Kindness Diaries (2017–2019): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Gift of Service - full transcript

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[Leon Logothetis] From a
distance, the world probably
seems

like a big, bad scary place.

If you listen to the news
or even ask the person next to
you,

they will likely talk about war,
poverty, corruption, and hate.

And they are right,
from a distance.

But, I believe that up close,
there is enough good, enough
love,

and enough pure kindness
to make the world go round,

and that is what
inspired my journey.

A journey where random acts
of kindness are repaid

with unexpected and
life-changing gifts.

And these are The
Kindness Diaries.



After Montenegro, I rode through
the beautiful countryside of
Kosovo

before I got caught
up in some heavy rain

as I arrived in the
capital city of Pristina.

Where is the center of town?

Go, that way?

[Leon] Just crossed the
mountains into Kosovo.

As you can see, unfortunately,

the weather is no longer
southern Mediterranean.

[Leon] Though I had
never been here before,

I was quite familiar
with this country and its
history.

In the late '’90s,
the Kosovo War broke out

when the Yugoslavian Serbs tried

to rid the country
of its ethnic Albanian citizens.

[Leon] I remember
watching Bill Clinton,



and he said very clearly that he
was not going to allow the
brutality

that was going on in
Kosovo to continue.

[Leon] And it seemed
that 15 years later

the Kosovars still really
loved President Clinton.

Actually, it seems they
liked the Clintons... period.

While I stood at the monument
to the 42nd American President,

I was approached by an
Albanian Kosovar named Eleonora.

What are you doing
here in Kosovo?

Oh, that is a good question.

Basically, I'’m traveling
all the way around the world,

relying on the
kindness of strangers.

You come in the right place.

[Leon] Eleonora took me to one
of the oldest buildings in the
city.

This mosque was
built in 1460-1461.

And, it is the biggest mosque,
of course, here in Pristina.

It is one of the first mosques
built in the Ottoman times.

This is actually the first time
I'’ve ever been into a mosque.

Actually it is beautiful.

I find it very peaceful
going to the mosque.

Same as a church.
It'’s very peaceful.

[Leon] What is the situation
between the Serbians and the
Albanians in Kosovo now?

[Eleonora] The situation here is
improving every day more and
more.

The Serbians that live here,
the Kosovo Serbians,

a lot of them, they would
really like to move forward,

and there are Kosovars, as me,
that want the same thing

as I want for my country.

Tell me, how did your family
suffer during the war?

They were taken by the
Serbian forces, by the police
actually,

and they would send
them in Bllateë,

it is the border between
Macedonia and Kosovo.

Fortunately, they are all alive.

Wow.

So, you had the Serbian police
come in, take the family,

and send them by train
into concentration camps?

The biggest one was in Bllateë
and there were other parts, like
in Albania,

in Montenegro, uh...

even in Canada.

Actually, my brother called me.

He told me that the Serbian
police is coming to take them
away

and his line was cut.

So, for two weeks
we didn'’t have news from them.

It was the worst thing
that'’s happened to me.

When I think of concentration
camps, I think of Second World
War.

I don'’t think of the end
of the 20th-century Europe.

It happened. It happened here.

How did two people that have
done terrible things to each
other,

how do they get back together?

Not all of the people
did bad things to everybody.

Most of them, they were police
and the paramilitary.

Those civilians that, they are
here, they didn'’t commit those
crimes.

So it'’s... it's much easier.

It'’s much easier to forget
because you cannot blame them

for something that
somebody else did.

What do you want?

I want a future.

I want Kosovo as one country
with multi-ethnic as we are here
now.

Not only Albanians or the
Serbians to decide for all of
them.

Because there are Turks,
there are Bo njaci, Croatians,
Roma.

They are the same.
They are Kosovans.

What I find so telling
about this situation

that we find ourselves in right
now is that we'’re in a mosque.

You'’re Muslim, I'm
originally Orthodox,

and we'’re talking about peace,

and we'’re talking
about coming together,

and we'’re talking
about goodness and kindness,

and how we want to forgive,
and not necessarily forget, but
move on.

If we can do this,
then everyone can do this.

