The following blog post was written by Abby Brook, a sophomore in the Elliott School studying international affairs, the Middle East, international development, and music. You can find out more about Abby here.
On about my fourth week in Valparaíso, Chile, something happened that could have happened anywhere in the world: I slept through my alarm. Now normally, this would not have been a big deal, but today was unique. Today, I was waking up at 5 am to go on a beautiful hike in La Campana National Park with a group of friends from my program. This hike is special because when you got to the top, you can see all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes that are splayed across Chile’s beautiful landscape. This was also my last weekend in Chile, and possibly my only chance to ever experience this truly incredible beauty.
As I double-checked my phone clock to make sure I hadn’t read it wrong, a thousand thoughts zoomed through my head. It was 7 am, my host family was asleep, my friends were long gone, and none of them had cell service here towards the tip of the earth. More than missing a hike, I felt like I had let a simple mistake allow an experience slip through my fingers. This was by no means a serious activity to miss, but I was disappointed in myself and frustrated. I sat on my couch, befuddled.
But then, I realized something, something I had always known in my heart but now had the chance to act on. I had done so many new and challenging things in the past year: moved across the country by myself, had to figure out how to adapt to East Coast culture, made new friends, lost new friends, tried new things, and given up old things. Now here I was, in a new country with a different language, culture, and way of life. I had come this far and decided I would not let an alarm dictate my day.
I was strong, independent, and capable. I could go alone.
I knew that I needed to catch two buses, called micros. Micros are one of the main ways to get around in Valparaíso. To take the micro, you have to raise your hand on the sidewalk so the bus will stop and you have to know where you need to get off so you can alert the driver–not an easy task for a gringa like myself, even with my proficient Spanish skills. I threw together a sack lunch consisting of pan y banana and ran out the door. Once I reached the corner where I had been told the bus would come, I waited several minutes with many micros passing, all going other places. Soon, however, the bus, whose existence I had become skeptical of, appeared.
The experience on the micro captures a snap shot into what being thrown into Chilean culture feels like: at times overwhelming, but always saturated with incredibly kind people. There are some unspoken rules about riding in the micro. Whenever an elderly person or someone with children gets on and there are no seats, someone immediately offers their seat to them. This kind of kindness to strangers was something I witnessed by Chileans every day. People of every shape and size filed in and out of the crowded bus, on the way to their daily routines.
Given that I had never been to La Campana before, I had no way of knowing when to get off. I eventually got the courage to chat with a couple and ask if they knew where my stop was, and they said they were going to La Campana as well. I relaxed knowing I would get there just fine. I began reflecting on what I had done: taken transportation that I would have never imagined being able to use, spoken easily to Chileans in Spanish, and most importantly realized that I had chosen to go to a completely strange place by myself and I had complete confidence in myself to do all those things.
I ended up catching up to my group on the trail; after all, there is only one trail up and one trail down. As I walked alone, I thought about all the people who had helped me along the way, to reach my humble destination, but also in my path to where I was in my life in that exact moment. So many people had loved and supported me, and were cheering me on from their respective places around the world. By the time I reached the beautiful summit of La Campana and stretched out my arms to feel the crisp Chilean winter air, I realized something equally important.
I may have chosen to go by myself, but I am never alone.
Everyday, everyone has their own mountain to climb. Some
days, it may feel like an anthill and others, Mt. Everest. But I learned two important things that day, thanks to something as silly as missing my alarm.
You can always, ALWAYS, do it, even if it means you have to go by yourself. But remember, no matter where you are, how alone or scared you feel, no matter what mountain you have to climb, you are never, NEVER, alone.
Category: Study Abroad
Study Ablog: From Paris/DC/Barcelona with Love
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Michaela, a SEAS junior studying Civil Engineering and International Affairs. Learn more about Michaela here.
During my sophomore year, I was set on studying abroad in the fall of my junior year. I had everything: syllabi from four different schools, appointments set up with my department to approve courses, an Excel sheet set up to track my progress, even Pinterest board of travel ideas.
