe they went to competitions and got awards in math and/or computer science.
My math knowledge has long left my head.I would really need a shock therapy to remember all the equations I had to know to finish high school with these guys.And they had As in math.I didn't.

Dutch from Bosnia in an Italian cafe in New York

I've bumped into my old Dutch friend B. around the Union Square today. It was one of those movie moments. We met in Turkey seven years ago, I've visited her in Utrecht six years ago, she visited me in Nis and Belgrade several times until three years ago when she came to my wedding!

She's this full of life, adventures, young woman, who has a successful career in a NGO in Bosnia. She loves the Balkans which makes me love her even more. She left her rich, secure motherland to live in a small city, in a country still recovering from wars, and work for Bosniaks' human rights. Very impressive, wouldn't you agree? How many people like that do you know?

Anyway, I didn't really just bump into her today. I knew she was in N.Y.C. She came to visit her friends. We were supposed to meet not far from where we actually did. But it was still a golden moment.

We had one of Cafe Reggio's cappuccinos. They're supposed to be the best in the city. Last time they were, this time they weren't. It all comes down to Barista.

But it was still fun catching up with B., finding out how well she's done for herself and all by herself, and about her plans to leave her financial security for another adventure in Africa or South America, in a year or two.

She's still single and enjoying it. "Good for you," I said. "You should enjoy it! Marriage is difficult no matter how much you love the other person." She nodded.

She doesn't want to settle for anything else than true love. I nodded. She doesn't understand why some people do. Me neither.

Her Bosnian was sparkling! I was stunned! I used to teach Serbian (it's the same language, btw). I know how rare it is for a Westerner to speak such good Slavic language. She was, no doubt, fluent at it's best-she even spoke with just a tiny, cute, Bosnian accent. Very genuine.

So, after our cappuccinos, we checked out DSW, walked to an Internet cafe and all the way to my home. She continued her little New York adventure alone after that, since my legs were not up for any, any more.

Great to see you B. Keep up the good work!