The Bus-station Jedi

As promised, I bring to you the Bus station Jedi! I know that I called him the train station Jedi in a previous post, but he isn't. He doesn't even work on a train station, so why would I have called him that? I must have been more tired than I thought...

You'll remember that I've been walking in circles around the bus station in Zakopane, trying to decide in which direction I had to walk to reach Top Hostel Zakopane (the place where I was supposed to sleep). Thank goodness I went back into the station, otherwise I would have walked in the complete opposite direction from where I actually needed to go! Anyway, let's get to the point...

Back in the bus station I walked up to the news stand and asked the gentleman behind the counter if he could help me with directions. To my greatest delight and amazement, he spoke fluent English! Immediately dampening my spirit, he told me that he didn't have the faintest idea of where this hostel might be, but that he could help me to install a new sim card in my mobile phone so that I could phone the place and find out where they are located. Reluctant to spend money I thought of just trying my luck and ask around, but soon found out that my luck wasn't in. No-one around the station could speak English. Can you believe it? So I went back to the man in charge of the little newspaper shop and bought a sim card. Thus our strange friendship began.

After putting it in my phone he explained, step by step, how to activate my new number, how to buy credit, how to access the internet and so forth. He was very kind and very helpful, explaining to me that he didn't use the operating system that I just subscribed to, but that a friend of his is also a subscriber to Orange (operating system). After we struggled with my phone for a bit he asked me where I was going and where I came from, so I told him. He was very interested in South Africa and what's more, he actually knew something of our culture and geography (courtesy of the 2010 soccer world cup)! Being polite, I asked him where he was from and where he was going. Turns out he was born in Zakopane and that he would only be going home in the early morning hours. We went back to struggling with my phone again. Growing tired and losing hope, he sent his friend a message, the one I mentioned earlier. While waiting for his friend to reply, the gentleman told me about the dog that he had found next to the road nine years ago. He still has the dog and loves the dog a lot! So I told him about the time my dad found a dog cowering under his car and how my dad coaxed the dog out from under the car and into our back yard, where he lived on for another twelve years.

Sorry for all of the boring stories, but I have to set the scene for what's to come. It will blow your mind! Hehe, after the dog stories we sorted out my phone and I was ready to leave, but the newspaper man had other plans! Shame, I think it can be very lonely, working night shift in a small, near abandoned station, so I humored him. With pride he told me how he taught himself to speak English by means of gospel music. Truth be told, I was stunned - throughout my journey I  was constantly praying for help, and here comes this man who could speak English because of gospel music. Coincidence..? I told him how God had answered my prayers through him and this is where it got strange. He told me that everything is connected by the Force, and that if you do something good to someone the Force will balance it out by having someone do something good to or for you.
"What about God," I asked him.
"Yes, we are like God's last Jedi's on earth, people like you and me!" was his answer. "We are here to combat the dark forces. There are too many people who will offer you help and then take your stuff. They are the Sith lords and there are too many of them." These were his exact words. "God is using us to combat the Sith, but they are slowly taking over. When the world is dark, Jesus will come back to take the last Jedi away!"
I really didn't know how to respond. How do you respond to that? Not knowing what to say, I said thank you for the help and the talk and left the bus station. With my new caller ID I phoned the hostel and got the directions.

The next day, after a good nights rest and a breakfast consisting of bread, cheese and jams, I went out to look at Zakopane. Having done my window-shopping I made my way back to the bus station. On arrival I found out that the bus I was supposed to take to Poprad has been cancelled, because I was the only passenger. Needless to say, I didn't take this news too well! In the middle of a non English town with nowhere to go, I went back to the newspaper stand, and guess what!? Yes, the Jedi was there. I told him about my predicament and he told me not to worry, he would help me. So he closed his shop and walked over to the ticket office. After a heated discussion in Polish he came back and told me that there would be no bus to Poprad in the following days either, that I had to physically go outside and ask the bus drivers, one by one, if any one of them might be willing to take me to Poprad. Despair was upon me! How on earth was I going to convince a Polish bus driver to take me to Slovakia!?
"Don't worry my friend," the Jedi man said, "God is with you and the Force will help you. Remember we are some of the last Jedi, you and I." With that he walked back to his shop and never looked at me again.

I still don't know what to make of him. Such a funny character! But without him I don't know where I would be now...

How did I get to Poprad? Well, that is a story for another day. For now, take care of yourselves and remember, the Force is with you! :p

A church in Zakopane