Emelie: ”Help Riccardo to find the girl from the train”

I have lived with strangers and I have received guests in my home thanks to Couchsurfing. It’s a very fun way to meet new people but also a way to see the city through a local’s eye. If I had not been a Couchsurfing member I’d never heard what I’m going to tell you now.

I think everythings happens for a reason. That people come into my life for a reason. To teach me something, show me something, make me happy or take me on an adventure. Therefore, I welcome new meetings with open arms. Imagine how life can change in just a few seconds, overnight or two days. You know the beauty of traveling, seeing nature, experiencing different cultures and all the people one meets. Now you will hear about my friend Riccardo’s journey from Italy to Abisko in Sweden.

Riccardo lives in Rome, Italy. He wrote to me on Couchsurfing and asked if there was a bed at my house for him and a friend. The two friends had decided to go somewhere where it was cold, snow and were they could see the northern lights. They chose Sweden. Unfortunately, I could not host them because I was in Norway. In January, however, the two friends flew to Sweden and went all the way up to Abisko. They stayed in a hostel and awaited the right moment to see the northern lights. In the hostel, Riccardo met the girl Cindy from France. She was there for the same reason as Riccardo.

Cindy and Riccardo were drawn to each other. They sat up all night talking about life. They met in ice cold Sweden. She from France. He from Italy. Riccardo tells me there was something special about Cindy, almost something magical. “I met her only one day and one night, but it was like she enchanted me, I felt an incredibly strong draw for her”. Riccardo describes Cindy as a person who wants to be present in all moments of life. She has a warm smile and she gets people around her to shine.

Riccardo. Photo: Private

They both took the same night train back to Stockholm. The trip took 17 hours but they only slept for 10-20 minutes. They didn’t want to fall asleep, they didn’t want to miss any time together. They travelled by train through the night without knowing when they were going to see each other again. Once in Stockholm, Cindy had a train to catch to Malmö and they forgot to exchange numbers.

Imagine how life can take us to so many places, bringing us together with so many different people. It’s important to take advantage of these occasions, use every amount of time that life consists of. Riccardo tells me how he believes that life depends on all the choices we make and how it could have been in another way. ”I could have gone to Abisko one day earlier or one day later. I could have taken another train. But I was there and she was there. And I was incredibly impressed with her, how she could make me feel so strong. I felt this could be the beginning of something new, a new chapter for me. But suddenly a new moment came, the moment of goodbye and she ran to her train and I didn’t take her number.

Riccardo has asked me for help. He asked if I know someone who knows someone who knows who Cindy is. I would love to help Riccardo. He did not see the northern lights, but maybe he could see Cindy again. Me and Riccardo have had a dialogue about how to best write this to get it right and to make it the best for Cindy. If Cindy wants, she can choose if she wants to get in touch with Riccardo or not.

Now Riccardo wants help to change the moment again. He knows that Cindy is from France and recently moved to Sweden. She lives in Soth Sweden along the coast, not far from Malmö. Cindy does not use social media, but maybe there is someone who knows someone who knows Cindy.

If it’s you who is Cindy or have any clues that can lead to Cindy. Email to emelie@ettannatliv.se

Of course I will write the continuation of this exciting story.