Sunny April days started after a rainy March. My mum took me and my siblings to a local bazaar to purchase clothes and other necessities for spring. It is quite common in Uzbekistan to buy goods in a traditional bazaar despite having big malls and clothing stores. While entering the tall gates of the bazaar, I saw several foreigners. It was the first time I had ever seen foreigners in my hometown. I used to see them on TV occasionally when I visited the city. At that time I was learning English myself; I used to learn by watching TV shows in English and visiting my uncle every weekend. I was so passionate about talking to those foreigners but due to my shyness and lack of English skills, I hesitated and kept wandering around the bazaar with my mum and siblings. It had been more than an hour since we came to the bazaar and we purchased several things. At that time, I saw a woman tourist who was having some difficulty communicating with a saleswoman. She was going to purchase a traditional Uzbek dress. I was so shy as I had never talked to foreigners before but I was also worried about her difficulty in communicating. So I went towards her, greeted her and introduced myself. After that I translated what the saleswoman was saying. In Uzbek bazaars, bargaining is very common. So, I started bargaining on behalf of the tourist. The saleswoman was not very happy, as she was going to charge her a bit more. Then, I told the tourist to go to another store as this one was expensive. Before we left the store, the saleswoman agreed with the price we offered. Interestingly, leaving the store was a part of the bargaining, it often works when salespeople are too stubborn. After buying the dress, we talked a bit and I introduced the tourist to my family members who came to the bazaar with me, and she took several photos of us. The tourist was from Italy and I enjoyed talking about Italian history and art as we had a few books about Italy in our house. Then, I spent more than an hour showing the bazaar to the tourist. At the end of her trip, she offered me money, which I rejected right away. She was very surprised and tried to give money to me several times. I rejected and talked about Uzbek hospitality. Then she stopped me and gave me her business card. I did not have any social media or telephone at that time. She thanked me many times, gave a hug and said bye. It was one of the most inspirational moments of my life and I was so proud of being able to communicate with someone from another part of the world. It further inspired me to study English and learn about the world. When I talked about rejecting money, my family was very proud of me. I showed them the business card I got and we started to set up a Facebook account for me! I opened my own Facebook account just to reconnect with that Italian woman. We searched several times and it was not possible to find her because there were too many people with the same name and I also almost forgot her face as she took our photos but we did not take any photos together. It felt quite disappointing, however, I kept her card, remembering her saying, when you come to Italy, call this number and I will show you around. After that experience, I started to work on my English every day and go to historical sites on weekends to practice my English with foreigners. Most of the time, I volunteered as a tour guide, talking about my hometown and helping them communicate with other locals. At the same time, I also took advantage of Facebook, I started my own blog on Facebook where I post about Uzbekistan. Shortly, I gained a lot of followers from all over the world. After more than a year had passed since I met the Italian tourist, I decided to search for her again. At this time, I was more aware of how Facebook works and the possibility of finding someone through a phone number. So, after several attempts, I managed to find that Italian tourist and commented under her Facebook post. Shortly, she replied and we reconnected! It is not easy to describe that feeling in words. It has been over 7 years since that memory and we are still in touch. She also introduced her family members to me and I am thinking of visiting Italy in the near future. Overall, I would describe this memory as a life-changing moment. I had an amazing feeling when I was able to communicate with someone from another country, from a totally different background. That feeling motivated me to keep learning English and seek study abroad opportunities. As a result, I came to the US to pursue my education at an international campus. For the future, I plan to pursue my career at international organizations like the UN or the World Bank, and contribute to close ties between nations just like my friendship with that Italian tourist.