Global local

I crossed the street and saw Trish sitting outside the Colombian cafe in Surry Hills where we had arranged to meet.

I was struck firstly by the surge of happiness that I felt simply at sighting her and also how normal it seemed for us to be together in Sydney, our home town. Except it's not normal to be catching up here because we have only ever known each other in Phnom Penh where we met in December 2015 when she was leading the choir singing Christmas carols in Bassac Lane.

We have both finished up in Cambodia in recent weeks and are drifting in for a short time to Australia to which we will always be tethered due to the bonds of family and friends. But we also continue to seek living in a global sphere which seems less possible here though there is cultural diversity. The world somehow seems smaller, even in a vibrant city like Sydney where people live in enclaves. I feel removed from the pulse of what's happening elsewhere in the world except the anglo-sphere and mainly the U.K. and US. In conversations and news coverage, there are narrow prisms of light shed on to what is considered noteworthy, few intersections where different segments of society meet with curiosity and abiding interest. Everything is orderly, at least on the surface. I like spontaneity, a little bit of chaos even occasionally.

We shared the afternoon and lunch, coffee and the most delicate Colombian shortbread with caramel. We also shared effortless conversation and covered much - the joys of discovering people and foreign places, writing new chapters of our life story, the sorrow of leaving behind meaningful friendships and continuing them virtually.

Nature is one of the best things about Australia. We went for a walk in Centennial park and sat at the duck pond.

What joy it reliably brings to spend time with Trish.