I
feel compelled to write a little note on the importance of girlfriends,
as a special part of this trip for me has been the chance to reconnect
with some of my best friends that live so far away. The most magical
part of the deep friendship with my girlfriends, is the ability to pick
up where we've left off, despite years of not seeing each other in
person. It has been 10 years since I last lived in Australia, but
visiting with Anna, Karla, Sally and Liz was like I had never left the
country. Not only did we share our memories as if it was just
yesterday that we were living them, but catching up, seeing new
additions to families - the beautiful children, and learning about how
life in Sydney changes and stays the same and how dreams and goals are
being realized has been so special. In Hong Kong, seeing Doreen, Annie
and Joyce was like we had just worked a day together in the office and
were out for a yummy evening meal, talking about their accomplishments
and evolving lives, and seeing how their beautiful little babies have
grown up to be gorgeous children; and late night chats over drinks and
dinner with Nandita brought back instant memories of our times at work
in Asia, dinners in Hong Kong and secondary inspection immigration at
the border in Mexico.
Spending
time with Purvi, in India, was such a treat, and to be outside the
office environment and out on the town with she and her sister Shilpa
was great fun, not to mention how nice it is to know that Shilpa is now
just up the road in Los Angeles to see when I return. Making new
girlfriends, like Shrivani in India, was really special, having "girls"
day out and experiencing local culture as a female in India.
The
friendships made with Uma and Rama in Nepal, and the personal and
professional relationships that will also continue in the future have
shed new light into serving others, and providing support in such a
caring and nurturing way, connecting women helping women with other
women throughout the world is inspirational.
And
an amazing reunion with my good friend Kim in Egypt, after not having
seen her in maybe 10 years. It was like we were in our 20's again,
reflecting on fun adventures of the past, life that's flown by and life
changes, along with plans and dreams to shoot for in the future. Both
catching up, and seeing Egypt through her eyes as a female expat and
mother was so impactful and inspiring.
And
an amazing treat, my very special friend and fellow surfer-chica from
San Diego, Deanna, who made the long trip to Barcelona to come visit
and have a taste of Europe. We haven't vacationed together since the
mid 90's surf trip to Costa Rica and Mexico trips, but again, girls
night out in Barcelona, armed with HUGE litre glasses of sangria gave
us the chance to catch up, reflect and have girly chat time.
And
a big thanks for the friendly, supportive and comforting emails from my
girlfriends at home and around the world that I may not see in person,
and especially the voice mails left by my sister and mom on our skype
voicemail box... it’s a strong reminder of the strong bonds that extend
overseas, and are always there with love and encouragement. It’s
thrilling to get onto email or skype and see the new message button and
know my girlfriends are traveling right along with me.
It's
something I've come to appreciate so much while being on the road. You
don't get the girlfriend time each day. It makes those encounters on
the road with girlfriends every so special. I look forward to meeting
more girlfriends along the way and especially looking forward to
spending time with Sandra and seeing Ana, Solange and Magali for
quality time that's no longer work focused, in Brazil, which marks our
last big stop on the South American continent for a local carnival
experience!
