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My local connection was made in Barcelona, Spain. After my first trip to Europe traversing ten countries, I decided to add at least one new country on each future trip to the Continent. On my second trip to Europe, I decided to add Spain. While attending school in The Hague, Netherlands, I planned my excursion to Spain by visiting the American Express Office in Amsterdam to check out the ride board. As luck would have it, there was a couple looking for passengers for a trek to Spain charging a fee within my student budget. A week later, I joined five other students in Amsterdam to board the back of an old moving van for a two-day adventure to Spain. There we were in the back of this truck, two girls and three guys, backs against the sides of the truck, hip to hip, alternating legs, trying to sync our needs to eat and use the bathroom. We arrived in Barcelona on a Sunday, which meant no open banks to exchange money. I had researched budget accommodations before leaving the Netherlands, so I knew exactly the hotel that I wanted. Because of its popularity with being decent and economical, there were no available rooms. My fallback was a hostel. So, while I sat on a bench in the park outside the hotel checking my notes to find the telephone number of the hostel, a Spanish gentleman began a conversation. I did not speak Spanish and he did not speak English, but I managed to convey to him that I was hungry and he to me that he would treat me to a meal. At the restaurant, I called the hostel and quickly learned what "cerrado" meant. Due to a fire, the hostel was closed. Now what? Seeing my distress, I was approached by two Spanish girls (who happened to be the same age) who wanted to help. The same language barrier existed with our native languages, however, we all spoke French. One thing led to another, and the girls invited me to stay with them during my visit. They were truly heaven sent! The girls lived with another roommate in a 2-bedroom walk-up apartment in a blue collar part of town. To accommodate me and give me a bed, two of the girls had to double up in another bed. Still not able to exchange money the next day because it was a holiday, the girls freely paid for my transportation on the subway and for my food. During my 10-day stay, the girls took me to a Flamenco show, took me into the mountains where we grilled lambchops, and showed me how to hitchhike to the beach in Sitges. To pay the kindness forward of my Spanish hosts, I have tried to be a helpful local connection for foreigners visiting the US by providing transportation, a meal, and a place to stay.