Degrees of Separation

Today has been a good day, for many reasons. But one reason in particular is that I was reminded of just how small Oman is and how everyone knows everyone (don't get worried fellow bloggers in Oman - I don't know who you all are just yet!)...and this was a good reminder, not one of the "oh no she didn't say that about me" *finger snap* 'damn, everyone knows my business' type reminder.

Back in the day I worked for many years for Fitness First and through that job I met heaps of cool people from all over the world. Its great when some of them become good friends and you stay connected on a deeper level, but its also great when some are purely acquaintances but it all comes full circle eventually at a later time in your life.

I met *S as he hung out with some of the guys I was friends with through the gym, and they all trained together. Pretty hardcore actually, but they weren't the roids guys or 'meatheads' who would check themselves out in the land of endless mirrors, snarl, drop their weights on the floor, or grunt endlessly...they were just a nice bunch of guys who all trained really hard and ate religiously at the chicken & rice place in the Carillion Arcade in the city (leanest chicken ever! Wow I miss that place) whilst chatting about what a legend Ronnie Coleman was (IS!), the latest training techniques, Musashi protein drinks etc etc. Anyways, *S and I would often exchange pleasantries, chat from time to time, I would berrate him for forgetting to bring his ID card to swipe in (and make me break the rules by letting him in without it), and such was the friendship. I never knew where he was from, just knew he was an international student and studying in Perth, looked like he could have been anything from Persian to Egyptian to everything else, but I never asked 'what' he was as it didn't matter...Australia is like that...a melting pot of cultural backgrounds and nationalities.

So I'm chatting on FB today with a friend, one of the guys *S was friends with in the gym days, and he tells me that *S is from Oman, Muscat actually! You have got to be kidding me, thats awesome and I would love to catch up with him. I get a friend suggestion with *S's profile and low and behold he is living in Paris now, but hey, I will request him as a friend anyways.

I hear back from him immediately and we are re-connected, happy days :) Here we are chatting about Jebel Shams, the best shwarma places and whether or not I have gotten used to the staring here (yes, I stare back) and then he sends a FB private message to me and another girl (also from Perth) so that we can get to know one another and I can make a friend...and low and behold I met her at a friend's Xmas Eve dinner party. THE WORLD IS SO SMALL!

I'm not sure if you all know the concept of Six Degrees of Separation, but it refers to a 'web' or number of steps or connections that we all presumably 'know' any other person in the world...but here in Oman and Perth is sure feels like 2-3.

Its been a great day to re-connect with some cool people, re-live the past, and appreciate that things do come full circle eventually.