Roaya Jannatipour and Nissma Bencheikh are best friends. Besides the fact that they are both students at the University of California, Berkley, the two girls have quite a lot in common. For instance, they’re both Moroccan and were both born in Canada. But the biggest coincidence of all wasn’t uncovered until the two became roommates earlier this month.
It happened while Nissma’s father was helping the girls move into their new place. Roaya was on FaceTime with her mother, and the girls took a moment to introduce Nissma’s dad. After the digital introduction, Nissma’s father turned to Roaya and asked what her mother’s name was. “I knew it,” he exclaimed as the girl’s exchanged confused glances. It turns out, Nissma and Roaya are connected by more than their life experiences. Just like the two of them, their mothers had been inseparable companions almost two decades ago.
The two Moroccan women were fast friends when they met in Canada where they both were studying. The women remained friends through the birth of their children. They were so close that Roaya’s mother had attended the birth of Nissma’s younger sister and actually named her. “I was screaming and jumping and screaming some more,” Roaya shared. “What are the odds that that could happen?”
Roaya took to Twitter to share the incredible story and to share incredible photos of her and her best friend Nissma sitting next to each other in their strollers when they were infants. Though the girls had grown up hearing stories of their mothers’ friendship, the families and the girls had lost touch after they both moved to different parts of the United States.
In recent years, Roaya’s mom had been looking for her long-lost friend on Facebook, but had been unsuccessful. Now the two women, who have been reunited by their daughters, are planning to meet in person towards the end of the summer.
This incredible story has brought the girls and their families even closer together. The odds of their finding each other so many years later were incredibly slim, but somehow Roaya and Nissma ended up in the same state at the same college at the very same time. The two became the best of friends just like their mothers had so many years before. One thing is certain: the lives of Nissma and Roaya, and their families, are deeply intertwined.
