brief encounters

i don't yet have pictures to share from christmas in england. i am anxiously awaiting for them to be sent from regina. so instead, i'm just going to share a bit about some of my favourite people that i have met while travelling.

i love travelling. seeing new places, having new experiences, eating new food - it is all something i will never tire of. but one of the best parts of travelling is the journey, and the people that you meet along it. these people only come into your life very briefly, as you share a conversation at an airport, in a plane, in a taxi, on a bus, in a restaurant. but often, these chance encounters stay with you for a long time. the chances of ever meeting up with these people again is very slim, but for that brief moment in time, they are a part of your journey. as i was travelling this christmas, i was reminded of all the neat people that i met on my journey this past summer (and i was able to add a few to my list as well!).

• a couple from iowa (i think) that i met in the johannesburg airport, while we were waiting for our flight to livingstone. they were doing the typical touristy stuff in africa (safari, victoria falls), but were very interested in my travels and volunteers in africa. the lady was an optician, and was particularly interested in my eye care volunteering.
• the two french-speaking (and english-speaking) south african business men that i met at the dar es salaam airport. those two guys (who were in tanzania for a couple days on business) were supposed to be on the same flight from dar to kilimanjaro that i was - the flight that they overbooked. these two guys were not impressed, and definitely made sure the airline lady knew that. but as they sent us off to the hotel where we would be spending the night before flying out on the next flight the next day, these two guys made sure that i wasn't forgotten about. i shared a taxi with them to the hotel, and once everything was figured out with the hotel, bid them farewell.
• the three dutch people from amsterdam originally, but living in dar es salaam that invited me to share dessert with them at the hotel restaurant. during my overnight in dar, the airline paid for my accommodation and meals at a nice hotel. i ate supper by myself, and these three were a table over from me. since they were speaking dutch for most of the meal, i didn't pay much attention to them. but as they were about to order dessert, they asked if i would like to join them. so, i moved over to their table, and enjoyed conversation and dessert with them. it was a small gesture, but so appreciated by me (who was feeling slightly overwhelmed and alone in a large african city)
• the british man and his cute young son who also stood waiting for the airline counters to open the next morning. he was a originally from zimbabwe, but hadn't lived there for years, and was now living in england. he had spent the last several months in tanzania though (as he was a contractor with a large building company), and was just heading home with his son to england for a break.
• the girl who was volunteering with the same organization as me that was on an 'around-the-world' ticket. i only met her once, as one day of our safaris was overlapping, and we ate supper and spent the night at the same campsite. a couple years ago, she had travelled all around south america, and for about six months this past year, was on her 'around-the-world' ticket, with stops in places such as southeast asia, africa, europe and iceland. i was so jealous listening to her stories, and tucked that little idea of an 'around-the-world' ticket into the back of my head for possible future use.
• the lady who works at university of western ontario in london that i met in the middle of serengeti national park on our safari. she was on a break from work for several months, and had taken the opportunity to travel around to various places, including volunteering for several weeks in tanzania. it was so good to finally talk to a canadian, who knew exactly where i came from (the country, province and city!)
• the elementary school teacher from somewhere in ontario that i sat beside on my london-toronto flight. she had taken a tour with a group in egypt, and had loved it! she was so chatty, and told me all about her trip!
• the south african lady, who has lived in canada (in small town saskatchewan) for about 12 years, that i met at the toronto airport. she had just been home for a month or so, and was on her way back to saskatchewan. she was so impressed when i told her that i had spent that past two months volunteering in zambia and tanzania!

and from this trip:

• charlotte, a girl from right around manchester, england, who is on an exchange to macmaster university in hamilton. we took a taxi together from hamilton to toronto to catch our flight to london (after there was a misconnection or something and we weren't going to be able to fly out of hamilton). she was able to tell me a little bit about york, and some of the things that i should try and do while i was there.
• the girl (i don't even know her name) that i saw beside for my flight from toronto to london. she was in a program called international health at the university of toronto, and is very interested in development work, so i was able to talk to her about this for a while. she was so friendly, and loved to talk!
• the other girl (again don't even know her name) that i sat beside for my london to montreal flight. for almost the entire trip, we each did our own thing, and didn't say much to each other. but for whatever reason, very near the end, we started talking and she seemed like a really nice girl!
  

of course, i've met so many other people on my travels, and while in other countries. but these are just some of the brief encounters that i have had with people that have stuck out for me. any other stories out there about interesting people that you have sat beside on a plane, or a bus, or wherever?