At the airport, my son yelled at me and said he wasn’t going to pay for my ticket: I had already resigned myself to being alone in a foreign country until something unexpected happened.

I never thought our trip would end like this. Just a week ago, Eric, his family, and I were sitting in the kitchen, and he was assuring me, “Mom, a change of scenery would be good for you, come with us, you’ll relax.” I resisted for a long time—I didn’t want to be a burden, and besides, I …