One of the best things I’ve seen while being here is the selflessness and giving nature of everyone I have come into contact with. It is easy to assume, more often than not, that people only lookout for themselves. However, being abroad, I realized we seem to always dwell on the dangerous, untrustworthy people while the vast majority is actually quite kind. I think a big fear of traveling alone, which many people have asked me about along the way, comes from the idea of actually being alone and how dangerous and scary that must be. Uber drivers and taxi men have used the word “courageous” to describe my travels… but courageous is far from how I view this adventure. It is humbling, uplifting, and eye-opening to meet new people and hear their stories from all over the world. Every happy little accident that I’ve dealt with has brought me to meet the most incredible people.
From Santander, Barcelona, Brussels, Bruge, London, Paris, and most likely in Nice as well I have screwed up and gotten lost, or rained on, or missed a bus/ferry/train about 99% of the time. Every single time however, someone new and amazing has come into my life at just the right moments-when I have made some very messy and accidental mess-ups.
When I first got to Spain, I met the sweetest, older waiter at the local café in my town. I was unaware that credit cards were not accepted pretty much anywhere, and had not exchanged my money to euros yet. So, after ordering, eating, and trying to talk with him in the little ounce of English he knew, he allowed me to leave without paying my tab. THEN a nice woman next to me paid him just to be kind. From that point on I have gone back to that café at least once a week to sit and talk with him through google translate and let me tell you- that man is a gem.
Walking everywhere with no car has brought me the unfortunate situation of being rained on mid-walk. North of Spain weather has ZERO chill. However, I have been given rides by two of the kindest strangers, one of whom actually ended up running an inn where she let me keep my bags and even got me a room when it was booked solid during the time I had to leave my host family. She also let me stay for some wine and dinner when it had been a long day.
I have walked down the same street every day this summer. One day, it was extra hot and I was completely exhausted and hungry. I heard a voice getting my attention and saw waving across the street. An older woman in a restaurant offered me some lemon mousse on the house just to talk and get to know each other. For no other reason than to be kind and she’d seen me walking each day…. again kindness was overpowering.
I sat outside one night with a friend here who speaks English pretty well. He runs a restaurant open late and while we were sitting, this group of Romanian kitchen workers came outside next door. I decided to say hi and from that moment on we all laughed and talked until our bellies hurt and tears were streaming. We made this work translating through broken English, zero Romanian from me, and a little Spanish, but every time I see them now I receive a giant hug and kiss as if we are family.
In Belgium I got terribly lost using the trams, and even got on the wrong tram. Out of nowhere this little boy showed me the way; he held my hand and lead me on the right one. He barely spoke English, and didn’t have to take time out of his night- it was midnight after all. But he helped me just because.
One of the restaurant owners in my village let me in before they were open, fed me pizza for free, and let me sit with his adorable daughter talking, laughing, and playing. I went only to say bye before I left to Paris, but he did all of this because he knew I had left my host family, and was about to hop on a very long bus ride. That pizza never tasted so delicious!!
On the way to Paris, the girl next to me on the bus offered me her spoon for my cake when I had lost my fork. It was used. She had been hiking for 2 weeks using that spoon, but leaped up, washed it off, came back, and let me borrow it… I wanted to think of all the germs that we were about to swap but you can’t really analyze too much in that situation. Once we arrived in Paris, she helped me with the trams, walked me all the way to my AirB&B, and when we realized I couldn’t get in until later in the day took me back to her apartment. She let me shower if I needed, AND made me breakfast. Oh and insisted on carrying my bag even though I tried to hold onto it. That was kindness.
I went to dinner that night, met the owner of the restaurant who told me about his life, about his knowledge of wine, and about his passion for food. He told me wine is like love- you just have to experience it. He also went on naming Western movies he could think of in any attempt to relate to where I live. We sat an hour after close, with his wife who also happened to be the cook, and his right hand man and favorite waiter. We drank and tasted wines of all sorts with no charge and no reason other than to keep good company. That man had a soul that is rare to find.
The list goes on of kind deeds, free food, wine, and wonderful conversations that have occurred while being here. From meeting people at surf hostel barbeques, to other au pairs on a very lucky bus ride home, to my now dear friend I met from walking into her shop to get out of the rain, to the ferry men who have watched me sprint and miss the ferry way too many times, to the Italian in London who gave us free shots on the house, to the woman in Belgium who didn’t charge me for my juice but talked with me instead, to the grandpas on the ferry who bought me ice cream just because even though I then accidentally dropped it on the ground.
When I think about the last three months I cannot help but be amazed at everyone’s hospitality, genuine kindness, and warmth. People really do have the biggest hearts and it seems that the more we listen to them and give them the chance to be heard, they will surprise us. Especially in times of need and moments that otherwise would be spent alone.
So this is a thank you to every stranger I have encountered that didn’t stay a stranger for long, and to every moment and conversation that has made my summer unforgettable and far from lonely- even if I am on my own across the world.
From a bus through France currently soaking wet from the rain,
-a messy, accidental, and frequently lost traveler
XOXO