Strangers

One unexpected outcome of the trip so far has been a rekindled faith strangers.

There was the father at a gas station who offered me a place for the night, after my desert drama.

Or the hostel owners who offered me a free ¨upgrade¨ when they had a nicer room open, for free.

Or the woman selling cookies on the street, who returned money when I overpaid (I wouldn´t have noticed... and those extra pesos probably meant a lot to her.)

Or the mechanic who fixed my battery for free, and then asked that I don´t forget about him and his shop in Salta.

All these stories are even more remarkable given that these people will probably never see me again.  A cynic would say  - hey, here´s an American with money.  Let´s get something from him.

But it doesn´t happen.  My paranoia says more about me than them. 

Or how about NOLS?

12 strangers sharing food, tents and gear, totally isolated for 30 days.

A recipe for disaster, right?  Especially when food is running low or weather gets ugly?

But there was no drama.  The group dynamic had more in common with Friends, than Survivor.

And the story repeats itself - the boat to Antarctica was a blast. Cruising through Bolivia with total strangers  (most of whom didn´t know each other either) was no different.

I was expecting everything to be much harder.  Anti-Americanism!  Bandits!  Danger!  Random strangers in hostels!

It´s too bad that in our culture we´re so primed to expect the worst.  All the news reports about crime, extremist politicians and drug violence really distort the kindness of ordinary people.  Most people - locals and tourists - are wonderful, friendly and helpful.   

Odds are she won´t try to steal your passport.

Studies would suggest that we will be surprisingly good friends because of a random cabin assignment.