What do the Library, the Frankfurt airport, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince" all have in common?
They helped to reunite first-year Computer Science student Alexei Boronine with his luggage that was lost on a return trip from Moscow.
Alexei Boronine outside the Dana Porter Library
News @ your library connected with Alexei recently to find out more about how the Library helped reconnect him with his luggage that was found in Frankfurt airport over 3,985 miles away (that's 6,413 km, for the metrically minded).
Alexei explains...
“Returning from a Christmas holiday back home in Moscow, I found one of my bags lost by the airline. It was quite frustrating, especially after a long flight, but luckily I had nothing vitally important in it: a bit of clothes, a pair of shoes and a couple of books, one of which--Le Petit Prince--was from the Dana Porter library.
“I was full of hope at first... but as two months went by it became obvious that the poor Little Prince (and the majority of my socks) would never make it home. A letter from the airline with an apology and a discount for a future booking closed the case and I was just about to shell out $104 dollars to replace the 1946 edition book (cursing myself for taking it on the trip) when I received an email from the library...
“My bag was found at Frankfurt airport and it was none other than the Little Prince who helped the airport workers to find the bag's owner.”
Alexei is happy to be reunited with his lost luggage, but has yet to return Le Petit Prince to the Library.
"I renewed it,” he says with a smile. “I wasn’t quite done with it yet.”
Alexei is a first-year Computer Science student, minoring in French and German studies.
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