And then for some reason I thought and prayed “Taj Mahal, please work your magic.” I just really wanted to try and see if it‘s going to work.

And then I saw this guy who I thought was just passing by. But he came over and asked “Do you mind sharing the bench?”

We shared travel stories, backgrounds, all the things you talk about when you first meet a person. What was funny and interesting was when he mentioned that he saw Thomas Friedman (author of The World is Flat and From Beirut to Jerusalem) entering the Taj Mahal. For economics graduates like myself, it would have been great to meet him and have a photo taken with him. So yes, it was interesting to meet someone who also knows and likes Thomas Friedman books. And to meet someone who was easy to talk to the first time around. And in India, for that matter.

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