I’ve never been outside of Asia, but thanks to the conversations here, I have “traveled” through nearly eight countries in my mind.

I used to be very wary of online platforms. But then, I met a girl on OVFRIENDS who simply messaged, “You look tired. Are you okay?” and somehow, I found myself confiding in her for a long time.

I used to think that friend-making apps were only for exchanging a few pleasantries. Yet somehow, a French friend and I have now been messaging each other for a whole year now.

Thanks to a conversation with a Japanese friend, I came to understand why giving a gift with both hands is considered basic etiquette. She, in turn, learned how to say “cute” in a way that wasn’t… Cringe.

At first, we only sent stickers to say hello. Now, we video call every week to talk about the weather in our two places. She is in Japan, and I am in Saigon. One has a snowy season, the other a sunny one, yet somehow, we understand each other in a strange way.

Every morning, I wake up to a “good morning” message all the way from America. At first, it was just for English practice, but now it is become a habit. It feels like someone on the other side of the world thinks of me every day.

I never thought I would find someone who truly understands me on an online platform. But thanks to OVFRIENDS, I met a Japanese girl who loves painting as much as I do. Now, we are hosting an online exhibition together.

OVFRIENDS feels like my first virtual passport. I can’t travel the world, but I can talk to people from ten different countries in just one week.

I always thought of myself as an introvert who wasn’t good at starting conversations. But on OVFRIENDS, a few friends from Canada invited me to join their online book club. Now, every month, I look forward to that meeting day as if it were my birthday.