They say that there is a slim chance of finding real friends on Facebook. I took a chance and found one in Grace.
Grace and I have been Facebook friends since 2011. It started when our common friend, Ginee, suggested that we add each other as friends since we often found each other commenting in Ginee’s posts. It turned out that Grace was my college roommate’s best friend in grade school, too. (Hi, Daisy!) Our world became smaller. As I kept updated with her life through Facebook (and she got updates with mine, too), I got to know Grace better.
Fast forward to 2014, I found her workout clip on Instagram (Gracegetfit). She was into a fitness regimen for several weeks already and I found her exercise routine to be something I can manage. It was Les Mills Combat. I tried it and I loved it. She was my one-man support team who encouraged me to get up and move. She gave me tips on what to eat and what to avoid, although I hardly follow them. Thanks to Grace, I get compliments that I am now trimmer. I am still not in my ideal size (flat abs is the goal!). But I am happy to have a cheerleader in Grace. She has a cheerleader in me. We’ll get there, you elusive flat abs!
Grace embraced (more like, endured, haha!) my quirks, inner weirdo and eccentricities. I do not have to edit or put careful thoughts on what I tell her. I do not get judged for what I did or said. She listens to my woes and triumphs and shares her thoughts on what I have shared.
In many of our conversations, we had planned to meet when she comes home to the Philippines. You see, Grace was born and raised in the Philippines, studied in Japan and works in Dubai. She had not been home for years and her Philippine vacation was long overdue. We had often quipped that we would meet in some coffee shop and chat on our mobile devices. We are both introverts.
Since last year, she had been planning to spend her vacation here in the Philippines in July. It finally pushed through. I agreed to meet her. She planned to visit Butuan but with two kids in tow and one is not accustomed to long drive (Butuan is five hours away by bus), I went to meet her in Cagayan de Oro. I stayed overnight in her parents’ home (which she and her siblings helped build). How cool is that? I have not met her before and here she was opening her home to me. She was more awesome in person than I imagined her to be and we did not have to pull out our devices to have a conversation. It felt like we have been friends for a long time.
Grace and me with Grace’s son, Benja, goofing around.
I went with her on a trip to Dahilayan in Bukidnon. Grace has a wonderful family who is easily to get along with.
And she has an equally awesome daughter, Pristine, who easily became my buddy. We crossed the hanging bridge together shouting at the top of our lungs, every time the bridge wobbled. Ha!
Me and the lovely, Pristine.
I compiled all my photos with Grace. Thank you for being such a wonderful person, Grace! I had a wonderful time. Cheers to friendship!
Photos are all taken by Grace (stolen by me!)
Grace is also a blogger. She is one of Dubai’s Influential Bloggers. She writes about her experiences in SandierPastures.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Like her page on Facebook.
I end this post with this thought.
I agree with the quote. 🙂 This only proves that you can still find good friends online and not only scammers. hehehe!
It is really like that sometimes. You meet a person and then you realize that being with each other seems like destiny. I like that.
It’s so cool to find genuine friendships online and then later on IRL. I also miss the times I go over to my friend’s house and just hang out.
Friendship is awesome, indeed. And it doesn’t matter where or how you became friends, what’s important is that you make an effort to maintain that friendship.
This story disproves the common belief that FB friendships are shallow and just the superficial. Your friendship that started in social media is something remarkable. May your friendship last a lifetime.
Cheers to you both!
It’s nice to see people enjoying each other’s friendship, and that started on Facebook, right? It doesn’t matter whether you started digital, what matters is the way you make each other happy and the way you keep your friendship.
This is true. Sometimes, we find the best persons in the later part of life. I also met people who I became my good friends and the feeling is so rewarding. And isn’t it cute that through the process of getting to know one another, you discover how connected your are in some way before? And that it seems like God brought you two together just at the right time? 🙂
you can likened your friendship to what we call ‘soulmate’. I can relate much to your story since I too have met wonderful people through Facebook as well.
It’s really hard to find true friends. Both of you are lucky to have known each other. 🙂
I admire your friendship. Your story is interesting. Not sure if I have ever met someone like Grace online. Keep it burning. 🙂
Isn’t that just sweet! Friends are a blessing, and it is true that as we age it sometimes get harder to find true friends. I am glad you “gamble” paid off for ya!
i definitely agree with the last quote. they would be classed as true friends and will always be true friends even through thick and thin
This sound like a digital penpal~ Actually, I thought being a blogger is somewhat similar to making friends online (instead of via letters too)~
Hi Grace, nice knowing you too!
It’s great that you found a friend through Facebook, I fortunately have the same experience as well, although I haven’t met any of them face to face since I don’t go out that much. 🙂
real friendship is built on a good foundation and your friendship with grace is just rockin’ solid…
That’s so cool that you were able to meet up with your FB friend in person. It’s really interesting that friendships can be form via facebook.
aww your friend is so cute..I am glad to read this sweet post =)
Ahh.. the world of social media! I’ve made a great many friends on instagram (not very active on fb) but so happy for you that you finally got to meet her in person!
Good to know that you found a nice friend via social media.
[…] Oh, I now have a mini- herb garden. I was able to buy the plants when I went to Dahilayan with Grace. […]
It is great that you have made such a great friendship online in Grace and her family since. I think true friends love us for a quirks, no enduring here haha!
So so nice to hear a genuine friendship that came about because of Facebook. I make a lot of online friends as well. I hope at least one of them becomes a close personal friend as well.
Adds faith in humanity. With the advent of technology, people could get more real or get more fake. We hear horrible stories about online fraud, but stories like this makes us want to have faith in humanity once again. 🙂 Dahilayan is in Mindanao! 🙂 Glad you’ve been in Mindanao. 😀
Raymond, I am from Mindanao. I live in Butuan!
It’s nice to see your friendship blossom in facebook. It was even great seeing the two of you finally meet and spend a day with her family.
I have tons of friends from high school, college and childhood friends. Now I have new bestfriends from thr blogging community and all of them are mommies, like me
You’re lucky to find a good friend in Grace and I’m sure Grace also feels the same way.
One reason I use to love Social Media, I have a bunch of it and we often go out for an adventure.
The world is actually very small. An experiment actually found that, in average, only 5 layers of friend with every stranger.. Meaning, we might have friend’s friend’s friend’s friend knowing the person who you just met on the street!
I agree with the ending quote. I met a friend just like your grace and she is also a mummy blogger like myself. We are really blessed to have found each other on cyberspace. Thanks for sharing your lovely friend on the blog 🙂