This is a story about making the best of a bad situation. My great uncle Sam was traveling with his mother and 4 other siblings while emigrating to the US. While attempting to board a ship in Antwerp, it was discovered that he had an eye infection. His mother then had the impossible decision of whether to stay back with him and all of her other children, or leave him behind and take the rest with her. She elected the latter and found a nice Jewish family for him to stay with until the infection cleared up. He was 11 at the time. He stayed for about 2 years. When asked about this experience, my Uncle Sam had this to say: At least I got to learn French. Apparently, I had relatives who were inherent optimists. Go figure.
Pro-tip: Traveling places where you have a family history can richen the experience in unexpected ways.