One of the biggest things I was apprehensive about on this trip was the things I had heard about the unfriendliness of Europeans. I had seen that this usually was not true in Germany when I had been there before, but I was apprehensive about the people in the other countries.
Europeans generally don’t smile to strangers on the street, but if you have a reason to interact with them, they can be very friendly and good natured. I have had many encounters with people here like that, where their seemingly cold attitude is peeled back and I am reminded just how much we have in common.
A great example of this just happened on Sunday when we worshipped in the Church of Our Lady in Dresden. I had empty room next to me in my pew, so before long, an older lady sat down next to me. I imagined that I was maybe in her seat, maybe in her eyes we were annoying tourists that actually didn’t care about the meaning behind the service, or any other situation that would cause her to dislike me. However, she treated me completely the opposite of how I expected. She looked over at me and gave a warm smile, and started to make small talk. Now I took a semester of German at Calvin, but one semester does you no good when a native speaker speaks quickly and quietly to you. I tried to explain in German that I didn’t understand her, but she didn’t mind. She just kept smiling and trying to treat me as an equal, not as the abrasive tourist that I probably was.
This was not only a great act of grace and an amazing friendly gesture, it gave a lot of food for thought. Sometimes in America, we forget just how much we have in common with the world. We are separated from most of the world by great oceans. The places we read about in the news feel very foreign, and even visiting those places doesn’t always give the feeling of familiarity or similarity. All it took for me was a simple interaction to realize just how much we have in common.
Sometimes I think we forget just how important it is to make contact with people. I surely forget the weight of it sometimes. Even small interactions with others can mean the world, and are essential to building community and reaching out to those who might be lonely or down.
So next time you think about the coldness of Europeans, just remeber the eldery lady in Dresden. Remember how they are warm and friendly when they have a reason to interact with you. Remember how much weight one friendly interaction can have.