Tuesday Tribute

As most of you know, this summer was full of trips, big and little alike, but today I'd like to pay tribute to the three guys I randomly met on a train from Munich to Prague.

See, here's the thing: That day had been miserable. It was cold and rainy, we'd been on trains since 8 am, and after 4 days straight of the same people, it was possible I was going to scream.

Then, when I stumbled into this compartment in the train and met these three boys from Rice University (it's in Houston) it was awesome, to put it simply. Finally, someone who understood what JIBA meant or "Martel is not a college!" (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go ask Cyndi.) I could talk to people who not only didn't know my life story, but were in college and knew the Houston and Dallas areas well enough for us to chat about them and about life. We could make jokes, talk about surgeries we did or didn't have (aka: Prove how gullible Mahdis and I are), and enjoy free-flowing conversation that didn't have to be interrupted by flipping through an English-Czech translation dictionary or pausing to remember just how to say bathroom in French.

So, here's to you boys. Thank you for speaking English and knowing what in the world N.O.D. is. I hope you enjoyed Prague, and the rest of your backpacking trip went well. I'm sure you're all kicking butt in medical school. Try not to have too much fun. :]