I owe the world a lot. The amount of drinks I was bought on my trip (not in a sleazy way, but in a 'you're a poor backpacker a long way from home, let me buy you a drink' way) the homes that were opened to me through Couchsurfing, new friends, and long lost family friends, the time out of strangers days that they took to show me something on a map or point me in the right direction. Here's the story of "How a stranger in a strange country absolutely made my day with a random act of kindness."
After a crazy week of partying on a boat in Croatia I dragged my sorry body into Switzerland with the worst flu of my life. I was shivering, feverish, aching all over with a killer headache, cough, and could hardly swallow because my throat hurt so much. Being sick when you're backpacking is the worst— no privacy to rest in, and I felt so guilty coughing all night in the dorms. At my worst I was in tears because I didn't have the energy to swing myself down from the top bunk, in tears because I couldn't eat enough food to take painkillers, and in tears because I couldn't get my t-shirt over my head in the shower! Bit of a misery guts, knowing that it was all self-inflicted by too much fun.
The hostel in Interlaken had a lock-out policy for most of the day so they could clean the dorms, which sucked because I just wanted to be in bed. Took myself down to an internet cafe to upload the Croatia photos onto facebook because it wasn't warm enough to hang around outside, and I didn't feel up to doing anything energetic like walking around town! The internet was slow and expensive, the photos kept failing to upload and then uploading twice. Frustrated but defeated, what else could I do to while away the hours?
Eventually I got chatting with the owner and his friend— in my memory he looks a bit like a skinny Santa Claus, but beardless? Talking about Australia I think. When I was ready to pay (yet terrified of the cost.. I'd been there a couple of hours) the first good news was that the price maxed out at 10 Swiss francs. Woohoo! That's a big chunk out of the daily budget, but not tooo bad. I had a 20 franc note, but the owner didn't have any change. I suggested I go to the shops to break my note, or come back tomorrow to use the internet again and pay then, but the Santa Claus interrupts.
'Just put it on my bill,' he says. 'I have to pay anyway, it's nothing for me' he says. I thank him for the offer, but decline. He insists. Then he gives me detailed directions of how to get to the chemist, which Swiss brand cold & flu medicine I should get, and strict instructions to go to the supermarket to get some lemons too for a hot drink. 'Just think of it as a gift from the Swiss,' he tells me, and waves me out the door.
So in perspective: I've gone from exhausted, frustrated, and resigned to paying a lot of money— to energised, fortunate, and generally uplifted by someone's kindness. A shit day of sickness and wasting money has just been turned upside down: I walked on air out of that shop. 10 francs to him may be nothing, but to me it was huge. I got the miracle drugs from the chemist, made my hot lemon drink back in the hostel kitchen, and was so grateful to that Swiss man. I didn't know his name, and never saw him again (and wouldn't even recognise him now) but he's made such a huge impact that I know in the future I will help some backpacker like this, and 'pay it forward.'
Any strangers made your day lately?
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