It was my first week in the freezing German city of Bonn, on my first-ever international trip – shivering from the cold and bewildered by culture shock. At my hostel reception, a woman tried her best to help me settle in. “Die Sauna is free after 6pm,” she said cheerfully in a mix of German and English, adding that all I needed was a towel.

From that day on, sweating in the steaming sauna became my nightly ritual. I couldn’t quite join the occasional conversations that bubbled up around me – my German was very basic and my confidence level was hitting rock bottom. So mostly I sat quietly, listening, nodding, absorbing the rhythm of strangers unwinding at the end of their day.

A week later, two Afghan students from Kandahar checked into the guesthouse. Instantly I felt at home. I insisted on hosting a small welcome dinner.

And later I took them along to the sauna. Suddenly, we had our own little gang – laughing, gossiping, talking freely. Time slowed. There was no rush, no........

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