Since last Wednesday, when the attack on Brussels occurred, I have been repeatedly warned by my parents and friends about the dangers of traveling. I was tucked in the hills of Scotland with a good friend of mine and I couldn't have been more safe. Don't get me wrong; I appreciate the texts, messages, and calls checking up on me. And to be honest, I was nervous about traveling to Paris the following day, but something told me I was going to be just fine. And I was. People told me to watch out for people around me because they weren't always my friend, and while this is true at times, it is something that I haven't found often. In my travels, I've experienced more kindness than hate.
In Paris, I was wandering around the city for the nearest Ladurée for my macaroon fix. I was walking around one of the nicest parts of Paris with my backpack and nalgene when I stopped at traffic light to figure out where I was going. The man next to me, dressed in a suit that probably cost more than the entire assortment of clothes in my pack, looked over at me and asked me what I was doing. In my broken French I responded I was traveling. He smiled and asked if I was an American. I said yes and he laughed and said he spoke English. He asked me what I was looking for, and I said a Ladurée. He pointed me in the direction and as we walked down the street over from Jardin du Tuileries, he told me about his job in New York City and the house he had in Miami. I told him how I was from Florida. He laughed and asked why I was in Europe. I said traveling. He asked if I was taking a gap year. I said I was on holiday and writing some. He smiled and asked me what I wrote. At the end of the street, we parted ways with an "Au revoir," and I continued to get my Marie Antoinette-inspired macaroons.
Later, I went to the metro to get to the bus station for my trip to Italy. The mall into which the metro usually empties was shut because it was eleven thirty at night. I should have taken this into account when thinking of my trip because the last time I used that metro stop, the mall was open and I walked through to get to the bus for the airport. So I took the next exit out of the metro and it landed me on a very different side of the Palais de Congrès. I wondered around the building for twenty minutes unable to find my station until a small French woman passed me. She must have seen the distress on my face because she came up to me and asked me in French if I was OK. I said I only spoke a little French and she smiled. She said in English she only spoke a little English. I laughed and asked where the bus station was, to which she laughed and walked me all the way to the bus station. I thanked her profusely in my cringe-worthy French and she smiled and went on her way home.
When I got to Milan, I wandered around the metro station, trying to read the Italian metro system map, and figure out how to get a ticket out of the machine. I knew what station I was headed to, but the machine wouldn't let me buy a ticket with any of my cards. I had minimal euros because I didn't want to get money out in Paris at night and there wasn't an ATM in my airport. So, a stranger spotted me a fifty cent euro and pointed me in the right direction for my metro line.
These people didn't need to help me. They helped me because they saw another human struggling. I think humans are innately good. I think humans want to help each other. I think ISIS is trying to make us forget that. I think ISIS is trying to make the divide between people even bigger. We can't let them do that to us. I'm not saying trust everyone. I know I trust probably a little more easily than most. Don't get me wrong; I take a lot of caution when traveling by myself. It can be dangerous, but I don't think people are out to get each other. I would caution against a lot of things, like sharing a cab or watching something for someone while they leave, but not everything. Be smart and remember that people are not all evil. There are good people in the world. Stay safe. Stay good.
