A Friend Indeed

Sometimes you meet people that challenge everything you believe and change your life forever. For me, it was a an Australian I met in Poland.

The whole situation was a total fluke. I was studying abroad in Scotland and one of my new friends asked if I wanted to go to Poland for the weekend. As an American, I don't find many excuses to "go to Poland for the weekend". I couldn't pass it up. By the time the weekend rolled around, two of the five people scheduled to go backed out, including the person who originally asked everyone to go. Things weren't working in our favor. We had our flights and our hostel reservations so the three remaining travelers were set on going. As much as I hate to be cliche, we were a motley crew, a group of people that doesn't normally get along well with each other. I wish I could say this was some magical trip that made us the best of friends, but it didn't.

The day of departure arrived and we were late. We missed the train to the airport and a taxi was out of the question. The three of us were not looking forward to this weekend. Our future held a sleepover in the Frankfurt airport and very little recovery time once we got back to school. Less than eager to be going on this trip, we caught the next train to the airport. On the 45 minute ride we decided that if we missed our flight, it meant that we weren't supposed to go to Poland. None of us was really upset at the idea of missing this trip.

Not rushing, we reached the check-in just a few minutes before it closed. There was no turning back; we were on our way. That night was spent in the Frankfurt Hahn airport, and it was quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable and cold nights I have ever endured. Around 5 am we were kicked out of the restaurant seating area where we had made our camp. Groggy and unamused we caught our flight to Krakow, Poland.

Poland was an adventure. I know understand what it is like to be illiterate. Maybe I just had a magnet on me that helped me find all the people who didn't speak English, or maybe there just weren't that many people who spoke English. I believe the magnet theory. Despite our communication problems, I managed to direct us to the trolly. We boarded without paying and rode for several blocks. After closely scrutinizing the street names and the map I discovered that we were, in fact, going the wrong direction. We got off the trolly and hopped on one going the opposite direction, again without paying. We wandered around for almost a half an hour before discovering our hostel.

This hostel was, by far, the best hostel I have ever stayed at (which is saying a lot!). We were greeted warmly in the office and were offered tea and coffee. I still don't know the brand of tea, but it was the best tea I had ever had. Ever wonder about the price of tea in Poland? Its about the same as in the U.S.. The beds were comfortable and warm with down blankets and pillows. There was a full breakfast, and the other patrons of the hostel were very friendly and outgoing. Though we were only there for two days, we saw Auschwitz and ate Chinese food and went to a mall (a bizarre combination, I am well aware).

The last night there, I began talking to one of the other hostelers. He was Australian, traveling around before he went back to school. It was an instant connection, kindred spirits. We started talking. The conversation changed from school to early American folk stories, from the idea of god to the pen I had stolen from a pub back in Scotland. He took it from me and promised that someday I could have it back. He asked me questions about my beliefs that I hadn't even considered. He made me question why I believe what I believe. He introduced me to completely new ideas and concepts. We talked and flirted and before we knew it, the sun was rising. We exchanged email addresses and I knew that it would be years before I saw him again... if I ever saw him again.

Its been three years since we met and talked for one day. We still email; he still challenges me, and he still has my pen. We haven't met again, but that conversation... that one day of getting to know him has impacted me more than anyone else I have known as long.