This is a story about a chance encounter at a travel blogger’s networking event. As with every story, there are two sides! Read Rosie’s version here.
Meeting Rosie
I met Rosie of the Beach Bell at the Girl vs Globe meet-up with Intrepid Travel. This was my first blogger’s event and I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I got there early (because I have punctuality OCD) and was greeted with a glass of prosecco and some nibbles. Before the room filled up, I got the chance to talk to two amazing travel bloggers, Sabina from Girl vs Globe and Nicola from Polkadot Passport. It was great to pick their brains about blogging and hear about their experiences.
I recently read this article about how when you’re an adult, there’s no such thing as being shy. It’s so true. I used to be terrified of speaking to strangers, which I can tell you is really useful when you happen to find yourself in a new classroom on average every other year. Like Groundhog Day but where I got to relive being the petrified new girl over, and over. In my adulthood, I am finally done with being shy, or I guess you could say, I finally cracked it.
As I began introducing myself to the room of inspirational bloggers like the confident and capable adult that I am, there was one that stood out. The blogger that nabbed the social media competition prize! In addition to punctuality OCD, I also have competition OCD. I just really, really like winning. As Rosie stood clutching her prize (a bottle of prosecco we would later drink together), I went over to introduce myself. We shook hands and swapped business cards, all profesh like.
Group Photo!
Third Culture Kids
Talking to Rosie was one of those it really is a small world moments. As a third culture kid, it’s impossible to talk about traveling without mentioning my international upbringing. Yet, everything I said, Rosie responded with me too! I was saying how I went to many different schools, me too! that I lived in the Netherlands, me too! went to an International school, me too! and when I mentioned the names of the girls in my class, me too!
It turns out that Rosie joined my exact same class just days after I left. She told me she remembered hearing my name from her classmates, which made me so happy to hear. Leaving a school is never easy, I’ve done it enough times to know, but that was one of the hardest for me to leave. Important friendships I had forged over the past three years vanished into thin air. That Rosie knew my name from her classmates really touched me because it meant that they had missed me too.
It was so great to reminisce with Rosie. It’s remarkable to feel so connected to a person you only just met. Travel can do that! Read Rosie’s version of our chance encounter on her blog here. We thought it would be interesting to each write about it from our own perspective. In her version, Rosie describes me as a ghost that appeared every time my name was brought up. It may sound a bit somber but that’s exactly how it feels. Many of my past classmates are like ghosts to me too. Little people that I used to laugh and play with who suddenly disappeared. Rosie and I have a lot in common since we can both relate to being a third culture kid. It’s just rare that you get to meet the person who picked up right from where your life left off. It’s even rarer that our paths crossed just days before Rosie left London for good. What are the odds of that?
About Rosie
Rosie is a Travel and Lifestyle blogger (me too!) at The Beach Bell blog, “a guide providing mantras & musings on travel, happiness & the world’s most sun-drenched destinations”. I’ve been following her adventures ever since she swapped London for Panama. As the name might suggest, Rosie is the go-to source on everything beach. She’s compiled a wanderlist of 100 beautiful beaches around the world as well as a blog post on 20 bucket list trips of a lifetime you should definitely check out. Despite all my travels, I have only ticked off 4 from her list so I have a long way to go. The sea of stars in the Maldives, northern lights and the worlds largest salt flats at Salar de Uyuni are high up on my wishlist! Maybe one day we’ll go there together.
Follow Rosie’s travel adventures on Instagram @thebeachbell.
Wow, what a nice story and I like to say you had enjoyed the remarkable time.
Oh wow how cool with the two of you! I would sooooo like to hear about your International school experience, Lara! 🙂
Author
If I ever make it past this first book I’m working on, the second one is going to be all about that!