It is very easy to do this.

The Wall of Berlin fell down,
it will do the same here in
Kosovo.

We just need some time.

[Leon] Wouldn'’t it be amazing if
the people of all nations, of
all faiths,

could show genuinely embraced
forgiveness and work towards
peace?

As we walked the city,
I discovered the Kosovars

consider another remarkable
Albanian woman one of their own.

Mother Teresa.

[Eleonora] Her parents were
actually from Kosovo.

-Really?
-They were Kosovo Albanians,

and when she was
just seven years old, uh...

she heard the
voice of God and the calling.

Very strange. I'’ve seen many
statues, but this statue really
speaks to me.

-I feel like--
-[Eleonora] It touched you.

[Leon] Yeah, it
touches my heart.

[Leon] And although she had
already done quite enough for
me,

Eleonora'’s generosity
extended even further.

So, I will be glad to offer you
accommodation to my family...

-Tonight? Thank you so much.
-Tonight. Yes.

So you can see, really,
the tradition and the life,

how we live with our families.

Thank you.

[Leon] So, after a hot meal,
we headed to her family'’s home

so that I could get a good
night'’s sleep and, for once that
day,

get out of the rain.

The next day, I was back out
on the road and, mercifully,

so was the bright blue sky...

as I crossed the border
from Kosovo into Albania,

where I stopped to get a little
help but ended up with so much
more.

Hello. Do you speak English?

-Yes.
-Ah, yes!

-[Leon] You'’re a tattoo shop?
-[man] Yes.

If I had any money, I would have
a tattoo done, but I don'’t have
any money.

It'’s not a problem.

[chuckles] Oh, no.

Can you do a tattoo
of the Albanian flag?

This is the best welcome to a
country that anyone could
possibly imagine.

[Leon] I took my
freshly tattooed leg

and pushed on through to Greece
and the beautiful
Mediterranean...

when suddenly...

There seems to be something
wrong with the bike.

[engine sputtering]

[Leon] I just arrived in
Thessaloniki in Greece.

My bike is playing games
with my mind... stopping,
starting.

I need to find somewhere to
stay, gas, but, more
importantly,

I need my bike to
stop breaking down.

Do you know anything
about motorbikes?

Do you know anything
about motorbikes?

-Motorbikes?
-Yeah.

Man, I saw what you were doing.
That... that'’s amazing.

It'’s my job. It's my life.

What'’s your job? What do you do?

I... nothing, just jump.

I would love for you to
teach me how to do this.

Okay.

Ooh! No!

Whoa!

Do any of you know
how to fix motorbikes?

-Uh, no.
-No?

[Leon] Since I was never going
to be able to parkour my way
around the world,

I decided to take my
chances on the bike.

Maybe the mystery
problem would fix itself.

It didn'’t.

-No, the bike has stopped.
-[horns honking]

Excuse me, a mechanic?

[Leon] Uh-oh. This isn'’t good.

Do you know where
there is a mechanic's?

[horns honking]

The guy said there was a
mechanic somewhere here.

This has been a problem since
Sarajevo, but finally the bike
decided to die.

-[man] What'’s the problem?
-My bike broke down.

Let me take a look.

Maybe the problem'’s
with the carburetor.

-I don'’t have any money.
-Uh-huh. And?

So, I can'’t pay you.
If you fix my bike, I can'’t pay
you.

This is not possible.

I can'’t make it without money,
but I fix it quickly.

Not so good.

-So, you fix it just--
-Just to go from here...

-OK, so...
-For some miles.

[Leon] As I waited, one of my
kind mechanic'’s long-time
customers showed up

and took some much
needed pity on me.

What happened?

The bike stopped on the--
on the main road.

I had, like, people
honking at me.

-He said it's ready.
-It's ready.

[engine revving]

-Perfect!
-Whee!

[Leon] My new friend Anna
invited me to experience

some of her favorite
parts of Greece.

First, she took me
for some delicious gelato.

-[Anna] Oh!
-[Leon] Hello.

[Anna] He has the best
ice cream in Thessaloniki.

[Leon] Lemon, lemon, lemon.

