Fortuitous Coincidences

Just when you think you’re going to be thousands of miles from home with no chance of randomly bumping into someone you know...you find out how small the world really can be sometimes. As I’ve been preparing for my trip to Germany, it hasn’t surprised me to discover that several of my friends and acquaintances will be spending time abroad as well. It’s not exactly an uncommon occurrence among college students and recent college grads. In fact, I’ve had tentative plans for months to meet a close college friend of mine in Italy next spring. What I wasn’t expecting were the two following scenarios:

1. One of my best friends from high school (who also happens to be one of the few I still keep in touch with regularly) is going to be in Prague (a reasonable train ride from Dessau) for school in October...and one of my weeks off actually falls at the end of his visit.

2. A friend from high school who I’ve known almost my entire life, is studying abroad in Germany this year. Of all the places she could be, she’s in Leipzig. That’s only about two hours by train from Dessau.

Crazy, no? My motto for mentally preparing myself for all the situations I will inevitable encounter in the next year has been, “Expect the unexpected.” My reasoning behind this was to hopefully mitigate the shock factor of odd events in my life. I’m sure this mantra will serve me well, as nothing ever happens exactly how you plan it, especially when you are planning in a foreign language. But isn’t it nice that my first unexpected news has arrived in the form of two fortuitous coincidences? It certainly brought some light to my day!

Deine,
N*