[June 30, 2018] No words could describe how thrilled I was for the upcoming Europe trip. My excitement was attributable to these facts. First, I’ve always wanted to experience flying with the world’s best airline, Qatar Airways. Not to mention the curiosity to check DOH, the world’s best airport, and the temperature in Middle East. Is it that hot? Second, I love Europe. My first trip there was June 2016 for academic purposes, sponsored by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Since then, I’ve been looking for opportunities to bring me back. Fortunately, I got accepted to Smart Electrical Power Systems summer school at RWTH Aachen University, which I was awarded a full scholarship from DAAD for the second time. Third, technically I was about to graduate. After struggling to write research thesis for 1 semester and juggling with thesis defense plus Europe trip preparation in the same week, I can finally take a break. After 9-hour flight, I landed in Doha at midnight. It was my first-time trying in-flight Wi-Fi, sending text of “Hey, I’m texting from 35,000 feet above [name of a country]”. When getting off from the plane, I was exposed to Qatar’s night wind, which indeed was hot! Witnessing Hamad International Airport, I was impressed by its stunning architecture, extensive facilities, and shopping experience. I managed to tick off both questions of mine about Qatar. [July 1, 2018] I boarded the next flight heading to Frankfurt, sitting by the window. Two seats on my left were vacant. The pilot announced a delay in departure, so I fell asleep. When waking up, there were Middle Eastern girl and boy next to me. I apologized to the girl as my head was unintentionally put on her shoulder during sleeping. Conversely, she offered hers, should I wish to continue. What a thoughtful gesture! No longer sleepy, I decided to start the conversation. It turned out that she’s from Kuwait, who was going to visit her relatives near the France-Germany border. She’s the same age as me, the boy is her brother. From her, I just knew that Kuwait is one of the world's richest countries. 1 Kuwaiti Dinar is equivalent to ~3 Euros, I can’t imagine how broke I’d be if it’s converted to Indonesian Rupiah. When discovering my nationality, she highlighted that she has Indonesian housemaid, but she dislikes the terms as it’s demeaning. She complimented me smart and cute because I told her I studied engineering and I planned to attend summer school in Aachen (also, probably she caught me reading course materials). We have something in common: admiration for sunrise! We couldn’t stop taking pictures from the window. She asked me whether I know Arabic when she was reading Arabic fiction. I told her I can read Quran without understanding the meaning. She was surprised and encouraged me to learn Arabic for its beauty. After expressing my interest to learn the language, unexpectedly, she gave her book to me as a gift. She even wrote a note to be opened upon arrival. We talked non-stop during the flight until she jumped into that personal question: “What do you aspire to be in the future?” Doubtful, I pretend to be confident: “I want to be a decision/policy-maker working for international/intergovernmental organizations like the UN.” Guess her response: “You can achieve whatever you want. I believe someday I’ll find your name in top magazines. I think you can even be a Ph.D. at such a young age! I genuinely want to see your success in the future. If I have a daughter, I want her to be like you!” My reaction? Certainly, speechless. As someone whose love language is words of affirmation, kind words mean A LOT. Never once I'd imagined in my life that a stranger would believe in me. Sometimes, I don’t even believe in myself! I’m utterly touched. Prior to farewell, we exchanged contact and took a selfie. Having arrived in Frankfurt, I read her notes on the book: “Best of luck in your studies. I’m sure you’ll have a bright future.” –with love, your new friend on flight, Taif (01/07/2018) I couldn’t be more grateful. . . What’s the most precious gift you’ve ever received from strangers?