One of the things that I’ve learned from my travels is that people are good. More often than not people want to help. It doesn’t matter if you don’t share a language, or have different beliefs, or are from completely different worlds.
In Europe I’ve witnessed more kindness than I could ever say. Sure there are tons of rumors of danger, aren’t there always? There’s always going to be a few bad people everywhere, that doesn’t mean you should assume the worst though.
In Croatia I watched a little old lady stop to use her handkerchief to pick up a beetle on the side of the road so it wouldn’t get stepped on. She carried the bug out into the tall grass and gently set it down so it would be safe.
My little brother only makes friends with the other little children at playgrounds, in a restaurant, and on ferries all the time. More often than not he doesn’t have a language in common but that doesn’t matter they still play and chatter in their different languages.
In Switzerland our camper broke down and we had to stay the night at a mechanics house. We were invited into their house to shower and have dinner together. They spoke no english and I hadn’t started learning french yet. But that dinner was one of the most fun memories I have. We signed while we talked, laughed together, shared a wonderful meal, and stayed up late into the night.
At campgrounds we would often meet people who loved to travel too. We would share stories and suggestions. At one campground we made such good friends with one of the girls that worked there that when we left she gave us a gift basket with chocolate. plums, and grapes. We still even keep in contact with her today.
One time while walking down the street we saw a beautiful Border Collie and stopped to ask if we could pet him. We ended up talking two hours to the people who happened to have a lot in common with us!
It’s amazing how much you can learn and what good friends you can make if you just let yourself talk and smile. I used to be INCREDIBLY shy. But I’m learning more and more how important it is to talk and make friends. It’s incredible what happens when you just stop to talk to someone.