Oh, man.

This is heaven.

[Leon] Then she
took me to the sea.

You have to go sailing with me.
You have to meet my friend,
Anna.

[Leon] Well, hold on, I'’ve never
sailed before, believe it or
not.

[Anna] Well, you'’re in Greece
so you have to do whatever we
do.

How do I sit?

So every time you
say bend, I bend?

[Leon] I felt like a
natural born sailor...

until I didn'’t.

Ah, I really hope
there are no jellyfish here.

[Leon] And after all that,
she filled Kindness 1 up with
gas

and even offered me
a place to crash for the night.

What is it about Greeks
and hospitality and kindness?

Look, when you meet
somebody and you give...

the Greeks have it
in their heart, OK?

So, it'’s like the
least we can do,

we want to give something
from our heart and it'’s free.

Very, very lovely
lady. Seriously.

[Anna] You can look at
somebody in their eyes, okay,

and you can look
into their soul,

and you can see what
kind of person you are.

And, I would never go
with some stranger in a bike,

but it was such a fun
experience, I'’d do it again.

[chuckles]

[Leon] So, after a nice bowl of
pasta, it was time to call it a
night.

-This is where you will sleep,
okay? -It's perfect.

And here I am on Mount Olympus,

overlooking the great
Greek town of Thessaloniki.

I feel like Alexander the Great.
I'’ve conquered half the world.

[Leon] What a day it had been!
What a trip it had been so far.

The next day, it was
time to say goodbye

and I continued my journey east,
towards Turkey.

Built in the 1400'’s when the
city was still called
Constantinople,

the Grand Bazaar,
with over 3,000 shops,

is the world'’s most visited
tourist attraction,

with over 91 million
visitors, annually.

And, although I
couldn'’t buy anything...

-What is shahtoosh?
-Shahtoosh is from goat beard.

-Goat beard.
-Goat beard.

This is really
cool. I like this.

[Leon] ...it was still an exotic
adventure of sights, sounds, and
scents.

Unfortunately, it was time
to get back to the task at hand,

which was to find food
and shelter for the night.

I was going to ask you whether
I could stay in your house
tonight.

It'’s a weird question
but I have to say no.

-I know what you are going to
ask me. -Really?

-Yes.
-What?

You are looking
for a room, maybe?

[Leon] But after some
initial strike-outs,

I got lucky when I met
a Turkish man named Mehmet.

He was a fellow traveler
and adventure enthusiast.

-I used to live in L.A. Yeah.
-Really?

-Are you hungry?
-I am very hungry.

[Leon] And he generously bought
me lunch so he could learn more
about my journey.

While we ate, we exchanged
our stories from the road.

So, what motivates you to
travel around the world on a
bike?

Have you ever seen the movie,
The Motorcycle Diaries?

Sure I did. Yeah.

That was the movie
that inspired me.

When I saw Che Guevara,
obviously the romanticized
version of Che Guevara,

travel across South America
relying entirely on the kindness
of strangers,

it hit a nerve inside my heart,
inside my soul.

We take like adventure
motorcycle trips with my cousin.

Actually, it'’s a good idea
that I introduce you to my
cousin

because he'’s full of adventure,

and you can meet him and we can
show you like all the pictures
of our trips,

adventures, et cetera,
I think... you'll enjoy it.

[Leon] That would be fantastic.

[Leon] I spent the rest of my
day relaxed as a tourist

until it was time to meet up
with Mehmet and his cousin later
that evening.

Mehmet told me to come
and visit his family home,

so I'’m about to go and knock
on some person'’s door

who I'’ve never met in my life

and hope that Mehmet actually
told him that I was on my way.

[dog barks]

-Hey!
-Hey.

Leon, I was expecting you.

Oh, Mehmet told you!
It'’s an amazing house.

I feel like I'’m in Switzerland
in the middle of Istanbul.

[Nasuh] This house was
built by our grandfather,

Mehmet and my grandfather,
some 55 years ago.

It'’s one of the oldest houses
of this region and we kept it
that way.

It'’s got a really good vibe.

[Leon] Where did you get
these prayer flags from?

