Hey, Stranger‪!‬ Thoraya Maronesy

Hey Thoraya! Congrats on your podcast! I enjoy hearing your talks with strangers. All your conservations show how much kindness people have in their hearts, and sharing this through your chan1nel and podcast is wonderful. I firmly believe that we as humans can be better by understanding others, and I think that what you do helps a lot toward that goal!

About the last question of your second episode, I have a story about a friend that I appreciated and loved, but that ended going away because of a misunderstanding. I was a peer leader when I was an undergraduate student, and during my second time welcoming new students, a new girl joined the peer leaders group. This girl seemed like an earnest person the first time I met her, but just in a few days, we became incredibly close. After the welcoming week, we keep hanging out and sharing time for the whole term. She became one of my best friends at that time.

The next term, during the welcoming week, the peer leader group organizer (a faculty secretary) received an anonymous mail full of complaints about my friend. I never had the chance to read it, but my friend told me that it was accusing her of getting new students into alcohol/drugs, and it also said that everybody on the peer leader group hated her and wanted her out. However, when she told me about it, she hadn't read the email herself either. She was very shocked and sad because she couldn't understand how somebody could have done that. And if it weren't bad enough, the director of her program took the accusations so seriously that he was going to expel her if she couldn't demonstrate that the allegations were false. I was shocked when I knew about it, and although I tried to talk with the dean of our faculty, only a lawyer could do something.

That term was very hard for her, and I tried to support her the best I could. Suddenly, when she was attempting to refute the allegations, she stopped answering my messages and calls. After a week without knowing anything, I decided to ask the secretary if she knew about my friend's situation. After some insistent questioning, she told me that somebody signed the email with my name!!!. I couldn't believe it at first, but without a doubt, my friend thought that I was the one that wrote the email and that I was messing up with her.

After that, I couldn't get back to her at all. I tried to tell her that it wasn't me who sent that email, but it made sense from her point of view. In the end, everything was settled by suspending her for that term only (luckily). When she returned the next term, she refused to talk to me, and I decided it was best not to continue insisting. It makes me a bit sad to remember what happened to our friendship, and whenever I think about past friendships, she always comes to my mind as someone that I would love to still be friends with.

That first episode almost made me cry. The story of the soldier was just so deep. Regards from Colombia 🇨🇴

First of all I want to say that I really love your content and the good vibes and kindness you spread through your videos❤️❤️❤️

Answering to your question, one stranger that I still remember is a guy I met at church. Some years ago I moved and I started going to a different church. (I’m a really shy person and I struggle to socialize) so a few days passed by and I didn’t make any friend yet. The youth group made an activity in love and friendship day (Colombian celebration) and everyone was having a good time but I was uncomfortable, I didn’t know how to interact with people, I was just sitting down there. So this guys came with a big smile, sat on my side and started a conversation with me. He was so nice and funny and made me feel included, we talked for hours. Afterwards I realized he wasn’t from that church, he was just a guest that day so I didn’t see him anymore but I will never forget him and that cool conversation we had. ❤️

@urieta21