If ever there was parental advice that I don’t agree with it’s the adage “Don’t talk to strangers.” In fact it is a well known statistic that most kidnappings or abuse to children are at the hand of a person that they know.
Conversely, I find that so called strangers quickly and often can evolve into friends, if given the opportunity. I (Peta) tend to be one of those people who is quick to strike up conversations with so called “strangers”. Often, these casual conversations have yielded connections that last beyond that first encounter.
So it was with Maya.
While in San Francisco for business for CO2Bambu in May this year, in a French cafe one morning I noticed that the young woman next to me had similar red glasses to mine and a ponytail to one side of her head. I started chatting to her over our chocolate croissants and discovered that she was tired of her 12 hour a day job at one of the largest PR firms in New York City, looking to do something more meaningful in a different environment. Born and educated in Poland, we have America as an adopted country in common. She was very interested in the bamboo business in Nicaragua and keen to make some changes in her life. I gave her my contact info and a month laterI got an email from Maya saying…
Is the offer to come and stay with you in Nicaragua still good? I am about to quit my job and would like to come and volunteer my time and expertise with CO2bambu for a month. And so we found ourselves at the airport wondering if I would be able to recognize Maya after A 20 minute interlude in SF with someone who is essentially at this point, a “stranger.”
Fast forward a week and, meet our friend (no longer stranger) Maya. Look for her guest blog entry coming up soon….
Clearly, Ben is in hog heaven…
Ben: “Gracias, Peta!”