People (Part I)

It might be a stereotype, but as a firstborn child, I am definitely introverted. However, I am also indefinitely fascinated by people (it is a paradox?). For me, one of the best occasions to meet and to observe people is during travel. When I am away from home, I become more aware of my surroundings, and my trip to Boston was no exception.

I had many interesting encounters with different people. Below is a highlight of some of the people I met or observed during the trip:

A graduate student

After an initial shock of the long security line at 7.15am at the airport on my way to Boston, I got in line behind a young gentleman. He was quite chatty (and awake) and struck a conversation which extended to a pleasant 45-minute conversation, as we tried to get through the line. Since he had been to Boston and Harvard (where I was headed), he talked about his experiences there which was quite helpful. He was also a fellow graduate student so we talked about what he studied (aerospace engineering) and what I studied. It was a pleasant conversation and he even let me get in front of him because my flight would be taking off sooner than his (As it turned out, quite a few fellow passengers on my flight were delayed by the long lines and they boarded after I did, so I felt a bit better.) It was a completely random encounter but it fascinated me that you can meet someone and, knowing you will probably never meet again, still have a meaningful conversation.

A pastor

For the following day, I had planned to go to Sunday service at one of the oldest churches in Boston. But the logistics of my accommodation cut my travel time short and I eventually went to a church in town. It was only a brisk 20-minute walk from where I was staying; and the service was good and the sermon convicting. Because it was a small church, the Pastor actually spotted me, a first-time visitor. He came by after the service to shake my hand, talked with me and introduced me to the couple to whom I was sitting next during the service. The couple was joyfully expecting their third child (the baby should be here anytime now, if s/he is not here already!) I will remember the Pastor as a man of God who spoke the Truth boldly in a town where what he preached were not the most popular ideas.

A housemate

I stayed in a house which the landlady rented to travelers...or so I thought. It turned out the landlady did not live in that house and the house was much larger than what the pictures showed online. Besides the two rooms advertised to travelers, a few other rooms were rented to long-term residents. As it turned out, one of the residents (very friendly!) there was originally from the town that was only a few hours away from where Hubby and I lived and we had similar professions. What a small world!


To be continued