It had been about two weeks since I’d moved to Baltimore. While I was excited for the opportunity to work on my post-doc, it was also the first time I’d left my country, and it was a daunting experience. So here I was all alone in an empty apartment, a resounding silence welcoming me to a city where I knew nobody.
That isn’t all true. I did know two humans, my colleagues in this new post-doc lab, friendly souls but they were both out at a conference in another state. I went the entire week without any human interaction at work, at home. Sadly, it was the first time in perhaps 6 years that I had free time in my hands after work and yet, with nothing to do, no one to meet, no deadlines to chase after. So here I was, staring out of my window at the beautiful street view at 7:30 one evening when I got a phone call. It was an acquaintance from my Ph.D. days. I hadn’t realized life had gotten her to Baltimore a few years ago, and she’d found I was here through LinkedIn. I knew someone in this city!!
She had dinner plans with her best friend returning from a Euro-trip and asked if I’d like to join them. It speaks to the levels of loneliness I felt that I accepted this random acquaintance’s invite and was crashing a dinner with two best friends without a second thought. I think one would empathize with me if they came from a similar culture like mine, where socializing is like one’s second nature. So, I said yes, and that was the beginning of a fun evening, and my journey of eventually making amazing friends here in Baltimore.
While leaving the apartment for dinner, I found a couch set – a love seat and a 3-piece – on the curb, up for grabs. I was eyeing the love seat when I noticed another guy looking at the 3-piece couch. He looked smart and well-built. We looked at each other, and he murmured the golden words: “Want to help each other?” It was one hell of a task: oh, the physics of fitting the couches in the elevator and our muscles using every ounce of energy to push and lift them to our respective apartments.
With my couch – the first item of furniture in my living room – in place, I finally headed for dinner, my stomach growling for food by this point. My acquaintance’s friend turned out to be thin, tall, and weirdly charismatic. We all seemed to click instantly, and it turned out to be my first enjoyable meal in Baltimore sharing lives with people who were going to be my new family away from home. One evening gave me random interactions, a random couch, good food, a great time (ahead), and friends for life. All because of a phone call!
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