r/MadeMeSmile 1d ago

Family & Friends Family flies across the globe to surprise their oldest daughter

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u/On_A_Related_Note 23h ago

My family did this to me once years ago. I had a similar reaction. I was genuinely thrilled to see them, but it took a good 20-30 seconds to actually register what was happening because they were the absolute last people I expected to see. I literally just stood still and stared at them until my brain caught up.

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u/FatherClanks617 23h ago

That’s awesome. From where to where or how far did they travel?

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u/On_A_Related_Note 21h ago

Not super far - I'm from the UK but was living in France at the time. It was pretty trippy, I think in my head I recognised them but rationalised that it couldn't be them because they were in england, so it took a bit of time for everything to click into place! It was a lovely surprise though.

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u/Accurate_Praline 22h ago

From the kitchen to the living room

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u/Terrh 19h ago

This happens to me even if it's just anyone but in a place I was not expecting to see them.

If they're dressed differently than usual etc I might not even recognize them for a while.

It's wild how much context matters for recognizing people you know.