Tilos Island, Greece

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
— Marcel Proust

Every time I return to Greece, I’m reminded of this truth. The islands, the sea, the warm breeze look the same. I am different each time. What I see, feel, and experience shifts with me; but one consistent theme when traveling is human kindness.

This week, on the island of Tilos, a broken travel charger led me to, once again, rely on the kindness of strangers while reinforcing my math journey. My converter had stopped working, leaving both my phone and laptop without power. It might sound like a small thing, but as a teacher and founder of World2Math, I depend on those tools to stay connected to a growing community of educators and students around the world. I felt stuck. A bit stranded.

But my host said something simple and encouraging:
“Go into town. Ask someone. People help each other here.”

So I did.

At the local coffee shop in Livadia Square, Maria, who makes my morning Americanos, offered me an outlet if I could just find the right kind of charger. (Note to travelers: USB-C and USB-A are not the same thing, no matter how similar they look!)

While searching for a match, I met Eva, a visitor from Holland who has been coming to Tilos with her mother, Maria, for over 60 years combined. We struck up a conversation over coffee, and when I explained my charger dilemma, she generously offered me hers. It just so happened to be compatible with both my phone and laptop. “If I were in your position,” she said, “I’d hope someone would help me too.”

Later, I returned the charger to Eva at Armenon, a peaceful seaside restaurant. The sea view was stunning, but the real excitement was what happened at the table. Eva noticed I was reading Developing Mathematical Reasoning by Pam Harris and asked, “Is that for work or pleasure?”

My answer was both.

We began talking about how we each learned division growing up and how much of it was based on memorized steps. After we agreed we learned division in similar ways, I shared some of the strategies I’ve seen in classrooms across Europe and back home. These new strategies and models make division more visual, intuitive, and flexible.

We were scribbling division problems on the placemat. We worked through 234 ÷ 6 using partial quotients, traditional long division, and the box method.

At one point, Eva looked at the menu-turned-math-page and said something that stopped me:

“This isn’t how I learned it, but I’m seeing it differently now. It makes sense.”

That’s when I thought again of Proust’s words:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

At that moment, Eva and Maria weren’t just learning a new division strategy. They were seeing math that was so familiar in a completely new light. The same numbers, the same problem, but a new way of looking.

This moment reminded me of two powerful truths. First, it brings to mind the phrase it takes a village; especially while traveling. The people around us can be lifelines if we’re willing to ask, receive, and trust. Second, curiosity builds connection and math is the bridge to a shared language.

Holland is now on my list of countries to visit for classroom observations.

May we all keep looking at old things with new eyes. Efharisto Eva, Maria, and Tilos!