However, due to restrictions from my major, all of those plans fell apart. I would be staying on campus my whole junior year.
However, an idea struck me as I began my semester feeling like the one junior not studying abroad: why don’t I just go anyways? I had saved up enough money from my summer internship, and I had friends that were already abroad. Even if they were in classes, I’d be in a whole different city and could probably entertain myself. So that’s exactly what I did. My former roommate/other-half-of-my-brain Alyssa was studying abroad in Paris for a year. I booked a ticket to visit her over spring break and for nine days, I got to “study abroad.”
We visited everywhere: Louvre, Centre Pompidou, the Eiffel Tower, Musee d’Orsay, Sacre Coeur, all the things. Since Alyssa had been in France since the fall, she knew a lot about the city. I also got to go with her program to Barcelona and visit the Miro Foundation and La Sagrada Familia. But I also had a lot of fun on my own when she had to be in class or studying. I wandered around fabric shops and cemeteries and Japanese cheese cafes (no joke, wasabi goat cheese will change your life). While I loved traveling with Alyssa, I also learned a lot about myself in my many walks alone. I could only text US numbers with my phone, so I had to become a lot more reliant on maps and aware of my surroundings. I also realized that having barely any structure to a day was actually wonderful. I once literally followed my nose to a market stall in Barcelona and had the best baked potato of my life. I hadn’t planned to find the potato, nor did I know any of the English names of the ingredients (my limited experience with Spanish had not prepared me for Catalonian).
A lot of students dream of study abroad, but study abroad doesn’t have to be limited to semesters. There are numerous opportunities to study abroad during the summer and to work and volunteer abroad. Even with these alternate opportunities, I think that this experience traveling almost on my own was very rewarding. It may seem scary at first, but as long as you have a semi-plan and someone to turn to in case of an emergency (thank you Alyssa) you can really create a wonderful experience.
From Morocco With Love [Study Ablog]
This blog post was written by senior Pooja Shivaprasad, a peer advisor in the Elliott school majoring in Middle East studies and minoring in biology.
I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have the opportunity to spend four months in Morocco for a semester abroad. My decision was made quickly without much thought, and I had no idea what life would be like across the Atlantic. My Arabic language program with AMIDEAST gave me the opportunity to take insightful and challenging classes ranging from Islamic Women’s Studies to Political Science and everything in between.
Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, is situated right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. My homestay was just a few feet from the shore, and I enjoyed running down to the beach in the evenings with my roommate, Haley. Life in Morocco was unlike anything I experienced back home in DC. Every weekend I was in a different city and sometimes even a different country. There is only nine miles of water between Morocco and Spain, so it was easy to take a weekend to travel to countries throughout Europe. Having the chance to interact with new cultures provides you with knowledge and skills that transcend a classroom setting.
Morocco was not short of beautiful scenery, incredible people, or fascinating cultural experiences. I had the opportunity to teach English in a small school in the Middle Atlas Mountains, where people traveled hundreds of miles by donkey to get to the next town. On another weekend, I found myself camping out in the Sahara with a family of Bedouins just on the border of Algeria. One of my favorite cities was Chefchaouen, which was a city in the mountains painted entirely in a stunning ocean blue. Studying abroad makes you incredibly independent and it can even give you reverse culture shock when you come back home.
There were certainly many cultural barriers and language miscommunications; however, people were always more than happy to help you. Morocco is oftentimes seen as one of the “go to’s” for students learning Arabic, but I highly recommend this program for French speakers as well. The awareness you gain from traveling to a country like Morocco is invaluable, and I’m so glad I didn’t think twice about going there!
From Shanghai With Love [Study Ablog]
This blog post was written by sophomore Prakriti Luthra, a peer advisor studying economics and political science. See her full bio here.
This summer, I spent two amazing weeks studying abroad in Shanghai, China. I know that when most people think about studying abroad, two weeks isn’t the time period that comes to mind and that the program I participated in is quite unique. I went to Shanghai through the GW Short-Term Abroad program to take an international economics class. Not only did I get three credits out of the way, but I also got to experience one of the most diverse, beautiful cities in the world at the same time!
