Meeting people

I came to New York City a little under five years ago. I didn’t know anybody here. I was terrified.

How would I meet people, I wondered, panicking?

The room for some reason looked and felt even smaller than it was. But at the same time it seemed as though I was standing alone in the middle of the endless field.

It takes years to build relationships, I thought. Most of my friends back home I’ve known for years. I met them all before I graduated college. I had no clue how to meet people and make friends.

But then I opened the window.

The internet browser window.

And the endless field I was standing in instantly tuned into a land of opportunities. The internet browser became my window to the 8 million people living in New York City.

Meetup.com, dating sites, ethnic communities, interest groups – all became available to me on demand at my fingertips, literally.

I met many interesting people through those opportunities since and made one very good friend.

I imagine with horror what I would have done without that window.