While I was thinking that I went to Alaska to meet my Yupik friends something unexpected and very surprising happened:

In our last days of being in Alaska we drove to Seward a little place in the very south of Alaska . We booked another boat trip to see more of the glaciers and the wildlife. While we were waiting to leave a woman and a man who were changing seats for the third time finally found their seat opposite of us. I found her a typically American woman. After a while we started talking to each other. She had big sunglasses on so I could not see her face very well. She told us that she was here in Alaska with her brother and they just said good bye to her son for he was going on a canoe trip. We introduced ourselves and the woman said that she heard an accent but she could not locate it, but it was definitely not German. We said that we came from Holland. She reacted that half of her family came from Austria. She continued by saying that 40 years ago she met an ever so sweet Dutch girl who she rescued from a couple of guys that were studying at the International business school in Miami. The girl stayed with those boys. One of them arranged a traineeship for her at a Hotel close to were she lived at that time. But the boy who arranged the traineeship expected more of her and when she didn’t want that he kicked her out of his house. So she went to the University of Miami, which arranged her traineeship, to see what they could do for her. The woman said that she had seen her sitting in the park and she noticed that there was something wrong. So she went over to her and asked her if she could help. The girl told her story and the woman directly invited her to stay with her and her husband during the traineeship. And of course the girl accepted her invitation and stayed for 6/7 weeks.

While I was listening to her story I thought this girl is me! I am that girl she is talking about. So I told her so.

She said no you are making a joke aren’t you?

I asked her: ‘What is you first name’? She said:’Debrah’. I said:’Were you ever called Debbie’? ‘Yes’ she said;, ‘my friends always call me Debbie’. I asked: ’Were you married with a Steve’? ‘Yes’ she said. I continued: ‘Were you living at Key Biscayne”. ‘Yes’ she said. ‘Was that girl working in the Sonesta Beach Hotel’? ‘Yes’ she said again. ‘Well that girl is me’! ‘No’ she said’ ‘That cannot be true’!

Three years ago I went together with a Spanish girlfriend to an international coaching meeting in California. Before the meeting we would spent some days in Key West. While we were going to Key West I asked my Spanish friend if we could do a short visit at Key Biscayne for I wanted to see the Sonesta Beach hotel once more and also I wanted to see if the people I stayed with were still living there.

40 Years ago when I left Key Biscayne I asked Debbie to stay in touch but she said ‘no’, when you are here you are always welcome, but if you go home I will not stay in touch with you’. So I never wrote down her address or her phone number.

So when we passed Key Biscayne, I could not find the hotel. I asked some workmen if they knew the Hotel and they said: ‘Yes, we are just pulling it down’. I tried to find the street, but of course in 40 years everything changed. Everything was Mexican and everywhere they spoke Spanish. So I gave up hope and thought I would never see her again.

Debbie had a divorce and married again. She has two sons and lives under Washington DC.

And here we were 40 years later in a very little place on a boat in Alaska sitting opposite of each other. Debbie said I have the feeling that I have been there for you and now you are here for me.

Till we meet again or not……….