From Nepal and Tibet and Bhutan,
from different places.

[Leon] Nasuh Mahruki
was also an adventurer

and quite an
accomplished one at that.

I enjoy very much
mountaineering, speleology,
caving, if you know.

Scuba diving, paragliding,
cycling. I did a lot of outdoor
sports.

[Leon] A little later we
were joined by Mehmet.

-What'’s up? How was your day?
-Good, good.

Tell me, why do you two
go on these adventures?

When I am into these kind
of activities, it'’s just real
me.

When I travel, I feel the same
way. I feel the real me comes
out.

But, then I come home
and the real me disappears.

[Leon] Our conversation led me
to an amazing discovery.

Since '’95 when I climbed
Mount Everest the first time...

-[Leon] You'’ve climbed Mount
Everest? -Twice.

I was 27 and became
the first Turkish climber

and the first Muslim
in the world as well.

-To ever climb Mount Everest?
-Yeah.

[Leon] Although I was already
quite impressed by these
cousins,

I was about to find out they
had saved the best for last.

We have an NGO working
for the rescue.

It'’s full voluntary basis,
and we rescued more than 1,800
people.

And, if someone wanted to help,
how would they do that?

They can donate equipment,
money, service...

a lot of technical stuff.

[Leon] I asked if they had
any photos they could show me,

and the cousins said they
could probably find one or two.

[Leon] This is your
personal museum. Wow!

Do you have a picture
of you on the summit?

-Yes, of course. Which summit?
-[laughter]

[Leon] You, my friend,
are a true adventurer.

That'’s the photo?

So the first Muslim man
to ever climb Mount Everest?

[Nasuh] Yeah. May 17th 1995.

I also did the seven summits,
you know, climbing the highest
point

of each of the seven continents.

I completed it right
after Everest in '96.

And at that time there were
45 climbers in the world,

and I was the youngest
at the age of 28,

but now there are
much younger people.

A wise man once said to me

that one of the greatest sins
is to live an unlived life.

You, my friend, are
living a full life.

That'’s what I want
to do, always.

And, what I always tell
to the young people, that--

I mean you'’re not here for...

making your father'’s
or mother'’s dreams come true.

You are there for
your own dreams.

So just follow your heart.
Do what you want.

Just go deep into yourself.

Get to know yourself better
and follow your own path.

When I receive some
letters from young people,

after they read my books,

and they say that,
"Now I will do things
differently.

And, things have already started
to change in my life."

I receive some amazing letters
and some, I mean, I can'’t hold
my tears sometimes.

And that'’s a great,
great boost for me.

[Leon] And then these two men,

who had saved thousands
of people around the world,

offered to help
out one more... me.

I think you should spend
the night here. What do you
think?

-I would love to spend the night
here. -Great.

Thank you so much.

There are more stuff,
more stories to tell.

To listen from you.

[Leon] But now,
it was my turn to give back,

and I could not have found
two better people to give to.

You both have changed many
people'’s lives, and as I sit
here in this...

I'’m going to call
it a cathedral,

because in many ways, that'’s how
I feel when I walk into a
cathedral,

I feel this calmness,

that even though I'’m relying
on the kindness of strangers,

there'’s the rare person
that I meet along my journey

who touches my
heart in such a way

that I feel compelled
to give back.

You talked earlier about, um,
how important it was to equip
your volunteers?

So, what we decided,
and I hope you accept this...

is that we want to equip
25 of your volunteers,

the volunteers
that work for Akut

and go out and save
lives in disasters.

That'’s very nice of you.

So... we will gladly
appreciate it,

and we will use it for
saving lives for other people.

Thank you very, very much.

[Nasuh] Hey! Thank you.

[Leon] This leg of the journey
started with grim reminders

of what mankind can
do at its worst.

But, I also got to see how
forgiveness and a loving heart

can heal even the
deepest of wounds.

And lastly, I was reminded
of the greatness mankind can
achieve,

not just in terms
of impressive physical feats,

but also in the immeasurable
ways that kindness, love, and
selflessness

can make the world
better for all of us.

If only we could live
like this every day.