How are you? Where are you from?

When I travel, nobody knows me. I can be whoever I want.

Most of the people I meet, I'll never see again. So why be shy? People judge you for a minute, and then everyone goes back to their own life.

I still have to remind myself of that, because I'm a super reserved girl.

I grew up being corrected. My tone was wrong. My reaction was too much. My questions were inappropriate. So I learned to wait until I felt ready, and most of the time I never did.

Summer 2025, Murcia, Spain. I was in a café to eat and work, and my phone needed charging. The girl next to me moved a bit to make room for me at the plug.

I spoke to her directly: "How are you? Where are you from?"

She asked me the same questions back. We talked about what we each do.

We talked for three hours. Like we had known each other for years.

If I hadn't had the audacity, it wouldn't have happened.

Today we're friends on Instagram. We don't talk very often. If I go back to Spain, I'll message her.