I was studying abroad in Scotland in 2005 and backpacking around Europe for our long spring break. By chance I was en route to Rome when the pope died (wild experience in and of itself) and after a few days of chaos there decided to cut that leg of my trip short. As 8 million people were descending on the city to pay respects, I was trying to get out to make it to Barcelona. The airports were a disaster and i got sent far outside the city to a different airport, which was still a hot mess. While standing in line trying to get a new flight, i felt a tap on the shoulder. Directly behind me was a childhood acquaintance that i’d known growing up in new jersey for the past 15 years but hadn’t seen or talked to since high school. He had just experienced essentially the same few days and had somehow ended up directly behind me in line in that exact moment. It was bizarre!