My Mates

In recent years, I've come to appreciate good, close friends as an uncommon blessing--people who embrace you and with whom you just click in some fundamental way that lets you know, this is a person I can trust and in whom I can confide, from whom I will learn and who will help me grow; this is someone quite simply that I want to spend my time with because I enjoy their presence and they enrich my life.

So I am truly amazed, when I reflect on it, that in the short time I have been here, I have found not just one, but three close friends who have become a vital part of my life in Melbourne. They are my "mates" and have been a lifeline in some of my more difficult moments of adjusting. What's even better is that we are all friends and have a great time together. We meet for lunch every Friday, and it's a wonderful thing to look forward to every week. Here they are...

From left to right: Monica, Valerie, and Preethi

They are all students at Melbourne Uni, and we met each other during orientation week back in July. I think we could be a walking ad for Benetton, or we could take over as hosts of The View--just need someone to take Barbara Walter's place! Anyway, here's just a little about them...

Monica is from Mexico and is getting her Masters in International Tax Law. We met on the first day of orientation, and she has made me laugh ever since. We've had fun with some Spanish-English (mis)translations, but she is such a good sport about it all. I get to improve my Spanish with her, too. But that aside, she is just great fun because she always has such a great attitude. And she is an angel, albeit with a devilish side.

[I just HAVE to tell you one of the biggest laughs I had with (actually at) her, even though she protested, because I nearly fell on the floor laughing. Her parents, naturally, were concerned about her coming to Australia, but one of their primary concerns was that Australia is known to have deadly animals. So, they made her promise to use a mosquito net for her bed. And Monica, sweet as she is, actually bought one when she got here. Of course, she doesn't actually use it. She said she'll put it up though when her parents visit.]

Valerie is from Kenya and is getting her Masters in Marketing. She thinks I'm crazy. Even so, I think she's sweet, and I admire her gentle nature, something I have strived quite unsucessfully to develop in my life. Given her nationality, I thought she would be a great long distance runner, but I learned otherwise recently while we were running for the tram--ha ha! Okay, no, I didn't really assume she would be a great runner (just like she didn't assume I know Karate), but I had fun teasing her about it. Interesting note: she told me that a study showed that the Kenyans who win marathons usually come from specific tribes and it attributed their successes to the fact that they live at high altitudes.

Preethi is from Singapore and is ethnically Indian (but third generation Singaporean). She's getting her Masters in Education. And she's crazy. No, she's not really crazy--that's just my affectionate way of saying I love her quirky sense of humor. She's also wonderfully warm, compassionate, insightful, and a great cook! I have already converted her to Korean food, as I try to do with all my friends, so that now she craves it more than I do! I'm going to teach her how to make bulgogi. She taught in Singapore for four years before coming here, and I know without a doubt that she was and will continue to be a great teacher.