How Did I Guess?

How can I give you an idea of how rare it is to see a Westerner here in Chennai? Let's try this anecdote:

On Monday, my expatriate co-workers and I ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant that we enjoy. While eating, one of the guys commented on hearing an American voice. Aside from the four of us, that truly is rare. My view was blocked, so I made a mental note to glance that way as we were leaving, in order to catch a glimse of the woman. As usual, when the time came, I totally forgot. But Steve did look and later told me he had seen a blonde woman sitting at the table.

The next day, the manager at the office (with whom I'm currently staying) brought a blonde American woman up to meet me--just because we're both American, I assume. Right after being introduced, I asked her whether she was "the voice I heard in the Chinese restaurant yesterday." And it turned out she was! She was shocked. I was surprised to be in the same place with her two days in a row, but not at all surprised that she was the woman behind the voice. There just aren't many of us here. (She's here for a few weeks for a business conference, I think; we probably won't run into each other again, but you never know.)