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Summer of 2012 was particularly special for a 19-year-old girl from Delhi. It was the summer she stepped out of the Linate airport in Milan and felt a sensation she had never felt before, she felt at home. For someone who had crossed her country’s border for the first time, it was a moment of liberation, excitement and absolute cluelessness. ‘What was to be expected from this alien city? Did it notice my arrival?’ The questions she asked in her exhausted state were answered by the most unexpected experiences and the kindest strangers. If there is a compliment she’ll forever remember, it will the one she got from a ‘Nonna’ while sharing a surprisingly small elevator, although, the abundant ‘Ciao Bella’s from handsome men enjoying their summer night by the Naviligo did stroke her young ego. ‘How can a place I’d never been before feel like home?’ She thought as she walked by Duomo, where pigeons were having a feast and a Chinese bride was being photographed. She drowned herself in shopping, wine and pasta, ended up at an abandoned airport to watch Red Hot Chili Pepper perform, cliff dived in Lake Como and before she knew it, she was on a boat taxi in Venice, watching a group of Canadian girls singing old Hindi songs, off-tune but in sync. As she scaled the city next day, she ended up in a residential block, not a tourist in sight, she approached an open kitchen window to ask for directions, but the wrinkly gentleman on the other side couldn’t understand her query, what he did do was give her a slice of the freshly baked pizza, little did she know that she was about to eat the best pizza ever. Next stop, Rome. ‘This backpack is definitely too heavy now.’ She thought as a couple of strangers helped her get on feet after she fell backwards while crossing the street outside Roma Termini. ‘Pictures do not do this place justice.’ The line to enter The Colosseum was massive, but it didn’t bother her, she couldn’t afford the ticket anyway. The plan was to flip a coin in the Trevi Fountain, that had been the plan ever since she had seen the Lizzie McGuire Movie, the gelato afterwards was an added personal touch. After dancing the night away with a group of Brazilian sisters, she made her way to the final destination, Naples. Capri was the reason Naples was part of her itinerary, with only a day and a half left in Italy, she tossed her bag in the hostel and rushed to the nearest bus stop with her amateur DSLR in hand. As she was reading the map and wondering which bus will take her to the Beverello Port, a concerned looking Nonna walked up to her and through a series of gestures asked her to stay alert and keep her camera safe. The only way to say Thanks was through a hug and a kiss. Somewhere after the 4th stop, she started to wonder if she was headed in the right direction, she asked the driver and somehow the entire bus heard the question. Not only did he make sure she got onto the right bus, the driver made sure that she didn’t have to buy another ticket. Capri at last, crystal clear water, enchanting Blue Grotto, the beginning of ‘Rhythm Divine’ playing in her head, it was all worth it. As she was relishing in yet another pizza slice and waiting for her ferry, she heard a hysterical American woman, turned out, the woman’s cruise was going to leave from Naples in an hour and she couldn’t get a ticket for the next ferry out. ‘Here, take my ticket! I fly out tomorrow, I can wait for the next ferry.’ After receiving a dozen Thanks and a couple of hugs, she now has to wait for another 4 hours. With 5 euros left in the pocket, she decided to get another slice and watch the ocean. Somewhere in between reflecting back on her trip and watching the life around her, she felt another unexpected and unknown sensation, Confidence.