I am convinced that on this day in Nădlac

   ... history was made.

   It began at one of the local grocery stores while
buying something for lunch. I was at the counter
schmoozing with the ladies that work there when
a lady pointed towards the street and then made a
remark. I turned and saw this mountain bike with
an accompanying trailer parked in front of the store.

   On one of the bags tied to the bike were the words
written in English 'Round the World". I translated that
to the ladies and of course in a little city the size of
Nădlac it created a lot of interest. The women were
wondering out loud what it was about.

   I told them that I would go out there and find out. As
I left the store I met the guy who was riding the bike.
I took a chance and greeted him in English and I found
that he spoke it well.

   So I began to ask him some questions, where he was from,
where he came from and where he as going. It sounded
like the 3 great question of life.
 
   He said he was from Libya, and that he was traveling around
the world and he was trying to get to every country.
I asked him when he began and he said that he started in
1999. I also asked how much longer he was going and he said
he was continuing on till 2012. He was trying to break a record,
I am not sure exactly what the specifics of the record are. I am
not sure if it is all the countries in the world during a certain
period of time.

   I also asked him his name and his name is Ahmed.
He has traveled to every country in Africa and he has been to
China. He mentioned that it took him 3 months to cross it. I am
not sure if he has been to South and Central America but I think
that he said that he did.

   It is too bad that he doesn't have a blog or something similar
so that I could track his progress.

   He had just come in through the border from Hungary and
his destination here in Romania was Bucharest.

   It was only a 10 minute encounter but I was excited to hear
about his adventures nonetheless.

   I gave him some directions and after telling him good luck in
Romanian 'noroc', I asked him if he was Muslim (which he is)
, I also wished him 'may you go with Allah'. I know it isn't right
but I used what I knew at the time ''Assalamu Alaikum" which
really means ... Peace be upon you. He smiled, then began to
peddle away into his world of adventure.

   As I was walking home from the store an idea came to mind.
It was that it was an historic day in Nădlac. I am sure that since
the beginning of the town's history no one has seen an American
and a Libyan standing in the street talking.

   Ahmed said that the more he travels the more he realizes that
the world is a much smaller place.

   I just have to say that it was pretty 'misto' (Rroma/Gypsy word
for cool) to have met Ahmed this day. Also in 2012 I will be looking
in the record books for the man that helped me make history in
Nădlac.