This trip to Europe had two main objectives: to meet an old friend of mine and go to a wedding. My idea was, I was going to explore Europe on my own, see places, push myself, and make friends along the way. I didn’t need anyone on this epic adventure. It was going to be simple, me and God. Well, that entire plan was changed, and for the best reasons. I was with people the majority of the journey. My hatred of travelling alone became very apparent throughout this trip. Most people would be supportive of my solo adventure, saying, “Go for it!”, “That’s going to be exciting”, or “It will be a memory you cherish forever”. Then when I came back and told everyone solo travelling wasn’t what it sounded like, the response was, “Yeah, it’s awful”, and “Would not recommend”. I thought it was hilarious, as the truth of travelling by yourself is never a dream anyone wants to actually do, but is supported so much online and through TV shows. Of course, I believe everyone should travel alone at least once. But when you get to explore and share moments with another human, it’s far more exciting, not to mention the mental and emotional support people foster by being together.

I started my trip flying from Hawaii to Vancouver, Canada. I unfortunately had a 10-hour layover there. Before I went on the plane, I asked God to not let me be alone in Vancouver. My mother and sister who I hadn’t spent much time with in the past two years were coincidentally going to be travelling to Sweden as well, on the same weekend in the same area. Their flight was cancelled on the way to Sweden, rerouting it about 10 hours later than anticipated. So when I arrived at the Vancouver airport, I was able to spend 8 hours with my family and relax in the airport. It was God’s answer to prayer right away. I then flew to Gothenburg, Sweden to spend 3 days with them. All food, travel and accommodations were covered thanks to my mom. The Swedish people were the most beautiful people I had ever seen. Everyone looked like models. We went to a park and there were no homeless people. People left their kids in strollers while they were talking with friends. It is a put-together society with deep-rooted traditions. There are also beautiful museums and art all around. 

I took a train to Linkoping, a town in the centre of Sweden. There, I was able to see friends that I hadn’t seen in years at a beautiful wedding. Picture a barn surrounded by wheat fields. The wedding was amazing and full of fun and new memories with people I might not see again. We had a late night where we stayed at a local hotel in the downtown strip of the city. I took a train ride to a friend’s hometown in Uppsala, north of Stockholm on the eastside of Sweden. It was an amazing suburban town surrounded by forest. It was the kind of small town where whenever you went grocery shopping, you’d see someone you know. You knew where everyone lived and it was a simple town. One thing that was amazing to me in Sweden was the candy. Each store you went to, you had choices of candy to select from and put in a bag. It was made with cane sugar and more delicious and diverse in flavour than any Western candy. We then travelled to Stockholm on another train. There we saw Carola Haggkvist, a famous singer. We went to an amusement park and toured around the old and rustic architecture of Sweden. My friend’s old classmate let us sleep in his apartment that was in an old theatre. There was lots of walking and seeing the beautiful Swedish history.

The next leg of my trip was when I was off on my own. I took a train across Sweden. I went down through Denmark and Germany and arrived in the Netherlands. I woke up at about 1am to walk from one train cart to another when all the carts had been detached. They reattached to another train to head to our destination. I slept in folded seats among strangers for 9 hours. It wasn’t that bad. I missed my train through Germany because the reattaching of the train carts took so long in the middle of the night. I ran to the ticket man who spoke limited English where I then jumped on my new train. I sat down and started talking to a guy on the train like I usually do to pass the time. He was a French man who was travelling across Europe for work. He asked about God and what I was doing. We started discussing my beliefs and he was extremely intrigued. For everything I had to say about God, he had a scientific rebuttal. But the more I spoke, the more he was interested in the stories I told him. He started talking faster, as he knew my stop was quickly approaching. The conversation ended with him agreeing that there was more of a logistical rationale to follow a God than not to. He ended up inviting me to Paris where he stayed and told me to come by anytime. He then texted me saying he would see me next year, but unfortunately I don’t know when I will be back in Europe. 

I met up with a friend of mine in the Netherlands. Staying with his family, they invited me into their home with open arms. I was able to experience the real life of Dutch people and all they have to offer. We went through the local town he lived in and I was able to go to Amsterdam to see the beautiful things it had to offer. I met up with a girl I used to go to Bible study with in my hometown. She shared about the ministry she was working for in that area. Before I left, I got in touch with a friend of a friend who lived in a nearby city. I texted this stranger and he offered me to stay at his house. I took a train to a random city where I felt completely out of place. I walked around all day waiting for a man I did not know to text me after his shift for work. He texted me and then through a short car ride I figured out he was the nephew of the founder of the organization I worked for. I slept on his couch and the next morning I was off back to Gothenburg for my flight.

The trip was long and I learnt things about the culture that I plan on adopting in my life. I also learned about mindsets and had experiences that I won’t forget. Thank you to all who prayed and provided for me to go explore the nations. The trip was worth it all for that one guy I met on the train. I hope to go back and see even more.