Navigating the Joys of Cross-Continental Friendships
“So who are your friends here?” I asked as we cruised down the Magnificent Mile, my older sister figure Tierney at the wheel. She mentioned a few great folks she’d met in the last few years living in Chicago, and then a familiar refrain: “But my best friends are scattered all over.” We talked about how great a privilege it is that our world is so connected that being from anywhere, we can live anywhere. We can be digital nomads and work remotely while we globe-trot and FaceTime. But also: how there were some lovely perks of a different time and space when all the threads of one’s social fabric lived in the same village. Some younger folks would venture out to acquire more knowledge/education/wealth and then return to re-join and edify the same neighborhood. I am a 29-year-old Indian-American living in Hong Kong with my husband. I grew up in Washington, D.C. and he grew up in Jaipur. My three best friends from college, who know me better than anyone is likely to know me again, live in N...