TravelChick

San Francisco Dinner

I'm on vacation in the States at the moment and am currently in San Francisco visiting my brother. Aside from sometimes feeling like I'm going to get mugged (a strange thing is: in the Middle East I never feel like I'm going to get mugged, so being back in the US and worrying about these things is certainly a new feeling), being in San Francisco is pleasant. The weather's great: hot for San Francisco, but, with temperatures in the 80s, to me it feels amazing.

Tonight I met up with a college friend, Arthur, for dinner. We went to a pub/brewery in the Haight for dinner and talked about what we're doing, what we plan to do, and a little bit about politics. He told me that, out of all the people he knows from college, I'm probably doing the most interesting things, leading the most interesting life.

That's certainly a very flattering thing to hear and I like to think that, for the most part, I'm leading the life I want to live, which makes me happy. Earlier this week a friend of mine said to me that he believes in living abroad every opportunity you get. I guess I have, without even thinking about it, lived that school of thought.

There are things that I love about living abroad: learning about different cultures, learning languages, and meeting people from just about everywhere. I miss things like going to concerts and eating Mexican food for lunch and Thai food for dinner and family and eating meals with friends I've known for more than two years.

But Arthur asked me something that I found really interesting. He asked me if I find it difficult not living around friends I've known for years. And I realized that maybe it's not always so difficult. I have one or two really good friends in Doha and I've only been there five months. I've only known one of my best friends in London, a guy who's one of my best friends period, just over a year and a half, and we only lived in the same city about five months. But we know each other so well it's like we've known each other for decades.

Every time I move I think I'm never going to find as good friends as I've made in the past. And I'm constantly proven wrong. After feeling I had no friends in Doha just a month or so ago, I suddenly realize that I do have some. Moving so much is difficult but it's not so difficult that I want to stop living abroad. Not just yet.

posted by Travel Chick @ 9:19 AM