Meeting Mariam

On Saturday, I was sitting at my local train stop waiting for my ride into Frankfurt to arrive. It wasn't due for another thirty minutes—which I knew, since I had decided to leave extra early so I could take some pictures of my neighborhood and enjoy the sunny, 50 degree weather.

While waiting I began to flip through the Frankfurt guidebook I had borrowed from my upstairs neighbors. I intended on walking the full tour it mapped out, so I could see what the city had to offer in both architecture and culture.

I was especially excited to see people dress up for Germany’s Carnival.

At some point, a woman around my age approached me and asked if I knew English.

"I'm an expert at speaking English." I replied.

She then asked me to help her buy a ticket into the city and back.

I approached the ticket machine and selected the proper information, after she told me that she needed to go to Hauptbahnhof. When the machine asked for payment, the woman handed me 20 euro bill, which the machine did not accept because it was too large.

After taking a few minutes to slowly explain why it wouldn't work, the woman asked if I had enough money to make change. Unfortunately, I didn't. The smallest bill I had on me was also a 20 euro bill.

Because the train wasn't due for another 20 minutes, I motioned her to follow me to our local market, where I could buy a bar of chocolate and get change back. (On an unrelated side note, my goal is to try all of the Ritter Sports chocolate varieties before I leave Germany.)

Once I selected my chocolate bar, I headed towards the register and began to pay for the chocolate, when the woman snatched the bar out of my hand and said, "I pay."

I decided just to go with it. She didn't understand enough English for me to insist on paying for the chocolate and who doesn't love free chocolate?

On the way back to the station I asked for her name.

"Mariam, you name?" she asked, pointing at me.

"Cassidy," I replied.

I was curious to find out where she was from, she obviously wasn't a native German, or European; however when I asked, she explained that she lived two alleys over.

Obviously, it wasn't the answer I was looking for, but I figured it was better than nothing.

Once we got back to the bench at the train stop, Mariam continued to ask me questions about me in broken English. It was probably one of the longest conversations I've had, with a tiniest amount of information exchanged, because of our language barrier.

I did learn that Mariam likes music, dancing, and is currently going to massage school. Which she graciously explained by massaging my left arm.

She also used her phone to show me pictures of her dad, brother and herself.

I told her how I was a third-year college student working here—because the word "intern" was probably not in her vocabulary—and that I had a family and friends in the U.S. who I love very much.

"Do you have a amour? Are you in love?" she asked.

I couldn't help but laugh. Despite leaving extended family members, friends, and the Provo dating scene behind, I was still being asked if I was dating anyone.

"Yes," I replied, despite my committed relationship to being a bachelorette. I figured that on a weekend where people dress up as devils, angels and royalty, I could play a fool in love for one day.

Mariam laughed and squealed excitedly, "Show me a picture!"

I had been playing my new “in-love” persona for sixty seconds and I already was in hot water.

Fortunately, my camera roll has several pictures of me standing next to guy friends in a group of people.

Out of these pictures, I selected one of my guy friends to fulfill the new role as my "love” back in the United States. I showed Mariam the picture, who nodded her head in improvement of my fake boyfriend. She then asked if he was coming to visit me while I was away. I told her "no," but that I would be back in his arms within a few months.

My newly found friend seemed disappointed in my fake boyfriend. I sort of feel bad that I led someone to believe that one of my guy friends is a bad boyfriend; however, I plan keeping my fake boyfriend choice a secret I take to the grave, so I only feel a little sorry.

As our train finally arrived, Mariam asked why I was going to Frankfurt. I explained that I was going site seeing to take pictures, by pointing to my guidebook. My new train companion then explained that she was going into the city to get internet for her phone. She proposed that we go together.

I thought about her suggestion. I really wasn't planning on having a shadow on my self-guided tour. After all, I was going to be doing a lot of walking and picture-taking.

Suddenly, I remembered telling my mom that I wanted to have an "Eat Pray Love" moment in my life while going abroad on my own.

"Okay, yes," I told Mariam.

"Great! Let's get kaffee," Mariam suggested.

"No, no, that's okay," I responded. I would have to tell Mariam this three or four times as we were out and about. While, I have been trained since childhood to explain that I am LDS and don't drink coffee for religious reasons, I didn't.

I could feel my former-missionary friends exhaling exasperated sighs of disappointment as I let a "gospel sharing moment," pass by. But to be fair, the topic was a little bit too complicated for Mariam and my childlike conversations.

Eventually, we arrived at the main train station in the center of Frankfurt.

"Follow me," said Mariam as she started to lead me outside. I figured since we were walking outside of the station, her mobile phone provider was nearby.

It dawned on me that I was letting a total stranger lead me into part of the city I had no knowledge about.

I surveyed the area, looking for red flags, but it seemed pretty safe.

"Where are we going?" I asked Mariam. Instead of explaining the location, she linked her arm around mine as we crossed a street. This was an attention-grabbing thing I wanted to avoid. But of course, I just went with it.

We arrived to her mobile carrier, who was a third party store, run by people who spoke the same language as Mariam did. In fact, the store was filled with people who had similar ethnic backgrounds to my site seeing companion. I felt out of place.

After sorting out Mariam's cell phone issue, we headed back to the station and I took Mariam to the first stop of our sightseeing tour. It was the old city hall.

I took a few pictures of the landmarks with my Nikon. Plus a few pics of Mariam and me on my IPhone when she asked if I was ready to head back to Schöneck.

I wasn't even close to ready.

However, because I had taken Mariam somewhere she had obviously never been, I had to take her back home. As we walked to an Underground station about a mile away from our location, Mariam locked her arm around mine.

This time it wasn't for my sake, but for hers. I could tell she was uncomfortable in the crowded shopping plaza.

Eventually we made it back to the station and on a train home. As I sat in a seat next to the window, the sun's rays brushed against my skin. It was early afternoon and I couldn't help but feel that I had wasted the most beautiful day I had seen in Germany thus far.

As I considered what I could have accomplished, Mariam was busy chatting on the phone. At that moment, I realized that the buildings and things I wanted to see would still be standing there next weekend.

Not to mention that I am staying in the country long enough to live through a few more sunny days. After all, I'm not going to have my "Eat Pray Love," phase without a few bumps in the road and some unexpected adventures.