I fell

I was in my dream destination, Rio de Janeiro, for an art project. I was so excited and tried to pack in a lot of sightseeing. I visited this busy market area with electronics, fabrics, knickknacks and all else.

By the time I was heading back, it was rush hour and the streets were crowded. Maybe I was just too tired or maybe it was the badly potholed pavement, but I tripped and landed face flat in a spectacularly way. How embarrassing! I was on my own and was in pain too. Before I could figure out how to get up, two Brazilians rushed over and helped me up. They lifted me, straightened me and collected my bags off of the ground. They smiled, patted me and walked with me a few meters to make sure I was okay and wasn’t feeling like an idiot. We parted with big waves and tchau-tchau. They were so sweet.

I have fallen before in the same way in Tokyo too. No one helped me and I felt pretty dumb.

Just someone being there to help me up and laugh the whole thing off was the nicest thing to remember the warmth of Rio de Janeiro.

Kazz
Norwich, UK

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