Pen Pals

I think at one point or another everyone has had a pen pal. I remember having a couple when I was younger. One was a family friend, also named Lauren Ashley, from Canada. The other was a girl my parents met in Costa Rica named Maria. I would frequently send both of them letters and sometimes even packages.

About two weeks ago I met a very intruiguing man named Andreas. I was waiting at a bar for some friends who were about an hour late. Being my usual self, I made friends with people around me at the bar. Andreas immediately caught my attention because of his accent. After talking with him for some time, I learned about his growing up in Germany, his love for fast cars, and his business- to name a few. We talked for an hour but he is definitely one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He has 20 years on me and I am not interested in dating him, but he is still one of the nicest people I have met. He has traveled all over the world and has seen so many places because of his job. Speaking with him peaked my interest because I love to travel and wish to see the world. He told me of the times he lived in the US, India, and several other places and of his visits to China, Brazil, and London. He has even been to places like Akron, Ohio... where I grew up. Who would have thought that this big business man knew of little old Akron. The funny thing is, he had just come from Akron and his flight was delayed, which is why he was talking to me in the first place. He missed his connecting flight to Germany and had to stay an extra night. We had such great conversation about traveling and my life in Italy that we exchanged email addresses. I now feel like I am in 2nd grade again with a pen pal in another country. We have corresponded a couple of times since our first meeting and it is refreshing to make new friends that tell such great stories. Hopefully I will someday travel a world away and run into him again...