05.19.07
“Expat”ited Friend-Making
While sitting in the terminal, I was approached by a young American woman. The fact that we were both Americans, that we had the same language and culture among so many people of another language and culture–our mutual vulnerability–made us instantly trustworthy to one another.
I remember going on a trip with a number of people I barely knew. Along the way we stopped at a public swimming pool. Among so many strangers, we were drawn together by our slight acquaintance. This was a similar situation to the extreme.
We found that we were both waiting for the same flight to Ahmedabad, which did not depart for a number of hours. It was nice to have someone who could watch my luggage, someone to talk to who’d had similar experiences. It was nice to be able to help someone after being for some time the American who did not know a word of the local language–someone who could hardly help himself.
She found an internet stall–50 rupees per hour–and we spent half an hour using the internet. I got a chicken sandwich and a Snapple. When I’d finished we entered the ticketing area. I got my suitcase inspected and checked it in. I got tags for my carry-on bags and we headed for airport security. On the other side we waited for our flight. When the boarding call was made, we approached the gate, from whence we were to take a bus across the tarmac to our plane. One of Victoria’s carry-on bags had not been stamped at airport security, and she was sent back. I had already gone outside, so we waved through the glass. I boarded the overcrowded Kingfisher bus and rode to the plane. I hope she made it on.