It was the summer of 2022. Twenty hours and a few overpriced sandwiches later, I stepped off the plane at Moscow Airport – not the Russian one, the tiny Idaho one. The air was thick with the scent of manure, a not-so-subtle welcome to my new life in the rural US. Back home, people kept asking, “Why Idaho?” I tried remembering why. “It’s just a feeling. A pull I can’t quite explain,” is what I told my sister a few weeks earlier. “It’s like I’m meant to be there”. I wasn’t sure I even believed it myself.

I hadn’t thought to book a taxi from the airport in the middle of nowhere, but fate intervened. A blond Finnish girl named Tova offered me to ride with her. Her smile was warm, almost contagious. We were both exchange students at the University of Idaho, and by the time we reached campus at midnight, I felt like I’d found a kindred spirit.

The first few days flew by in a blur of Orientation events: Campus tours, group icebreakers, and too many name tags. The University of Idaho campus was even more beautiful than on their website, a mix of brick buildings, green lawns, and old trees. I met some other exchange students: Daria from Russia, and Annika and Finn from Germany. Finn was very tall and everyone kept asking him how tall. Tova and I made a Walmart trip for groceries and new bed sheets. To my surprise, no one seemed to use duvets here. At night, we’d sat on blankets under the stars, watching movies projected onto a screen.

By Saturday, I’d been invited to breakfast downtown with Laila and her family. Laila, a fellow Dane who worked at the university, had reached out to me months earlier to help me feel at home and to convince me to study here. I was already planning on coming but it always was nice to meet some fellow Danes before my trip. She had a way of making you feel like you belonged, and I was excited to meet her kids who was around my age.

The walk to The Breakfast Club felt like a scene out of a movie. I was wearing a purple Minnie and Mickey Mouse T-shirt, white cargo pants, and black sandals. My short blond hair caught the morning light, and the tan I’d worked on all summer gave me a quiet confidence. When I arrived, Laila was waiting outside with everyone else: Jacob who I had already met, their cousin Vanessa, and Laila’s two younger kids, Katrine and Mattias. After quick introductions, we headed inside to a table for six.

I sat at one end of the table, trying to match names to faces. Across from me, Katrine who had eargerly decided to order the pancakes. Vanessa, seated beside her, flipped through the menu thoughtfully. It was her last day in Moscow before she was heading back to college in another city. At the far end, Mattias caught my eye. He was different from the others – taller, quieter, with a presence that felt both grounded and intriguing. His hazel eyes met mine briefly before he glanced away, his brown wavy hair catching in the light. He wore a white floral shirt that seemed very summerly. I wondered, for just a moment, what his story was.

I ordered an avocado sandwich and an unreasonable amount of coffee. I was the last one at the table to get my food. It was very fresh.

After breakfast, we lingered outside by the car. Laila had offered to drive me home, and as we walked tot he car, Mattias fell into step beside me. We hadn’t really talked during breakfast – sitting at the opposite end of the table – but now he asked about my classes. My mind blanked momentarily. I could barely remember what I’d signed up for. “Entrepreneurship,” I said. His voice was calm and curious, like he genuinely wanted to know.

As we reached the car, I found myself wishing the walk had been longer. We said our goodbyes, but not for long – Laila had invited me to dinner at their place the next day. Chinese food, she said. As I watched them drive away, my thoughts lingered on Mattias, his hazel eyes, and that quiet smile that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.