If you’ve been keeping up with our amazing VINA success stories, you know we’ve connected roommates, bridesmaids, girl bosses, brunch squads, dog mamas, and crafty girl gangs together … and now, it’s Audrey and Glo’s turn to take the spotlight!
After moving to NYC from Sydney, Australia, Glo found it hard to make friends in her new city.
“My husband I moved to New York from Sydney in December 2014 and I knew no one (besides my husband),” she tells VINAZINE. “I worked remotely in my first job and therefore did not have the typical opportunities to make friends or socialize with colleagues, unlike my husband. However, I was determined to make some friends!”
After reading about Hey! VINA in a 2016 Time Out article, she decided to download the app and start swiping. She was eventually able to connect with Audrey, who confessed that her cousin had gone through a similar experience to Glo’s!
“I joined VINA when it was first taking off,” Audrey tells us. “It was a time when my current friends were busy with work, life, and I just wanted to meet new people. I initially swiped right because Glo reminded me so much of my cousin—both were Australian, lived in UK, and even looked similar! We ended up meeting at Bibble & Sip and walked around the neighborhood. She invited me over to her apartment for lunch and we ended up talking for awhile.”
Following their first date, the two continued to establish their friendship. Audrey was particularly excited by her newfound VINA match. “I feel like I connected well because we had things in common (both of us have cats, sometimes we’re homebodies, and we watch similar shows on Netflix),” she shares. “Glo has a welcoming vibe about her that made me feel comfortable to open up and feel like I can trust her, and I still do to this day!”
Glo felt an immediate connection as well: “I instantly liked Audrey and conversation came easily to us. I felt like I’d known her my whole life. We talked openly about our lives, husbands, favorite TV shows and our cats. Audrey was exactly the type of friend I needed in my life at that moment—someone like-minded I could call/text, someone I could openly talk to without being judged, someone with patience and compassion.
And as the years went on, Audrey continued to always be there to listen to me vent over usual life dramas.”
Both Audrey and Glo feel lucky to have downloaded Hey! VINA when they did, even if some of the connections they made weren’t as long-lasting as their own. Glo told us that, “Through VINA, I actually made three incredible friends for life. I know I am very fortunate and I would have been grateful to have made only one!”
Audrey agreed, saying, “I’ve met a couple of people on VINA, some of those matches faded into just fellow Instagram followers. But I’m so happy I stumbled onto VINA when I did because I would have never met Glo who has become a true life-long friend (that is SO hard to find even with people I already know). Even though she recently moved to Abu Dhabi, I see us staying in touch and planning visits. We’ve even talked about planning future vacations together. I miss her so much in NY, but we still keep in touch often via Whatsapp.”
When asked if they had any advice to give to their fellow vinas, the vinas were happy to chime in. “Just go for it and ask someone you swiped right with to go on a coffee date right away. Skip messaging beforehand. The other person is also on the app, probably looking for new friends and new connections too so you don’t have anything to lose,” offered Audrey.
Glo agreed: “If you are willing and wanting to meet new people and ready to take a leap of faith—I can’t think of anything that should stop you from joining or reaching out on VINA because as long as you are honest to yourself and profile, it is likely there is someone out there who will be similar to you, or will appreciate how different you are. The worst case scenario would be for you to miss that opportunity to make a fulfilling friendship.”
We love this vina-ship, Glo and Audrey! Thank you for sharing your story with VINAZINE. Looking for a friendship like theirs? Get swiping in Hey! VINA today!
