Worlding us

It was my first journey alone. I was visiting the city of Limerick, in Ireland, determined to prove the world I could be totally independent – which in my language at that time meant alone. I had accurately organized my day and the program said that I had to visit the Fountain of Heritage and the castle that morning. What made me curious about that fountain was that it represented some swans, caught as they’re taking off. In my notes I had called it the Swans Fountain.
Rucksack and stuff, I started my adventure but after a while I realized that the great explorer had miserably lost her way. I started wandering around, hoping to catch the right path to the fountain. Lots of people looked at me in a quite perplexed way, maybe expecting for me to ask them the fatal question:« Where am I?». But I didn’t want to give up and kept turning my map in my hands as I went.
I had been walking for a while –and evidently my expression had grown “quite” worried – when a graceful old lady asked me if I needed help. She was one of those gentle, white haired old ladies that makes everybody think about his grandma’s apple pie. Every inch of my proud vanished in front of her kind smile. I told her that I wanted to see the Swans Fountain and she offered to bring me there…how surprise I was! That lady was wasting some of her time to guide me to the fountain. I started following her like a little child…when we got to the fountain I noticed it was quite elegant but not as beautiful as I imagined it (and all the effort I made!). Still I felt that something unique had happened…in that moment I realized that visiting a city doesn’t only mean having a look at the monuments (or doesn’t mean it at all!) but to get in touch with the people of the place, to get to know their stories, to share a piece of life in this huge world. And so the old woman did to me, she told me her story as we go through the streets of Limerick. Honestly I can’t remember her story at all, not only because it was a long ago but also because every time I want to reach a place in an unknown city I just ask for information, longing to hear about other people’s life. And after all, also my story began with the Swans Lady.