Friends In High Places

Have I written about Katrina? After it was decided, but before we arrived in Bari, I joined a couple of expat Facebook groups who might have been able to help us navigate the new city. I am still part of these groups until we leave next week. I immediately had questions that I thought the group might be able to help with and once we arrived in town I reached out to see if anyone would want to meet up. Enter Katrina.
An expat from Belfast via London, who has made Bari her home for the past three years. She is remarkably social and is always the first person to respond to social media requests for meetups. We were no exception. Within a day of our arrival she had already set up a meeting spot for El and I to get some local tips from a local- in person. We met at a cafe where we were able to sketch out a roadmap of our entire time here. Tourist spots, check. Popular day trips, check. The best pizza, gelato, focaccia, and fine dining in the city, check. We exchanged personal info that first day and have been able to keep up with recommendations from her during our time here. We try to get together every week or so, though her schedule doesn’t always allow it. Nonetheless, she has been a wealth of knowledge and a good ally to have in this foreign land.
St. Patrick's day fell the week we arrived and Katrina invited us out to a local bar to celebrate. She reserved a table and included us in the plans. El was working that night, so by the time we arrived, others were already there. This is where we met Caroline and Pierre- expats from France via Milan. The five of us had a great evening getting to know each other.
Katrina has been the most consistent expat in our lives during our time here. She has met us for coffee, snacks, dinners, and today. Knowing we were close to the end of our time here, Caroline reached out to me to invite us over for lunch before we left. Katrina was also invited. The four of us had a most delightful lunch sharing stories of our time here, places we’ve been, and places we hope to go. The setting was perfect and we left confident in the friendships we have made during our time here. 
It seems funny to think back two months ago when we had just arrived. Meeting people for the first time and trying to explain how and why we would be here for the next two months. Standing here today getting ready to leave, those first days seem so long ago. All of the local knowledge we have today that we didn't have then, and we owe some of it to these very people who helped steer us in the right direction. 
It is quite possible that our paths will cross again...should we be so lucky.

out on the town for our last night in town