Hello all you Sun Kissed Souls.
Hope you are all doing great. Life has been pretty hectic for me returning back from my world wind Vietnamese trip and straight into Summer camp at work/school.
Today I am sharing a story about Friendship not only was my trip back to Vietnam like visiting an old friend I got to visit many old friends while I was there too and it was so awesome.
Something I pride myself in is being a good friend. I am an extroverted introvert. As much as I love my alone time I also like people. I enjoy cultivating real friendships, and I try my very best to be a good friend to those I have in my circle. I have many friends all around the world, and it is tough to remain good friends with everyone especially when you cannot be there physically for them especially through rough times when a hug is all they may need.
Luckily with the internet as our friend video calling and texting has become the norm bridging the gap between borders.
A real indicator of a true friendship for me is; when lots of time has past and when you do see your friend it feels like you saw each other yesterday.
My reunion trip to Vietnam was not only a trip back to a country I truly love, but I got to reconnect with my friends I truly miss and love too. My amazing friend that helped push me on this travel journey back in 2014 Stacey. We parted ways in 2015 after living together in China, and since then our paths had not crossed again until a week ago. Getting to see such a good friend was so awesome. We have been friends since grade 8,14 years of age roughly about 15 years of friendship altogether.
I felt nervous and excited, and when we finally embraced and hugged each other, it felt like no time had passed. We could sit and catch up like old times. It’s so amazing to see how she has grown up and the struggles she has overcome to be where she is now. Watching her grow from strength to strength is fantastic. I love watching my friends live their best lives. All the best in England my OG!
Another great reunion was my Queens from South Korea Michal I have known since China and Clare in Korea who both live in a small town in Vietnam now. We got to meet and spend a few days together in Hoi An. It was so lovely just to chat as they have had a rough time since leaving Korea. International relationships are a lot harder than just loving someone especially when it comes down to paperwork and where you can legally live and work. So it was nice for them to see us and be social again after there first few months battling the Vietnamese farmlands with not many other English speaking foreigners and working crazy schedules.
Another great reunion was with my friend Ann I met her back on my first trip to Vietnam 2 years ago. It was s awesome to see my Vietnamese almost twin I met on my solo trip back in 2015. I got to spend a week with her and her family after spraining my ankle. I will never forget how kind and hospitable they were taking me in like one of their own. Ann and I are the same age born in the same year, and exactly 2 days apart we connected instantly, a friendship that also comes so natural. She works at the fantastic Grand Mercure Hotel in Da Nang and she hooked me up with the best room in the place, private lounge access for drinks and canapes and private lounge breakfast the next morning. It was such a lovely surprise, and one I certainly didn’t expect at all.
All I wanted was to spend some time with her and catch up, and so we did in style. She’s also doing so well in her career and in life, and it’s a real blessing to have such an easy friendship.
Then as I made my way down to Ho Chi Minh City on the final stop of my Vietnamese reunion tour. I met up with another wondering soul from China my dear friend Koda. I met her in 2015 while living there too. She has also recently set up shop in Vietnam, and it was so lovely to see her again finally. She’s so much fun, very much into the techno scene, so she showed us the great nightlife in the crazy backpacker area of district 1. It was so lovely to catch up too. It was a pity that my energy levels we pretty much depleted by this point after all the emotions and traveling across the country, so another trip needs to booked ASAP.
Having the opportunity to reconnect with so many friends from my past showed me the importance of having real friends,those that are in it for the long haul. That no matter the time zone or distance we can still cultivate a true authentic friendship.
Yes sometimes the distance does suck but now more than ever knowing that we can pick up like no time has passed even if we have not touched base in a few weeks or months, signifies a firm foundation for a strong friendship bond.
Some friends are not your forever people but once you make the ones that are, you will know when you can stand the test of time.
Please let me know any of your reunion stories down below and what you do to cultivate a great friendships?
Have a great week and stay connected for more updates next week and for more regular snipbits of my adventures make sure you are following me on all my socials.
Peace, Love and Happiness
Xxx
