Dream Lady in a Giraffe Dress

Sitting near my gate at MSP airport I heard a lady, with a confuzzling accent, say to the man behind the counter, "Yeees, I will be traveling through Qa-tar". 

I was also traveling to Qatar, but I didn't know it was pronounced like that. I spun around in my chair to see a woman in her late 60s/early 70s wearing a tan dress with giraffes at the bottom of it. 

She had thin blond hair spun in a bun atop her head and wore a thin line of blue eyeliner with no mascara.

While we waited to board, I introduced myself. 

Her name was Susan. I may never meet her again but she was one powerhouse of inspiration to me in the short while I was graced with her presence.

She grew up in Mankato, Minnesota, where she attained a bachelor's degree in English Literature and ESL, then she got a master's degree in Experiential Education. She went on to pursue FIVE other degrees in various subjects including political science and mathematics. 

We hit it off right away, having the commonality of attending Mankato State University, growing up in Minnesota and desiring to travel to Africa. 

She is now a teacher in Salalah, Oman and has been teaching for 13 years. 

Prior to that, she taught in Thailand for 7 years.

We traveled through Chicago O'Hare Airport together and then to Qatar. We had trouble finding our gate to the Qatar flight so we stopped to ask some attendants. She started speaking in Arabic to them. 

My jaw dropped and finally I said, "Who are you and has anyone ever written your life story?" 

She said, "No, but to really know my life, you must follow me."

At that point, I was sure she would disappear into thin air and leave sparkle dust on the ground at any moment. 

We barely made our connecting flight. She conversed with every person in their native tongue. I asked her how many languages she speaks and she just smiled at me and said, "a few".

We were the last ones to get on the plane. I would have probably missed that flight without her. 

We had to part ways at Qatar. She went on her way to Oman but left me with many tips on spending time wisely and safely in the Qatar airport. 

Now, I'm sitting safely in my (free) hotel in Doha, Qatar with clean hair and a happy tummy. 

This is one of the reasons I love traveling solo, you meet amazing people.