I became friends with a stranger on vacation. Despite living on separate continents, we're still close 5 years later.

"A Scottish teacher and an Australian writer meeting in an ice bath in Thailand sounds like the setup for a bad joke. However, it's a real-life moment that sparked a friendship that's lasted five years and crossed two continents. In February 2020, I arrived at a health retreat in Phuket feeling exhausted and stressed. On the first morning, I stood staring at the activity board, completely overwhelmed."

"Jon, a Scottish teacher living in Dubai, saw me hovering there and introduced himself. He asked why I was at the retreat, and I told him I was feeling burnt out and open to trying new things. His suggestion was aerial yoga. I immediately said, "No way!" Jon laughed and pointed out that I'd just told him I was open to new experiences. He had a fair point. Twenty minutes later, we were both hanging upside down in silk hammocks."

"After aerial yoga, Jon suggested we try the ice bath. He'd done it before; I hadn't. I lasted two seconds before screaming and scrambling out. Jon didn't laugh at me. Instead, he calmly talked me through trying again. Here was someone I'd just met being patient with my ridiculous ice-bath meltdown. Similar in age and navigating the same kind of life pressures, we just clicked. Over the week, we tried all the activities together."

In February 2020 I arrived at a health retreat in Phuket exhausted and stressed. On the first morning I hesitated at the activity board and was introduced to Jon, a Scottish teacher living in Dubai. He encouraged me to try aerial yoga and an ice bath; he guided me patiently through an initial meltdown. We connected over shared life pressures, tried many activities together, and won the retreat trivia. After returning home, the pandemic prompted regular Zoom calls and fitness challenges that sustained the friendship. I visited him on work trips and now see him more often than some nearby friends.

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