The day had finally come when we said arrivederci to the beautiful countryside of Spoleto and left for Rome. I think it is safe to say we were all a little apprehensive about the train ride; after all it was near the Easter holiday and no doubt would that train be packed. After a few moments of confusion and rushing to our platform we managed to heave our suitcases onto the train, which was of course, packed to the brim.
We said our “Sorry’s” and “Excuse Me’s” as we bumped into passengers trying to eye out the few seats that were left. Finally Professor Harman, Chloe and I managed to find seats close to one another. The train was still moving, making it difficult for us to hoist our heavy luggage onto the overhead compartments. Our struggle must have been apparent because at that moment an old man sitting across from us reached out to help us.
“Mamma Mia!” he said. “Are you carrying gold in this backpack?”
I laughed, thankful that he gave us a helping hand. As we situated ourselves, I finally got a look at our neighbors for the two-hour train ride. The man was probably in his seventies or eighties and next to him sat a little boy who looked about 10-years-old. We fell into a conversation with the usual “Where are you from?” and “What are doing in Italy?” Soon the simple conversations turned into more interesting.
We learned that the old man used to work for the United Nations. He remembered the bombings on Italy in World War II and at one point in his life he possessed a key to nuclear weapons. He knew five languages and had been around the world, although he was born and raised in Rome. He apologized for his broken English, which to us sounded fluent after our stay in a small town where the only words most people knew were “Hello” and “No problem.” He was so friendly and made us feel welcome on the train, despite the annoyed passengers that continued to push their way around our luggage. He only had one grandson-the one sitting next to him-and he was taking him to Rome for Easter holiday.
His grandson’s name was Matteo and he was learning English at school. You could tell that Matteo loved listening to his grandpa speak English with us, but at one point he wanted to show us his skills.
Matteo took out his English book from his backpack and flipped to the lesson he was on. We all listened intently as he recited a few paragraphs about the United Nations, which was followed by applause from all of us when he ended. We asked what Matteo wanted to be when he grew up and his grandpa translated that he wanted to be an artist.
At that moment Matteo took his journal out and started drawing a picture of Chloe and I. He looked at us intently, taking his time to draw a pretty impressive picture for someone as young as him. He signed his name on the picture and gave it to us. We wanted to give Matteo something back so we wrote him a note that said “Thank you for the drawing. We love it! We will miss you. From your American friends, Naseem and Chloe.” Matteo was so excited to receive this note from us. He immediately took out a glue stick and glued it into his journal.
I hope that one day, in a few years, Matteo will find that journal and see our note and remember the friends he made on that trip to Rome. I know that we won’t ever forget him or his Grandpa. We finally got to Rome and said our goodbyes to our new friends. It was a great introduction to what would be an amazing few days in this new city.
So next time you are on a train thousands of miles from home, don’t be afraid to talk to the people around you. Although you may never see them again, those are the conversations you will remember for a lifetime.
By: Naseem Amini and Chloe Detrick
American Activist Agency 