A reunion After 12 Years

Last Monday, I met a friend from the English language school I attended in New York. She's from the island of Mallorca, Spain, and this was her first trip back to New York in 12 years.

A several days ago ahead of visiting, she sent me a message saying she would be visiting and asked if I was available to meet. Of course I said yes.

We met at Grand Central Terminal, and the funny thing was... she hadn't changed at all. She still had the same cheerful, outgoing personality I remembered. She's the kind of person who never hesitates to try something unfamiliar.

Our little reunion grew into a group of five. Besides the two of us, two friends came from Colombia and one from Burkina Faso.

Not one of us is a native English speaker.

I looked around the table and thought, "Wow, this is New York."

Then another thought crossed my mind.

How did we communicate 12 years ago with our broken English?

We're still connected after all this time.

Social media certainly makes it easier to keep in touch, but most friendships eventually stay online. Meeting in person after more than a decade felt very special.

Back then, everyone at the language school had a different story. Some had moved with their families, some came to study English, others for work, and some because of visa situations. After a few semesters, we all went our separate ways. Many returned to their home countries, and I assumed I'd probably never see most of them again.

Looking back now, I realize that year was a very unique experience.

We were communicating in our second—or even third—language. Because our vocabulary was limited, our conversations were simple. We probably sounded like children, even though we were adults. Some classmates were professors or professionals back home, yet in English they all seemed like boys and girls simply trying their best.

Maybe that's one reason we connected so easily.

Sometimes I wonder if it's the same the other way around. If my classmates heard me speaking Japanese, would they be surprised?

"She talks so fast!"

"She's much more talkative than I realized!"

Every language seems to reveal a different side of us.

We spent the late afternoon catching up on the last 12 years. In that amount of time, almost everything can change.

And yet, some things don't.

New York has changed a lot since before the pandemic. Neighborhoods, restaurants, even the rhythm of the city feel different now. But my friend also recognized something familiar—the same energy that made her fall in love with the city years ago.

Maybe that's the true essence of New York.

It constantly changes, while somehow remaining unmistakably itself.

I'm so glad she reached out. What I expected to be a simple reunion became an opportunity to reflect on friendship, language, and how people can reconnect even after many years apart.