Shanghai boasts a bustling financial district, with futuristic buildings and one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, the World Financial Tower. It has one of the best metro systems I have ever seen and definitely beats taking the red line in DC! At the same time, our class saw intricate ancient gardens, dragon boat races, and the infamous Bund area. I also got to try a lot of new foods, like jellyfish (which was actually not too bad, surprisingly) and I also refused to try some foods, like duck tongue (a decision I do not regret at all).
While I could have easily taken the same class back in DC, what I learned in a classroom was enhanced ten fold by physically exploring the city and seeing what I learned in real life. For instance, we visited neighboring cities like Shoujo, which is not as developed as Shanghai. It was interesting to see the stark contrast between the two different areas and how differently people lived. Guest speakers like the prior CEO of Coach China came to tell our class about their experiences with owning a business in the country and their lifestyles. I learned so much just from short interactions with the locals living in the city that a textbook could never teach me on it’s own.
GW short term abroad is a great option for those of you who don’t have time to devote a whole semester (like many overwhelmed honors students!!) but still want to explore a new country while simultaneously taking a class. Those two weeks, while short, were the highlight of my summer and I will remember them long after I graduate from GW. I 100% recommend GW Short Term Abroad and I hope I can participate in one again in the future!
From Getting There With Love – [Study Ablog]
Today’s post is written by Dan Grover, a junior in the UHP about to embark to study abroad in the United Kingdom!
Greetings fellows from the UHP! I’m writing today from the exotic locale of Maine! It’s hardly a foreign country (although, hey, maybe you might consider it so), but today’s post isn’t so much about my voyages to the wonderful, exciting United Kingdom. That will come later, once I’ve actually arrived. Today’s post is instead about something just as terrifying and difficult: packing.
Gearing up to go abroad isn’t like anything else I’ve ever done. Sure, packing to go to college is hard, and in a lot of ways getting ready to go abroad is kinda like that, except for a few huge differences. When packing for college, it’s easy to throw everything but the kitchen sink into a car and shove off. When going abroad, one has to be economical. Do I need these pots? Not if I was planning on making it past the weight limit. What about towels? Sheets? Should I get them there? Do I bring snacks? They don’t have peanut butter in Europe, do they? The answer is vacuum sealing bags. Seriously. You can pack anything that way.
Being plagued by these questions is normal, and really a little bit of a distraction from the terror and excitement of having to leave everything that I’ve ever known. Focusing on packing, repacking, and rolling all of my T-shirts into tiny little balls so I can fit a few more keeps my mind off worrying about finding where I’m going, making friends, and how my mother seems like she’s about to cry every time she looks at me. I’ve embraced packing. We are one, a solid cathartic unity in keeping my mind away from the uneasiness about the future. With my two rolling suitcases, the world is my oyster! Next stop, London.
From Bolivia-And Elsewhere-With Love [Study Ablog]
Today’s study ablog post is written by Sophia Lin, a junior in the UHP studying abroad in Vietnam, Morocco, AND Bolivia!
As I’m studying abroad in three distinct countries each – on a different continent, it’s no wonder that many of my perceptions of how the world works, from the most mundane ideas to greater overarching societal ones, have all been challenged and presented with alternative discourses and realities. It has been an incredible journey. From spending two weeks in San Francisco, and about a month each in Vietnam, Morocco, and Bolivia, I’ve had the chance to see up close and personal the impacts of climate change on people, land, and food, as well as on water and energy resources.
Here are just a few of my small reflections on some of the cultures I’ve had the chance to be a part of:
Vietnam
Beyond being slightly intimidated by my daily commute to classes amidst a sea of motorbikes, there were much more thought-provoking things to observe. What really struck me and humbled me was the ambience of kindness and hospitality that everyone showed us Americans, despite such a painful and broken history with the United States from what we call the Vietnam War, as well as French colonization. It was also intense to feel the palpable fervor of rapid economic development – noisy construction, pollution, and stark disparities of the rural ethnic villages in the mountains, rice farmers in the Mekong Delta “breadbasket” south, and humble fresh produce sellers in the market, compared to the modernizing, urbanizing, fast-moving cities like Hanoi.
