Expats, have you had a 'it's a scarily small world'/weird coincidence moment?

[expatinscotland]

as expats, have you ever had a 'this is a scarily small world' moment?

I used to climb a lot, but my ex was a really talented climber and as a result I got to hang out with some folks who are pretty well-known in that area.

Anyhow, my ex decided to climb rather than have children (and other issues). Fair enough, but we divorced and it was no secret - neither of us saw any reason why it should be - why we split up - it certainly wasn't an isolated occurance in the climbing world.

I made my peace with it and when the time came to move away, it was a long time coming.

The wife of a VERY famous climber - herself a very talented climber - started to strike up conversations with me. Okay.

When she heard I was leaving for good, she asked if I would meet her up in a bar. Okay.

There she gets crying drunk and tells me that she's in a similar situation and how gutted she is and she doesn't know what she's going to do and how'd I find the strength and what was I gonna do and blah blah blah.

Fuck, what do you say? Hey, been there, bought the tshirt, burning it, scattering the ashes off the ship as it pulls out of port with me on the deck with my back turned? I left that house on fire and I never went back?

I basically told her to follow her heart and conscience.

On the bus this afternoon, two people sit down in front of me. The female is speaking. Loudly.

She starts mentioning the name of this gal's husband. It's a VERY unique name, so my ears prick up.

Then she says more about him, surname and where he lives. OMG! And how he's coming over in May and they're going to (Scottish climbing area).

Finally, she goes on to tell her companion, about how 'Implanon' has given her the munchies and it's a contraceptive device because - I'll call him Tom - never wants children and she wants to make sure the device is working by the time he comes back.

And that's that's why his ex wife divorced him.

Weirdorama!

Of all places to hear about the fate of those two!

Happily, however, she also mentioned that his ex has remarried and become a mother.

So, P, if you're out there and you're reading this (I know you're Canadian and your husband is English): GOOD ON YOU! I'm so glad you got what you wanted and I hope you're happier with your new man than with that immature Peter Pan who's 36 and just wanted to play in the sandpit. She ain't anything to write home about, either.

oh - and

My birthday is the same as prince William
My brothers is the same as prince Harry
My Mums is the same as princess Diana
My dads is the same as prince charles.

Seriously.

yes as 20p says, we knew/worked with lots of the same people. spooky

mind you, music is like that - you can never really fall out with anyone because they always turn up again. Keep meeting people here who know people I know. New head of the music school here knows an Australian who I played in an orchestra with in London, things like that are always happening.

Bassmama - your birthday thing is just WEIRD!

my sister met someone at a friends' mother's memorial service in London a few months ago (the lady had been the mother's private nurse while she was ill). They got chatting and discovered, bit by bit, how the lady was married to a dentist from New Zealand, they went down the whole road of where she had lived in NZ, bla bla bla and eventually discovered she was in fact married to my father's cousin's husband's son(did ya follow that?).

I worked in The Hague 3 years back as a nanny. Last october i was walking down the street i now work in to meet a mum i had been friendly with, turns out she now lives in theh same street