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About a year ago, I got the chance to travel to the self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria. This tiny country, sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine, declared independence from the former in the early 90s. It’s not easy to describe the vibe of this place, but “an open air museum of the USSR” is as precise as it gets - The streets are full of Ladas (famous Soviet-era cars), grey high-rise flats provide shadow on hot summer days, there are even propaganda posters and banners hanging all over the place in Tiraspol, the capital. All these things were the background to a story of an incredible bond. A bond between me - a young world traveller from Poland, and a beautiful Transnistrian girl, Catherine. Let me tell you how we met. The circumstances were by no means extraordinary, but they tell a lot about the environment Transnistrians live in. The weather was incredible, with the temperature oscillating slightly below 30 degrees Celsius. We spent most of the day exploring Odessa, one of the biggest Ukrainian cities, very close to the border. In the evening, when we arrived back in Tiraspol, our tour guide, Roman, suggested we could get drinks at a popular bar in the centre, called Kraft. When we arrived, I noticed two girls sitting by the table in the back. At the time I thought they were probably in their mid-20s, because of their makeup and the way they were dressed. I was stunned by their beauty, especially of the shorter one. Approaching them didn’t even cross my mind, though. I was way too shy. After some time talking to Roman and his girlfriend, I noticed my dad’s absence. I looked in the direction of that table in the back. There he was, talking to these stunning girls. When he noticed me looking, he called me: “Bartek, look who I met! Come join us!”. I hesitated, because socialising has never been my strength. Nonetheless, I really wanted to meet them, so I walked up to the table, timidly introducing myself. The beauties smiled at me saying: “Come on, don’t be so shy! We don’t bite!” That didn’t convince me, but I decided to engage in conversation anyway. After a while of talking I asked about the girls’ ages. The answers surprised me. It turned out that the taller one, Diana, was in fact the younger one, only 16. The girl I couldn’t take my eyes off from the very beginning, Katherine, was only a couple of months older. We talked for hours and it felt as if we’d known each other for years. Roman joined us and suggested we could take a trip to the beach the next day. I asked Katherine if she wanted to join us. She gladly answered she’d love to. We met the next morning to take this trip. The day was filled with our laughter and happiness. The sadness we felt when we had to part was something impossible to describe with words. She kissed me and asked me: “Promise me this isn’t the last time we see each other.” I hugged her and said: “If it were the last time, nothing would make sense anymore.” Fortunately, this really wasn’t our last time together. This short trip led to something incredible, and gave me and my beautiful partner a chance to create beautiful memories together, travelling to places like Gdańsk, Vienna and Prague. Travel, for what is unexpected is what can change you the most.