Ferdinand’s mother was from planet Lorun, and his late father was from planet Kethran. The decision to attend the interplanetary student exchange program on a neutral planet Golt was a natural choice. He had been to Golt multiple times with his family and, by himself, with a dance group. It was practically a second home to Ferdinand. The Young Dancers Association booked a spaceship for him, and off he went from Kethran’s Central Galaxy Station.

At the Golt camp, there were students from all over the galaxy. It was an environment that he was accustomed to. The strangest thing was that while all students came to learn about other cultures, nearly half of them stayed within their circles. It was confusing to Ferdinand because he was actually doing the opposite. He chose to speak Golt only and hung out mostly with citizens of other planets.

Ferdinand noticed that when he made an effort to connect with someone in their language, they opened up as if by the swing of a magic wand. He taught his Dorian roommate how to cook Lorunian stew, shared a love for saunas with a Follopian guy, and unveiled a mutually discreet passion for sending interplanetary postcards with a Jerovian girl.

The Golt camp announced an interplanetary ballroom dance contest that stimulated people from different planets to connect with each other. Ferdinand’s goal was to win, so he decided to scout dancing talent around the camp, and this time, despite his decision to connect with Golt-speaking planets only, the best dance partner he discovered was a Lorunian girl Lu.

As half-Lorunian, the connection with Lu was instant, although he insisted on keeping their conversation in Golt. He told her that he was a descendant of an ancient Lorunian tribe chief, who had been romanticized in the famous novel “Lorunian Chief.” Lu shared her magical experience of visiting the Kethranian museum in Ferdinand’s home city on Kethran.

They were training hard, but they still had to follow a dynamic agenda full of tours and activities. On one trip to AquaWorld, Ferdinand mistakenly jumped in the shared pool naked, and was about to embarrass himself in front of the interplanetary community and, most importantly in front of Lu. Thank God the embarrassment was all his, and he managed to sneak out of the pool without misrepresenting his planet and losing Lu’s respect.

On the day of the competition, Ferdinand arrived with his Dorian roommate at the dance theater. When he saw Lu in her exquisite Lorunian folk dress, the world froze, and Ferdinand fell in love. A tiny thought snapped him out of this enchantment - he had forgotten his dancing shoes. His Dorian roommate rushed to get them. Lu was beckoning Ferdinand to come closer.

Ferdinand was beyond nervous, “Here you go, another chance to embarrass yourself in front of the whole Galaxy, and Lu. God! What would she think?” His feet could barely hold him.

Dorian punctuality saved the day. His friend arrived on time, and Ferdinand joined Lu on the dance floor seconds before the contest. Ferdinand’s feet started to gain power, as his muscle memory started to kick in. Lu and him were in perfect unison. They nailed the dance. After they bowed to the judges Lu smiled at Ferdinand and hugged him well. Even though they won the contest, Ferdinand never got the courage to share his feelings with Lu. He left the planet.

Ferdinand returned home, treasuring this memory of victory and innocent love. He never saw Lu again, but he wasn’t sad. Ferdinand looked at it like a gift from the universe. It helped him to get through challenging times as well as to appreciate the good ones. It was a pure feeling that united two souls from two different planets despite the cultural differences.