Describe a time when you met an interesting person for the first time

I'd like to talk about an elderly man I met on a train journey from Tashkent to Samarkand, about two years ago. I was travelling alone and had taken a book, but the seat next to me was taken by a man in his seventies with a neat grey beard and a leather bag. He greeted me politely, and we started chatting about the weather, and then about my book, which turned out to be one that he had read decades ago.

It turned out that he was a retired geologist who had spent most of his working life in remote mountains in the Pamirs. He told me about camping in the snow at four thousand metres, about being caught in a storm and about finding rare minerals. He spoke so vividly that I forgot I was on a train. The journey takes around two hours, but it felt like twenty minutes. He also asked me about my studies and gave me some advice on choosing a career, saying that I should look for something that makes me curious every morning.

I found him interesting because he had lived such an adventurous life, yet was extremely modest and kind. He seemed genuinely curious about me, even though I was a stranger, which is rare. Before we got off, he wrote his email address on a piece of paper and said that I could write to him if I ever wanted to talk.

I did write to him a few months later. We have exchanged several emails since then. He left a lasting impression on me and taught me that everyone has a story worth hearing, if you take the time to listen.