Gambatte!

Gambatte (pronounced "Gahm-bah-tay") is a Japanese phrase that means something along the lines of "you can do it!" or "rock on!" or "be strong!" I was riding the train home today, studying writing my kanji (I'm now up to about 55 characters...whoo hoo!) when a smoke-scented older woman with yellow teeth and bad breath asked to sit next to me. At first I was not too thrilled, tired from work and really not wanting to smell her for the next 30 minutes.

She saw me struggling with a couple character combinations and pointed to one, giving me the answer. She asked "muzukashii?" (meaning: is it difficult?) I nodded, not really wanting to engage with her. After a bit, I was reviewing how to write units of time, like "4 hours", "6 weeks", "30 years", etc. She interrupted me again to ask where I was from. I realized I wasn't getting away from her. She began asking me how long I'd been in Japan, how long my commute was, and what the time difference was between here and San Francisco, among other questions. I struggled to converse with her, being completely lost at times.

As I got off the train, she told me "Gambatte!" It wasn't until the train pulled away that I realized her questions were designed to help me practice saying units of time! (the answers are: over 4 months, 90 minutes each way, and 16 hours before, respectively, if you're curious)

She was yet another blessing in (a smelly) disguise. Years ago in Prague, a woman bought me a bottle of wine, hugged me repeatedly, and helped me figure out how to come back to Virginia early after I found out about my mother's cancer. Months before that, a man in Spain took me to the hospital and then nursed me back to health in his home for over a week after I caught a bug in Morocco. Sometimes I forget we are given exactly what we need in this world, and today I'm remembering and honoring every kind stranger I've met on my travels so far and in years to come. They are plentiful, and it inspires me to return the favor. I ask you all to keep that in mind as well.