We All Start As Strangers

  I love stangers. I honestly do. I love first impressions and oh how I love that first conversation you have with someone you have just met. So here is a list of all my favorite strangers. (no names will be given but know that you will eternally be remembered by me.)

The Gentleman
  The very first american I ever met in life was a true gentleman. He would always offer you his coat if there was a breeze, he'd pull up your chair, he'd carry an umbrella for you and get soaking wet himself. One might think he did all of this intentionally, as men often do these days. But my friend only asked for a thank you, or a smile in return. He was, by all means, a gentleman.

The one from Acropolis
  Around the same time i met The Gentleman I met the embodiment of ancient Greece. A young curly haired boy from Thessaloniki who studied philosophy and had a thing for porn. He didn't care for smartphones, or social networks. He chose his words with care, and he didn't always feel the need to say something clever in a group's conversation. He'd observe most of the time. I had some of the most interesting conversations with him.

The German Stereotype
 In the same group of friends there was a girl. The sweetest of girls and with such beauty; inside and out. She came from Hamburg, Germany. She lived for horseback riding and she didn't like cars, nor beer. So much for the german stereotype.

The Baker
  One of the most valued friendships I made happened in french class. Our friendship only formed because we were both disappointed with the class we were put in. Everyone was either married or simply boring. So we stuck together even though our personnalities were completely different. She would critique pretty much anything and I'd be amazed by a fly on the window. She saw the less I saw the more. Maybe that's what made our friendship so special. We both needed eachother in a way. I needed a touch of reality here and there and she needed to dream. We did share one passion though: food. She was an amazing baker and I am an excellent eater.

The Professional Beer Drinker 
  I briefly got to know a young british boy. I used to sit behind him in class and stare at the back of his neck. He was much too handsome for me and so it took me a while to gather up the courage to talk to him. But one day I finally grew the balls and asked him out. He spoke passionately about rubgy...and beer. Beer was our only common interest, so we drank a lot of it together. Our aquaintance was brief but I'll never forget about him.

The Japanese Heritage
  For a long while I didn't meet anyone interesting. I had almost forgotten how much I longed to meet strangers. When my 20th birthday came, I got a new best friend as a present; a boy from New Zealand. Once again the english language made the bond instantly between us and soon we discovered that we shared the same passion for being different, daring and weird as hell. 

Female Marco Polo
  I was drinking at the Irish Pub one night and three girls just came up to our table and sat down with us. I was a bit too drunk to care so I welcomed them with all the hospitality I could gather. One of them was from The States and of course the conversations immediately began. After that night I didn't think I'd ever see her again because we were both a little bit more drunk than sociability would allow and I didn't expect her to remember my name. But the next day she invited me to have a cup of coffee. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The Salsero
  I don't know what is it with me and americans. Maybe I attract them. Or maybe I am just determined to show that a girl from Iran can make friends with someone from America. Anyway, I met my next favorite stranger in salsa class. Even though he claimed to not know how to dance as well, I had great pleasure dancing with him. Could that man make me laugh...

Van Gogh
  When I was in Amsterdam I came across a very flirtatious fellow from North Carolina. He had the most interesting visage; short red hair, a beard of the same color, oval shaped head and blue eyes. Remind you of someone? He looked just like Vincent Van Gogh...and did he know it. His flirting however dropped as his alcohol level rose.

The Storyteller
  I had heard a lot about a certain girl from Female Marco Polo and a longed to meet her. She had been described as beautiful and crazy. When I finally got to meet her I found out she was underestimated. She was jaw-dropping gorgeous and absolutely out of this world. I didn't get to see her many times but once as we were drinking at the pub I tried to make conversation with her. I asked her about her day and she told me she had rode her bike to Offenburg and back. When I asked why she responded : " Because I wanted to have a story to tell my grandchildren someday"...

Future Potential President
  The melange of Japan and Spain was something beautiful. She had the eyes, the hair, the charm, the elegance...and to top it all off, the wisdom. Guys would be at her feet and she wouldn't notice. She was too busy obsessing over an article she had just read.

Justice of America
  I am still getting over this last stranger in my life. He was a father, a friend, a lover... . We connected on so many levels and even though I knew our encounter wouldn't last long, I enjoyed every moment of  the conversations, stories, singings and even silence. He will forever be listed as one of my guardian angels.