Unfiltered Story #18571

I was in college, going abroad by myself for the first time to study, and had less than a week after classes end to move back home and get ready to leave. When I got to Madrid, the man sitting next to me on the flight told me how to get to the city center using the subway. I got to the main plaza and was fumbling going up escalators with my large suitcases, accidentally dropping one on a woman with her wrist in a cast.

At this point, I am tired and realized that not only had I forgotten to print out directions to the hostel I was staying at that night, I didn’t even remember the name. Getting off the escalator, I was lost and panicking, not knowing what to do.

Some random man approaches me at this point and asks if I want to go with him to a hotel! I stand there flabbergasted when the woman with the broken wrist comes up and tells him off, getting him to leave. She tells me I need to be cautious, and after talking with her for a bit I end up telling her my situation. Concerned, she kindly lets me use her smartphone to look up the address and then proceeds to lead me to the front doorstep of my hostel!

While walking there, she tells me about her daughter and how she had similarly gone to Italy for an abroad program, and that she believes in karma – she hopes that someone will help her daughter just as she is helping me out. One of her names is Alegria, which means joy – a fitting name for her!

Over three years later, I still think of her often and hope that she and her daughter are doing well. I will never forget her kindness; she really saved me that day! I have since improved greatly in my traveling preparation and have visited 9 other countries by myself without any further incidents!