familiar faces

Throughout our travels in NZ, we’ve often noticed the same people in different cities.  For example, on our self-guided tour of the upper south island over New Year’s, we came across the same couple in three of our destinations; it appears that the backpackers travel the same path.  That, and the country is feeling increasingly smaller.

At our new hostel, faces look incredibly familiar.  A Canadian friend we’ve just met explained it as an expression of homesickness; we are associating people whom we’ve never met before with people that they remind us of back home.  This might be partially true for me, as I am longing for home, and a fellow American, better yet, Omahan.  In Omaha, I tend to have the same problem, certain that I recognize people when I’m out and about on the town.  I rack my brain…did I teach them, go to school with them, university, babysit, meet through friends, how do I know them?!

New girls arrived at the hostel today, and the feeling of familiarity immediately washed over me, convinced I knew them.  They were from Germany and Bavaria, which almost immediately ruled them out.  Finally it hit me, one of the girls was our waitress for one meal in Kaikoura all the way back in January!  I am being constantly reminded of the small space that we are sharing on these tiny islands in the South Pacific and it’s interesting how at times, it feels more and more familiar, just like home.  Nevertheless, I can’t wait to step foot on American soil, where I will be overwhelmed with looking for a familiar face!