I was getting the last train back home one evening, and I had to wait a long time on the platform, so I started talking to the girl sitting next to me. She was Czech and had just come to the UK with her boyfriend for work. She was a science graduate in the Czech Republic, but was working at a sandwich shop. I suppose in many ways it was a pretty typical story, but she was so upbeat and positive about London and living in the UK. At the end of the journey, she emphasized how good it was to talk, and pulled out a sandwich from her bag and gave it to me. I was both shocked and grateful! Maybe my stomach had been rumbling too loudly …

Eu estava pegando o último trem de volta para casa numa noite, e tive que esperar bastante tempo na plataforma, então comecei a conversar com a garota sentada ao meu lado. Ela era tcheca e tinha acabado de chegar ao Reino Unido com o namorado para trabalhar. Era formada em ciências na República Tcheca, mas estava trabalhando numa lanchonete. Suponho que, de certa forma, era uma história bastante comum, mas ela era tão animada e positiva em relação a Londres e à vida no Reino Unido. No fim da viagem, ela enfatizou como tinha sido bom conversar, tirou um sanduíche da bolsa e me deu. Fiquei tanto surpreso quanto grato! Talvez meu estômago estivesse roncando alto demais…