It's a small world after all

A few days ago I found myself on a junk boat talking to a group of Welsh, Irish, Americans, Canadians, Brazilians and Chinese. Someone had chartered the boat for the day and had invited "friends" by word-of-mouth. Because Rob and I are friends one of the girls who was officially invited (she's awesome and actually from Richmond), we were invited too. It is a foreign feeling when you go are on a 60-foot long boat for the day, sailing the South China Sea and know one other person. We decided to dive into conversation with a group of people from around the world. Having no idea what any of us had in common, the conversations were interesting. One of the brief conversations we stumbled upon was somehow about various Disney Worlds around the world. One Australian guy seemed to have a few things to say about Disneyland Tokyo, some were taken by Disneyworld in Florida, others seemed keen on Disney Land Hong Kong or California. One aficionado even knew which ride was the exact same around the world. She briefly slipped into the conversation that the infamous "it's a small world after all" ride was the same at each theme park. It's funny that all of us, who hailed from various places around the world, could find a small world out of a ride called It's a small world. As I thought about this silly idea that day, I had no idea how quickly my seemingly vast world would become even smaller.

Back in June, just before I left New York, Rob and my friends threw an Asian-themed bon voyage party for me (thanks guys!). After an evening spent dining on dumplings and sailing up and down the Hudson River we decided to have a night cap at a funky little martini bar called Bongo. I thought it was a small world that night when I was approached by a girl my age who was wearing the same ginkgo-printed dress that I was wearing. Luck would have it that both of us were moving to Hong Kong in the next few weeks. She was being transferred by Morgan Stanley. We soon parted ways to get back to our friends, and as we were caught up in our respective events, we didn't exchange much contact information.

With the exception of a few expat friends of friends, Rob and I knew almost no one when we arrived in Hong Kong. In an effort to meet more people, Rob and I decided to go to a cocktail party last night that was hosted by the UVa Club Hong Kong for alumni and those interested in attending Darden Business School. You probably have guessed where this is going, but I had no idea that when Rob and I walked into the Hong Kong Club we would be staring straight at J.S., our long-lost friend in the ginkgo dress. Turns out, yes, indeed, it is a VERY small world. Rob and I decided to invite her to dinner with us after the event. Soon after dinner, J.S. invited us on her friend's junk boat ride this Saturday. I can't wait to sail and see more of the South China Sea! Oh, what a ride this small world is!
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...will write back soon. Miss you all tons! Send e-mails!!!

Love,

Liz