Strongly Worded

Cancel that - the universe is chuckling

So my conversation partner (CP) is awesome. Despite the inherent weirdness of meeting up with a stranger and then speaking clumsily in a foreign language, we had fun. CP is super cute (but not hot, so he did not incite lust), and nice, and funny. He is not hooked into a network of countrymen, as I had hoped, and so he will probably not be introducing me to my future husband. In fact, he's been here since August and received nary a helping hand from his people. Apparently many international students actively and intentionally avoid one another, either because they've defected from their homelands for a reason, or because they're striving to integrate with the locals. Apparently the Americans have not extended friendship either, or rolled out a welcome mat of any kind. It seemed like CP's only friend so far is his officemate, who has self-professed issues.

I would like to reach out to CP and his wife, especially since they really like it here, and feel comfortable with the prospect of spending the next 6-8 years (PhD time) in the area, and perhaps staying forever after that. This is refreshing, since often international students/faculty are in permanent "departure mode,"and don't want to establish roots or meaningful relationships because their stay is temporary.

Also: I learned many new words. We plan to meet up again next week. So as my wise friend A. pointed out, the universe is gently chuckling, and not cackling after all.

Posted by Dori at 8:06 PM