I first saw Alisa in the heart of Helsinki, as soft snowflakes drifted through the crisp air, the temperature just below freezing. She stood by a café, wrapped in a white winter coat with a fur-lined hood, her black hair peeking out and her cheeks rosy from the cold.

As I approached, she smiled and said, "Anteeksi, tiedätkö missä lähin raitiovaunupysäkki on?"

I hesitated. She paused, then with a soft laugh switched to English,

"Oh, sorry! You’re not from here, are you?"