We made the trek to a music festival in Lisbon this weekend, and I could not have prepared myself for how emotional I would feel.

Cyndi Lauper was one of my favorites when I was a kid. I loved that she was quirky, weird, colorful, fun, and completely herself. I listened to her albums over and over, and there was something about her music that made me feel less alone.

I didn’t always feel like I fit in as a kid. My brother didn’t either. We were not really accepted for our beliefs, except by our close friends, and her music made me feel like being different was okay.

So standing in a huge crowd in Lisbon, surrounded mostly by Portuguese people of all ages who somehow knew every song, was unexpectedly moving. I kept thinking about the kid version of me listening to those songs and how strange and beautiful it felt to be hearing them all these years later with thousands of people who felt connected to them too.