Three hours that came from simply asking for help once — a night with my neighbor Maxim.
I have too much luggage to carry.
It started when I checked out of the Airbnb and there was so much luggage that I didn't want to carry it to the next hostel.
I usually travel with an 80L backpack and a daypack, but this time I had three bags of protein, creatine, glutamine, hair care items, and a sweater I got from a friend's relative, so it was practically impossible to take everything with me.
So I decided to ask Maxim, who lived next door, to hold my stuff. But it was 10 a.m., and I figured he was probably still asleep, and while I was getting ready I kept regretting that we had never exchanged contact info during the times we'd bumped into each other. Why didn't I swap Telegrams?
The importance of exchanging contact information
It made me realize how important it is to proactively show people you want to connect — in other words, to ask 'Do you have Instagram?'.
If we'd only exchanged Instagram or Telegram, I could've contacted him right away and had him hold my luggage. I also felt bad about knocking on the door in case he was asleep.
Check-out was at noon, and it was already 12:05 — I was at a loss for what to do. Then, of all things, Maxim came outside to smoke! Perfect timing.
When I asked him to hold my stuff, he said, 'Of course,' so I was really lucky. Or maybe he knew from the day before that I was checking out today and came out on purpose to say hello. Either way, he was able to hold my luggage for me.
Bringing Milka chocolate
So today I finally went to pick up my things. I brought Milka chocolate as a thank-you. Even though the apartment had only been vacated a few days ago, I felt strangely lonely — or rather, homesick.
When I came back it felt peaceful and I felt relieved. All the cats I used to feed almost every day were there, and I really felt, 'This place is great.' It felt almost like my home.
Maxim opened the door, we shook hands, and I went inside. I put my things into the bag I'd brought and we made small talk. I mentioned that the Japanese yen has been very weak, so this year I want to earn in euros or dollars. I was talking to him about the economy.
I explained that because Japan has had low interest rates for a long time, foreigners don't leave their money in Japan. So they sell yen and buy dollars, which is why the value of the yen has fallen a lot. He didn't seem to understand it very well, though.
Before I knew it, it was 11 p.m.
We talked about all sorts of things: Japan, the town I live in, his dog, sleep at night, family, travel. I was supposed to leave at 8:45 p.m., but before I knew it, it was 11. He poured me a cola at first and then made mint tea.
He said he moved to Armenia in 2022 and has been living in Georgia since then. He told me about the hard times—though he worked, there were times he had no money and survived on bread for days. Hearing that, I thought that because he's hit rock bottom, that's probably why he's gotten stronger and stronger.
He also said he wants to go to Serbia next or try to get a nomad visa in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I said I'm going to Serbia too, so maybe we'll meet there, and he replied, 'Yeah, maybe, maybe.' He didn't seem enthusiastic like 'Let's definitely meet!' so I realized he's introverted.
Ten years of self-taught programming
What impressed me was that he only attended university for half a year before dropping out, and since then he learned programming on his own while working. He also lived in Ukraine for five years and has been independent, supporting himself since he was 18.
I couldn't help but admire his independence and self-discipline. I couldn't believe he'd been programming for over ten years — I've only been at it for about three years.
He said he's now spending some time in Tbilisi updating his skills, and we exchanged opinions about the future of engineers.
First, try asking; try relying on others
The only thing I can really teach is about Southeast Asia and travel — what the vibe is like and what places I recommend. But talking with him was really fun and I discovered a lot about myself.
Talking with people like this, connecting with new people, discovering yourself through deep conversations and taking the good parts of them to apply to yourself — that's really wonderful and important, I thought.
All of this started because I asked. Until now, I couldn't often rely on people because I thought asking was showing weakness. But have the courage to ask. You might be turned down.
But if you say something and get approval, that's lucky — so instead of deciding for yourself 'it'll probably be like this' without saying anything, try asking first. Rely on someone. Doing that is what made this connection possible.
So first, say it. Rely on others. Ask for more help. I truly learned this firsthand. I can't say we're friends yet, but I had a great three hours and really enjoyed it.
