World Map

This was at the hostel where I stayed during my visit to Heidelberg, Germany. The hostel was lovely, featuring bunk beds in the rooms and some Victorian-era décor on the ceilings. While I was chatting with the people in the lounge, my eyes began to explore the room. The front wall was decorated with framed photos of various travelers who had stayed at the hostel. The wall to my right featured large world maps, and what really caught my attention was the abundance of colorful pins sticking out from the map. I stood up and walked toward the map. Noticing my interest, the people sitting nearby began to explain it to me by pointing at a note written in the bottom corner: “Where do you come from? Take a pin and show us on the map!” I was fascinated and picked up a red pin. Instinctively, I searched for India. As I looked closely, I was surprised to see that even the states were mentioned. My eyes instinctively moved eastward, and there it was—Assam—displayed in bold black letters, highlighted by a blue elongated patch representing the Brahmaputra River. A smile spread across my face as I inserted the pin. But my smile broadened further when I saw a yellow pin already sitting there above the first 'A' of Assam. A guy sitting there kindly captured this beautiful memory for me.