What a treat to meet Mmmonyka after learning about her solely through her blog and e-mail exchanges. It's weird meeting interweb people in real life isn't it? Because in my case, no one I actually know in real life reads my blog (with apologies to Karoline and Marko if they are reading, whom I DO know in real life but they were from my fantasy year in Trieste which I am still not entirely sure I did not actually dream). Anyway point being, as far as I know Marko & Karoline are the only two people whom I know in real life (oh, right, and now Mmmonyka) who know about my blog. And while I have not reached the level of honest introspection that I had hoped for here, I do (occasionally) write things I simply would not tell people I actually know. It's kind of my private space... you know private in a visible-to-the-1.9-billion-people-on-the-interweb kind of way. But since I intuit that 99.999999% of these 1.9 billion people have not found my little space; it feels private. So yeah, suddenly there, on my couch was someone whom I had never actually met who knew things about me that some people I have known my entire life do not. Which was weird. Or, by all rights it should have been weird. But it wasn't. Why? Partially, I think, because Mmmonyka was exactly who I was expecting based on her blog. It DID feel like I already knew her, there was no jolting feeling as I tried to harmonize whom I thought she would be with whom she actually turned out to be. Ok, her accent was more exotic, her legs a bit longer than in my head but the stuff of substance was very much as presented on her blog - determined, self sufficient, hard working, serious, debrouillard. And, as a total bonus, a natural with toddlers. After 30 minutes of shyness, la cocotte was all over her.
This visit also made me reflect on trust. I tend to be a ridiculously trusting person and it rarely occurs to me that a situation could be dangerous due to the bad intentions of humans. I give rides to hitch hikers, walk alone late at night in strange cities and if they ever offered I would definitely take candy from strangers. I also, as it turns out, not only offer to let people I have never met in the flesh stay at my apartment but also I give them the keys BEFORE I have actually met them so they can come and go as they please. Now those of you who know Mmmonyka through her blog are probably thinking "oh please, it's Mmmonyka, of COURSE she is exactly as she seems" and clearly I agree... so let me make this absolutely clear that this NOT about Mmmonyka (whom I hope I am really not offending) this is about trust in strangers in general. I think it is okay to be blindly trusting of everyone when my actions only affect me. If I did invite an interweb person to stay in my apartment who wound up doing horror-movie type things to me then well live (or not) and learn. My hubby would be out a wife (and let's face it with the burping and farting and smelly running clothes and constant fatigue supressing my sex drive some might consider this to be no big loss) and he (hubby) might have to get blood stains out of the carpet. But with la cocotte on the scene maybe it is time to be less blindly trusting.
Again... this is not about Mmmonyka but rather about my unrelenting belief that the world is safe and people can be trusted. We (Mmmonyka and I) had a conversation while she was here about how neither of us ever really conceive that there could be danger from other humans in a situation. Seeing the world through trusting eyes has definite benefits. I get to meet interweb people and have fun with them and I get to run in strange cities without fear when I travel for work and theoretically eat the yummy candy from strangers... in other words it is a positive and happy way to perceive one's world. But maybe now as a mommy, it's time to get the guard up a little and instill some healthy distrust both in la cocotte and in me. There's still time. La cocotte isn't going anywhere alone anytime soon. Yet I find myself pondering to what extent I have to change my happy vision of the world to be a responsible parent.
Anyway Mmmonkya, thank you for being exactly who you appear to be on your blog. Thanks for taking the time to visit and entertaining la cocotte. She thought you were cool. Me too.
Mmmonyka, la cocotte and ugly naked doll
Wow,my name has made it into blog title! I am famous!:)
ReplyDeleteI have an exotic accent? Really? Nobody told me that before:)
I second you on your trust thoughts. I tend to be very trusting as well. People at work say that I will end up badly one day...
Usually when people become parents they stop to be fearless. But I do not believe that they should not go overboard with it and install some totally unreasonable ideas into their kids minds who then start believe that the world is an ugly place.
I just realized that I have never thought about the possibility that you might not be you. That behind PPC name might be hiding some psycho tricking people to his apartment. Or that I will come to Montreal and it would all turn out to be a stupid joke. Well, probably because it was very unlikely. Which weirdo will wait one year for me to come to his place and especially since I was living in France when we first got in touch.
The only complete fraud in bloggerland is me. People usually end up telling me that I'm nothing like I appear to be in print.
ReplyDeleteI've met dozens of people I knew first by computer. Only one was a jerk.
m - well i am me, as you saw but you were exposed to the danger of la cocotte... germs, conjunctivities, relentless 6 am wake up calls. i hope you didn't get sick after you left?
ReplyDeletesteveq - i picture you being quite quiet & shy in real life which might make a big contrast to your presence on your blog. maybe that's why people think you're a fraud?
PPC- actually I was ok until today. But today I fell asleep on a floor by my bed, maybe I am getting sick...
ReplyDeletesteveq - I wonder. When people meet you do they think better of you or they start thinking that you are even worse in real life than what you appear to be on your blog? :)
mmmonyka: I come off as irritable on my blog, aloof, pessimistic and a little misogynistic. In real life, none of those is true (well, maybe pessimistic).
ReplyDeleteIf only I knew that before I said no to your proposal....
ReplyDeleteIt is so fascinating to think about what is "real": the blog persona or the person one meets in real life. Lots of people also have trouble being themselves in "real life situations". I got to know my first husband over emails for a year or so. I felt like I really, really knew him and, in a sense, I did. But it is interesting the things that don't get communicated in writing. But one can definitely get something out of both types of friendships, as all of us here know.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the further insight into Mmmonyka and the great pic. Glad you guys got to meet! I just wish I could have been there. But I'm not fast enough for you guys, anyway.
SLG, don't worry. You do not have to be fast to hang out with us fast guys:)
ReplyDeleteWe have not run a single step while I was there!