COLUMBUS -- Family members questioned Maalika Jameel's decision to visit Nebraska in December, but she was eager to reunite with her longtime friend, Teri Ronkar, after more than 30 years.
Jameel, visiting the United States to see family in California and attend a cousin's wedding in the Washington, D.C., area, arrived to spend a week with her friend who now resides in Columbus.
The couple first met in 1975 when Jameel's family hosted Ronkar, then Teri Cook, as a foreign exchange student in Galle, Sri Lanka, a small island south of India where Jameel still resides.
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| Jameel with Ronkar |
But when the graduate of Fremont High School initially learned Sri Lanka would be her foreign exchange destination she cried, disappointed from expectations of travelling to a European destination.
"I was sure I was going to go to Germany," she said, so upon receiving the letter "I looked at my mom and said 'Where is Sri Lanka?'"
After arriving in the country, however she soon made friends with Jameel. The two, similar in age, spent the summer on the beach, visiting historic sites and attending cultural events, in Sri Lanka
Now, 34 years later, Ronkar had the opportunity to share how she lives and introduce Jameel to her parents, husband, children and grandchildren.
But in 2004, Ronkar said she tried for days to reach Jameel following the devastating tsunami that struck Sri Lanka. Along with the destruction of the tsunami, political unrest has prevented Ronkar from returning to Galle to visit her friend.
"I really didn't know if I would ever get to see her again," she said.
Jameel and her family "took me in as family, treated me like family, and they still feel like family," Ronkar said, and "more than anything I wanted to spend time together again."And now that wish has been fulfilled. As young girls the two spent the summer having fun and touring the area of Galle.
Now, as women, the two sat around the table and discussed more mature topics, such as their cultures, religions and traditions."I can't believe that I am here. It's a dream come true," Jameel said.
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