Morocco
One of the very culturally immersive experiences I had in Morocco was going to the hammam, or bathing house, with two other girls on the program. All women of all ages and sizes clean themselves in this communal environment. Inside the hammam, you receive a large bucket to fill with water from the ever-running fountain, and a small stool to sit on as you wash yourself. It seems so ironic that in Western culture, women can wear short-shorts, crop tops, and bikinis, yet actual nudity is taboo and shameful. Conversely, in the Islamic country of Morocco, women are mostly covered in head-scarves and long robes, yet are free to be fully naked and bathe together. There is no awkwardness or embarrassment in seeing yourself and others naked. In fact, there are even massagers or body scrubbers who, for a small fee, will plop you over their lap like a limp noodle and scrub down every corner of your body.
Bolivia
I’ve just touched down in Bolivia for this final leg of my study abroad program, and I’m excited to see what adventures await. Until next time, UHP!
From Berlin With Love – Study Ablog
Today’s study ablog post is written by Roxanne Goldberg, a junior in the UHP studying abroad in Germany!
As I dangle my feet in the Spree River on a sunny Berlin day, I feel definitively at home. Since coming to Berlin with NYU, I have been supported, challenged, and encouraged in ways I never thought imaginable.
In addition to my classes, in which I meet with some of the most respected art professionals in Europe today to discuss art theory and the current state of the art world (and learn German of course), I have been interning with Thomas Eller Studios on the historical exhibition Die 8 der Wege, which brings contemporary Beijing art to Berlin. Next week the exhibition opens and I am responsible for accompanying artist and curator Colin Chinnery on appointments with nearly a dozen of the most influential curators and art institution directors in Berlin.
Not only have I had the great fortune of interning while abroad, but I have also been provided the opportunity to curate the student exhibition, which takes place at SAVVY Contemporary, a nontraditional art space that has been featured on Blouin Art Info and Artnet. The collaborative environment fostered by the NYU students and staff, along with constantly stimulating dialogue with the faculty and student artists has been infinitely inspiring and has bolstered my confidence to pursue my professional goals.
These experiences are entirely unique to NYU-Berlin, and have been without doubt the most positive parts of my university experience. The constant, yet critical and thoughtful encouragement from each individual I have encountered while participating in NYU-Berlin has motivated me to graduate a semester early with the intention of moving back to Berlin in the winter.
I could not be more thankful for this experience, and therefore urge students thinking of studying abroad to heavily research study abroad programs and not settle for GW-approved programs when they do not fit one’s desires and goals. In my experience, the struggle was worth the reward of an experience, which has profoundly impacted my courage to pursue my professional dreams and goals.
From Brazil With Love [Study Ablog]
Today’s post is written by Haley Burns, a junior in the UHP currently studying abroad in Salvador, Brazil!
I’ve always understood traveling the world as this awe-inspiring, magical experience. Before I embarked on my journey to Brazil, I imagined colors swirling around an explosion of senses as I floated down the streets of the endless markets that I was sure I would encounter with a smile on my face. It’s my time to finally experience the romanticized journey of leaving everything familiar behind but a suitcase and a backpack full of sunscreen.
With no language requirement, I embraced the idea of the unknown as something that could not let me down. I hopped on the plane, not even knowing the population of Salvador (which happens to be 4 million people – about 4 million more than I imagined). When I first arrived I was immediately hit with a wall of humidity. Despite the warm and inviting sun, moving through this humid atmosphere has its challenges.
So many things that have come to define me have vanished. My activities, possessions, foods, friends, family, communities and language do not exist here. I finally understand the allure of traveling. It isn’t that it comes with a constant state of bliss, it’s that you must stand naked, loving and defining yourself from within.
