How we met… from both our perspectives

Meredith: We met in Macao in 2016. We volunteered at a computer and animation conference at the Venetian Casino. It was my first time traveling to a new country alone. I got into Macao really late at night, and I hate food on airplanes, so I didn't try to eat until that next morning, when I discovered I could not buy food. I didn't realize that in China, Visa credit cards aren't very widely accepted, and I didn't pack any cash I could use. It was also a bank holiday and all the banks were closed and I couldn't get cash. Effectively I had no money (and no food).

I was staying at the University of Macao which is kind of on the mainland of China surrounded by high walls, but technically it's in the special adminstrative region Macao. You back get to the islands of Macao via a special underground tunnel that only cars and buses can take. I had taken an Uber to this place where no Ubers, Didi cabs, or regular taxis could be reached, so without bus money I was stuck, late to the conference check-in and hungry.

So I started crying and feeling hopeless (as one does) and someone took pity on me and gave me like 10 RMB. I used this to take the bus to the Venetian on Taipa island in the main part of Macao. Thankfully, being a Casino the Venetian happily took my money and converted it into cash, so I finally had real money. Unfortunately, I was still running late to check in for the conference, and couldn't buy any food.

Mikey: So at the conference, they had this snack table and I picked up a bag of dried crabs to eat, and I sat down at a table with Meredith. She looked really sad and said she was hungry so I offered them to her, and that is how we met. We both took identical photos of these dried crabs.

Later on we both had volunteer shifts together and we talked a bunch. Did we talk again after Macao?

Meredith: We talked again that year at the North American version of conference in Los Angeles. (2017)

Mikey: Yeah and then again at the same conference in Bangkok (2017) and a year later in Tokyo. (2018)

Meredith: It was a bit like a series of missed connections.

We didn't get actually get together though until I invited you to go with me to my friend's wedding on the East Coast of the US. (2019)

Mikey: It has been more than 5 years since then.

Meredith: Yep.

Mikey: Yep.