I do believe in it, ever since I left my hometown of Pocklington 13 years ago to go to Uni, I always find somebody with a connection to it somehow!
Well in the last month I have met 2 different people François and I are connected to, right here in Lannion!
The first is actually a family member we have discovered by an incredible coincidence. On our way back from our UK trip in January we stopped in Dinard to visit François' grandparents and great aunt. "Tante Simone" asked us how we were enjoying living in Lorient (she is 90!), so François corrected her and said "Lannion", she said "Oh I know someone else in Lannion. It's my great nephew Vincent", so effectively the same relation to her as François is. She had seen her nephew Jean (Vincents father and François' mums cousin) just the day before and so had all of their news fresh in her mind. She told us where he works, where his wife works, and their surname, none of that had any real connection to us. Then she said they have a little boy, and she had a picture, so I asked to see it as I thought you never know I might have seen him at any of the kids things I go to. I recognised the little boy instantly as he is looked after by our next door neighbour 4 days a week! This is the same next door neighbour who is also Max's childminder by the way, so Max will be spending lots of time with his "third cousin"! He's called Erwan and is 2.5yrs old. Really amazing, and to think we may never have found this out if we hadn't had that exact conversation with Tante Simone on that day!!
We told our childminder the story so she could tell Erwan's parents, which she did and by all accounts they were amazed too! They even called François' grandparents to check the story!! Then we happened to run into them this weekend at a school open day (not yet bumped into them next door as they don't collect at the same time as us!), I recognised Erwan and just introduced myself to them. It was lovely to meet them and Erwan and Laila may end up at school together in September. He's born the same year as her but hasn't started school yet.
My 2nd story of a recent connection is an English one. I did my year out from Salford Uni here in Lannion back in 2000/01, I worked for Alcatel for a year. This is when I met François who was doing his work experience across the road and was living across the hall from me in our student/workers accommodation. Bear with me here!
Last week at playgroup I finally met the other English mum they had told me about the first time I went. Her name is Claire, she has a 16 month old girl called Chloe and is expecting her 2nd child in May. We had a little chat and found out we're both married to Frenchmen. I told her I'd met François here on my year out and she said "don't tell me you worked at Alcatel?" I said yes, she asked if I'd lived in the infamous "Foyer Cosmos"...Yes! She told me her best friend had done the same and married the Frenchman she met here. It turns out we all went to Salford, but they were 2 or 3 years ahead of me. Claire did her placement in the Loire, and met her husband at her best friends wedding! He happens to be her best friends husbands brother!!If you followed any of that then well done!
We're looking forward to getting know these people better, strengthening our connections, and also making more.
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