Conversation, the basis of connection with others, which is what I think is the most important thing in life, poses a huge challenge every day. As the sun hits my face at 6:00 every morning, I immediately have to think about how I can communicate, even without words. “Bom dia!” is about as far as my Portuguese went the first few days, which made getting around through meal time and the bus system a struggle and somewhat hilarious ordeal, full of minor misunderstandings.
My dad has always told me “actions speak louder than words.” Well, Dad, your theory has proved true. I really began to understand how profoundly true this is after my first yoga class in Brazil. I happened to be the only one to show up for class, and communication with words wasn’t an option for us. Through a mix of movements, nonsense words, touches, and nods, we managed to have a synchronized and satisfying practice. This gave me confidence, that even though I know few words, with body language I can still communicate with and get to know people. It just takes some creativity, determination, and light-heartedness.
Getting to know Bahia has been a roller coaster of excitement and exhaustion every day. I’m loving the tropical fruits and cuscuz de coco (this amazing tapioca and coconut dessert), the fact that monkeys live in the trees instead of squirrels, and my host family. And I’m learning to love the ridiculously fast-paced, yet structureless culture of the city. But most importantly, I’m realizing how to love the raw part of me that is constant whether I’m at home, in Salvador or on the moon. That’s the magic and color of travel; it teaches you how to ignore the dripping sweat of challenges and, instead, let the sun shine on your beautiful inner dance.
From Just About Everywhere With Love [Study Ablog]
Today’s study ablog post is by Julia Wagner, a junior in the UHP studying abroad on the SIT International Honors Program: Cities of the 21st Century studying urban planning, politics, and culture in Costa Rica, Argentina, India, Senegal, and more!
I remember when I first stepped off the plane in Costa Rica last summer: jet-lagged, starving, and fairly certain that I had made the biggest mistake of my life. In that moment, I began one of the most unpredictably beautiful and terrifyingly exciting experiences on the year-long study abroad adventure of a lifetime to 7 countries on 3 continents (yes, I will still graduate on time–dream big UHPers!)
Halfway through the second half of Semester #3, and I’m starting to feel reflective and mushy gushy. After all, these past several months have treated me so well. Not to say that study abroad is all rainbows, rickshaws, and red wine, because it’s not. I’ve been through some incredibly awkward and outstandingly humbling experiences this year. I’ve eaten some foods that I never though would pass by my lips…llama anyone? I’ve sat through entire classes at the local University in Argentina where I hadn’t the faintest idea what was going on. I’ve made some horrible cultural faux pas…like the time I accidentally crashed an Indian wedding while walking down the street. I’ve managed to butcher the words of countless languages as I stumbled around the world with only a knowledge of English and Spanish. Needless to say, I’ve become quite acquainted with the good old ‘discomfort zone’.
Exiting your comfort zone is to be expected and invited when moving away from home. What I didn’t expect was that I’d find a new piece of home in every country I would visit this year.
During my first week in Costa Rica, I celebrated my 20th birthday without really knowing any of my new classmates. I felt a little blue until my host mother presented me with a kind gift and thoughtful card, though she barely even knew me.
When Thanksgiving rolled around while I was in Argentina with GW Latin America, I barely noticed the strange passing of my favorite holiday because my Brazilian friend went all out to surprise me a vegetarian Thanksgiving feast.
My Indian homestay father would spend hours discussing politics and religion with my roommates and I so that we could better understand the complexities within that country. To this day he still posts eccentric photos and comments on our Facebook walls to check in.
I am currently studying in Dakar, Senegal, where the people value each other’s time more than anything else. They live in a ‘people-centric’ culture, in which acknowledging another’s humanity is the most important thing you can do. I do not share a common language with any of my homestay members; yet as we gather around the large dinner tray to eat with the extended family of about 12 people, each of them is super attentive to my eating habits, and will literally foist food my direction when they see me struggling with their utensils.
This past year has given me many things including humor and humility. Most importantly though, it’s given me family all over the world. So study abroad, dear friends! It’s a great time, and it will make you a complete sap for the little things.
