My travels away from home

Will soon come to an end 

And there will be many

Whom I never see again

‍

To the friendly girls who asked me to take their picture

As they high fived on Pont Alexandre III

With the sun setting in the background

And the Eiffel Tower filling the frame behind them

‍

To the Italian waiter who messed with the tourists 

At the table next to us

But treated my family exceptionally well

Because my dad could speak his language

‍

To the Chinese girl who invited me to a party

When I was feeling alone in Zürich

Because chocolate and fondue

Aren’t as good as a good conversation

‍

To the Venezuelan man who stood next to me

Under my umbrella as the rain poured heavily

And we spoke in broken Spanish and English

Killing time in line at the Louvre Museum

‍

To the French Airbnb host who made me an Aperol Spritz

And then, since the conversation was going so well,

Made me another

And told me all about the red light district in Geneva

‍

To the other Airbnb host who poured me wine

And brought me olives

And helped me find the right channel on the television

So that I could watch the Champions League final

‍

To the French couple who helped me

Purchase a ticket at the kiosk machine

Because it wasn’t in English

And I was frantic and lost and helpless 

‍

These were but a few

Of the people I will never see again

But to you all

Who showed me kindness and friendship

No matter how brief or fleeting

Thank you

‍

Because when people try to tell me

That no good exists in this world

I will tell them

About you