It's a small world afterall...

Since coming to China, I've had far more "small world" moments than I ever did in Boston. I'm wondering if these same connections were all around me in Boston, and I was just comfortable enough in my routine that I didn't seek them out? And now I'm simply looking harder for these connections in order to define and make my world a smaller place? Or is it just plain 'ole coincidence? Some of these things you can't go looking for--they just reach out and grab you.

Take my friend Matt at the BSO, who introduced me to his bassist friend in Shanghai who was able to direct me to a fantastic luthier here where I bought a cello. Or just today, being surprised to see a former co-worker from the BSO and a friend from elementary school 'talking' on Facebook, realizing they went to college together, which then led to suggestions on where to travel in China. Or learning that Stella has two other Chinese students from the States--Lowell, MA to be specific! They are English teachers here in town and we're meeting & having dinner with them on Saturday. At Turkish Delight, naturally.

Vienna, Austria was the same. I'll never forget checking into a hostel in Vienna before I had an apartment, only to learn that the owners' daughter had also graduated from Puget Sound. But then again, it does happen at home too: Claudia, my Tanglewood roomie from Venezuela, played in a quartet in college with the same violinist that I played in a quartet with in high school! Bizarre!

So are these small world moments completely random? Or do they happen every day and they're only more memorable here because it's an unexpected glimpse of home in a foreign place? Would it be any different if we'd moved to Uzbekistan?

And how long will this song be stuck in my head?