Here is a photo of me and my roomate Allie from University of Wisconsin sitting with our homestay mother (‘Auntie’) in India. She didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak Gujarati or Hindi, so we just communicated with smiles and a lot of miming. She makes the best chai tea of all time, and we all cried when we had to leave.From Brussels with Love [Study Ablog]
It’s time for a check-in from a SPA student studying abroad. Get ready for advice and adventures from SPA! Today’s post is written by junior Kerry Lanzo.
Hey guys, check out “Latest from Brussels” on my blog! What a weekend!
Jokes. This singsong dominates every university junior’s Facebook news feed. Blogging every priceless experience of climbing Machu Picchu or taking the quintessential pop-Champagne picture in front of the Eiffel Tower is fun, envy provoking, and sometimes downright sad for those poor souls we’ve left behind in DC to contemplate leaving their trash on John Boehner’s doorstep on October 2.
I’m all for writing memories. Here’s a secret: I’m the oddball who dates all of her notes and papers so that if in the rubble following the apocalypse my notebook is found, future civilizations may know a bit about my world. Like Ozymandias’ statue colored with a bit of humility. Maybe it would be cool if like in The Notebook my most beautiful moments of love were documented to relive eloquently at will before my death. So, Abroad blogs: the 21st century autobiography for those with tons of thoughts, experiences, and good vocabulary but not quite the time to write a NYT Best Seller.
But out of some laziness and persistent denial, this is actually my first and only blog post of my Abroad days. How do I even begin to put into context everything I have learned for a single blog piece, especially with my unpracticed blogging skills? Spoiler alert: I can’t.
I’ve known I would write this post for months now, and alas the day has come to pass on the sagacity of my age and all I’ve got for a weekly theme is this V for Vendetta gif because November 5 is Guy Fawkes’ Day. (Editor’s note – Jared totally lost this so it never got posted when it was originally scheduled. BLAST FROM THE PAST FUN!)
I stayed up all night on an extremely uncomfortable bus from Berlin to Brussels contemplating the perfect framework to convey my ultimate clairvoyance of the significance of my travels. It’s impossible. It doesn’t exist. I’m an Honors student without an insightful answer with which to raise my hand or just call out being the know-it-all I am in “Discussion-based classes”. If I die tomorrow, all the UHP can have is one notebook of my expenses and a couple of vignettes I wrote in fits of extreme passion, desperation, or beauty. As well as about 8GB of photos, available on Facebook for your viewing pleasure.
But in fifty years, hopefully I will not need to remember every day of this adventure to know that I learned. I’ve come to think that my years are like cities built one on top of the other, always innovating and raising the ground level of society, but not always looking back until it’s time to examine fragments of the history of being. I’m a history major, too, after all. I have had recent moments of reflection that were heart-breakingly pure, un-foiled, and inexplicable in the present, and that’s enough. Here is one thought amongst millions that I did choose to document.
In a calm, crooning club called Jazz Dock on the Vlatava River in Prague, listening to modern swing from two sax soloists, I found myself so full of love and unspeakable serenity for and in my present life, just for a fleeting few minutes, unable to be controlled or reclaimed. Is this what it feels like to feel adult, or to feel real, mature gratitude towards life? Yet I still felt the pang of restlessness, to get up and walk, go outside, get to another club; I am the type that will always be in a hurry and sometimes have to fight it with every organ. But I realized in that first moment of indecision that I am alone and independent and free here, and I should choose whatever seems most blissful just then, without consequence. I walked outside and spent a few minutes on the outer dock swallowed by the frigid breeze over the water, utterly glad down to my toes. I waited until they froze to go back inside, just because I could.
I hope those moments will sneak up on me many times in the rest of my life so I do not have to spend all of my years reliving these ones.
I hope everyone finds those moments of freedom and beauty. Ah, perfection.
I may not blow your mind with my wisdom from the Occident, but that’s not to say I have not any advice to share to help you discover these moments yourself if you are just beginning. Some are common sensical and others some gems of discovery. