Friendship Is the Real Love Story

  welcome to Unapologetically Both.

today, we are writing a love letter to the people who actually show up when the fairy tale fades. friendship is the real love story.

when you move countries, you leave behind more than geography.

You leave behind automatic belonging. You leave behind built-in support systems. You leave behind familiarity. So slowly, over the years, friendships become something much deeper.

Not casual. Not secondary. Essential. I’ve lived in Germany for 25 years now.

And when I look back at my life here, one of the biggest things I feel grateful for is not a career achievement. Not travel. Not even survival. it’s the people.

The friendships that stayed through different phases of my life. Friends who became family without ever officially being called family. friendship has carried me through some of the hardest transitions of my life.

For over 13 years, I’ve been running Meetup group in Heidelberg, bringing thousands of international expats together. People think I do this just because I’m a massive extrovert who likes a good party. But the truth is much deeper than that. I build community because I know what it feels like to land in a foreign country where you don't know a single soul. In my  decade of hosting, I have witnessed the birth of the most spectacular love stories. I’ve seen two strangers from completely different continents meet at a Heidelberg event, navigate the brutal German bureaucracy together, become roommates, and eventually become each other's chosen family.

When you don't have your biological family nearby, your friends become your safety net. They are the ones who pick you up from the hospital, the ones who celebrate your promotions, and the ones who celebrate your favorite Indian festival with you  just to make you feel at home. And honestly, I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about long-term expat life. You learn that family can be created. not only inherited.

True friendships are built on choice, freedom, and an identical frequency. There is no legal contract keeping you together. There is no societal expectation forcing you to stay. You stay because you genuinely admire each other's mind.

So here is your homework for this week: Stop waiting for Valentine's Day or an anniversary to celebrate love. Look at your inner circle—the ones who answer your chaotic midnight texts, the ones who share your silence, the ones who make living abroad feel like an adventure.

Send them a message today. Tell them they are your real love story.

This is Unapologetically Both.

And this is where we celebrate the lives we build…

and the people who quietly help us become ourselves