Strangers in foreign countries

Let’s blame it on the millennial in me, and the over romanticized stories of escaping on airplanes, but I really love traveling. I credit so much of the person I am today to the different experiences I’ve had in different countries that I was lucky enough to visit.

I can go on an on about the different things that I love about leaving, but I want to focus on one specific thought that’s been shaping up in mind lately, and for that, I need to tell you two different stories to help make my point:

Story number #1, the guy in the taxi

There I was, standing in line waiting to get on this bus to take me to another city in this foreign country, dreading the slow pace of the bus and the feeling of being boxed with at least 30 other people in the same enclosed space. That’s when a young fella approached me and whispered: “Hey, want to take a taxi? Faster? More comfortable? Cheaper?”. Now, the logical person in me for a second wondered if this guy was for real, but then I noticed he had gathered around 3 other people, and was planning on splitting the cost of a cab to the city. I immediately said no, and being the indecisive person I am, exactly one minute after I said no, I told him “okay fine I’ll come.”

I get in the car, holding the book I was planning on reading throughout the trip, and this stranger who I haven’t seen earlier who was now sitting next to me said “Ow, you’re reading about Seneca”. Now, if you know Seneca, you’d know that his fan base isn’t that big in my generation, so god knows I was excited at the thought that someone knew about him!

That simple statement was the start of one of the best conversations I’ve had in my life. My conversation with this young gentleman sparked with the common theme of “we’re both reading about philosophy in hopes of finding a form of order and meaning to our messy lives”, and it carried to topics like education, culture, democracy, and empathy.

I was heavily invested in the conversation and the differences we shared and how we communicated our different opinions, how we disagreed and agreed on certain things, and how we eventually shared many common wishes for the way our world should be.

In many ways, the idealist in me felt at home in the company of this random stranger who shared my beliefs in this world. Who would have thought that I could share so much with another stranger who was in a foreign country just like I was, who was coming from such a different background, where the media wasn’t kind to either one of our cultures.

I felt present, I felt like I was there, and I felt like I didn’t need to be anywhere else.

Story number #2, music on your phone’s notes

There I was, in a car with a bunch of friends and strangers driving back after what can only be described as an exhausting long night in this foreign country. Sitting next to this stranger who I’ve known for a while but also never really knew properly. You know those people, the ones that you share a courteous hello with and ask about their life but never delve deeper than that.

We were lucky enough to be handed the auxiliary cord to control the music, which basically meant we held everyone’s mood in our hands for the next hour. Sucks for them really, great for us though.

That’s when we started sharing and trying to find the common ground of music we had, and in many ways it was working out perfectly because we had so much in common when it comes to what our ears enjoyed. We jumped from song to song, at times enjoying songs we both loved, and at times just introducing each other to music that the other has to know about!

With every couple of songs we introduced, we talked about the meaning of this music to us, we talked about the different feelings every band/artist invoked in us. We talked about how certain music in the Arab world is bringing positive social change, how local artists are disrupting cultural norms and how much that is needed in our day and age.

Then the we shared top played songs on our phones, and from there I got this insight about this person’s political views, general mood she carries herself in, and in some way felt like a very personal insight into this person’s life.

By the end of the ride, everyone around us (other than the driver of course) was fast asleep. Says a lot about the kind of music we were playing I guess.. But the best part was this, is that I left after that one hour with two things, a sense of connection with this random stranger who’s in this foreign country just like me, and a list on my phone with music that I promised her that I’d check as soon as I’m back home.

At that moment, when my body was aching for some sleep and some proper food that I haven’t had, I was happy. I was happy because I was reminded that strangers can find common peace in their shared interests across different countries and imaginary borders.

I felt present, I felt like I was there, and I felt like I didn’t need to be anywhere else.

The thought, the one I mentioned earlier:

There’s something extra special about meeting strangers in lands distant than home, there’s something beautiful about finding that common humanity we all share, but it’s all so more beautiful when you lose sight of your worries, concerns, and the weight of your life, within one deep conversation with a stranger in a strange country.

I don’t think meeting strangers is as easy when you share the same country, because you’re here, you’ll see each other maybe down the line, you’re part of their society, and for some reason that holds us back (kinda sucks doesn’t it?).

Meeting strangers in different lands gives us the space to explore our common threads that extend beyond our fake borders, and rids us of our egotistic cultures that tell us we are better and smarter.

Those stories are so small, in time and length and in impact, but they somehow reminded me that I’m also small, and part of a world that is big and kind.