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A matter of a meeting of minds
Preparations for a second reunion of friends Down Under are in full swing. These have seen some highs and some lows. The problem lies in coordinating via e-mail travel plans of people living in different continents and wanting to arrive at the destination on the same day.
- By Vanaja Rao, Stone Editor
- Published: 00:38 May 16, 2008
Preparations for a second reunion of friends Down Under are in full swing. These have seen some highs and some lows. The problem lies in coordinating via e-mail travel plans of people living in different continents and wanting to arrive at the destination on the same day.
Thoughts of the previous meeting in the UK in 2005 had kept enthusiasm levels high with everyone agreeing it was a success beyond anyone's expectations.
The lone person from Australia had made it very clear that her travelling such a long distance, more than any of the others, deserved appreciation and a reward. When asked what that could be, she promptly said that the venue of the next reunion would be Australia as she hated flying anyway and had overcome her fears just to be with us. In the euphoric mood everyone was in at that moment in time, there was hearty acceptance of her plan. Heads nodded in unison and the deal was struck.
Three years later, after intermittent reminders, a flurry of e-mails began outlining the best possible time of year for the visit, making allowances for the commitments of each. Soon there was a full-blown discussion on the itinerary and, as plans progressed via the electronic medium, there were as many voices as opinions on the best places to visit and what could be crammed into the fortnight of stay in a country unexplored by most of the others.
As one wild suggestion succeeded another, the would-be host gently reminded her friends of the great distances that these entailed. This, she said, wasn't the UK. If all the time was spent traversing the country, when were we going to have time to relax and enjoy ourselves talking up a storm ? Did we really want a holiday or a if-it's-Tuesday-it-must-be-Belgium scenario?
Absorbing her sage advice, the communicators decided to pay heed to her greater wisdom based on first-hand knowledge of the place. So, programmes were revised and travel plans made less hectic. Some who insisted on going ahead with seeing as many places as they could - since they weren't sure when or if they would visit the country again - decided to do their travelling to the destinations of their choice after the reunion so as not to take anything away from the spirit of the get-together.
Keen interest
However, despite the keen interest in this tryst, there were other events unfolding in the lives of some, such as ageing parents who needed full-time care and whose physical condition was a cause for deep concern. The e-mails died a natural death after the initial excitement as each attended to matters of importance in their lives. Every now and again, the host in Australia would send a reminder of the swift passage of time. Was anyone having second thoughts, she wanted to know.
Feeling guilty about the suspended communication, the replies started again, reassuring her that there was no change in plans. The electronic messaging peaked again with all the correspondents justifying the lull in conversation and apologising for having got side-tracked.
Just as the would-be host felt things were back on track, the communication lines folded up as work and home pressures surfaced again, leaving no time for the luxury of planning an exotic getaway when there were more mundane matters to worry about.
The silence was tolerated for a while before yet another gentle reminder, jolting everyone back to the realisation that while it was perfectly understandable to be involved in our everyday lives, it wasn't really fair to keep our mate Down Under in the dark.
Her interpretation of the situation was simple - no news wasn't good news. A final stark reminder of D-day nearing and nothing seemingly being done made everyone sit up and take notice. So, travel agents were consulted and tickets booked after some frantic cross-checking among friends about the best flights and fares.
With less than a month to go the seesaw of excitement is on the ascendant.
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