It's all about people

I am standing in a dark narrow arch in between two anonymous buildings in Oslo. Nothing but a phone screen of a stranger I’ve met a minute ago can be seen. The only sounds are some happy chatter going from the apartments above, rare cabs delivering people home from parties, and the drizzling rain. The fresh air and the smell of trees mix together. The tranquillity settles in. If I were not lost way past midnight, I would totally stay there.
It’s got to be somewhere around. Supposed to be the next building. It’s just that there is a field there instead.
My new acquaintance, a Nigerian student, has been staying with me for almost half an hour. I believe, there is some kind of a travelers’ bond. His genuinely understanding eyes are saying “Been there”. We can openly talk as if we’ve known each other for years.
So far, the most amazing, shattering, surprising truth that I’ve learned is that the best thing in travelling is not seeing the grand beauty of Grand Canyon or Sognefjord. It’s the reflection of that grand beauty in people’s eyes. That disbelief, wonder, admiration, care, all interchange within milliseconds.
Just looking back at the morning near the marvelous Opera, I see two dozens of little Norwegian children walking in twos. Clad in neon yellow raincoats that cover them almost completely, they remind bouncing tennis balls. The little explorers, full of contagious joy and pride, look ahead with eager curiosity.
A tall Norwegian soldier looks excited near the Oslo’s central railway station. His thoughts are far away with people I even have no idea of. It turns out that he is returning home from the border with Russia. His house is in the South and it’s going to be really lovely down there. His parents told him.
A group of tourists walk into the City Hall. One of them has already been here before. You can see it by his attention to details, the searching for the seen before look. His friend puts his blue backpack by the wall and takes a glance at the murals, curious scenes from Norwegian history. They adorn almost every inch of the building letting you plunge into the old ages. The first-time visitor is taken aback, then he looks back at his friend with a beaming smile. There is a sparkle in his eyes.
One day, a few people, a few separate worlds. And there are 7 billions of worlds on this planet. So many more to meet!
A car passes by, splashing the water from the puddles onto the sidewalk. I’ve got to find a place to sleep.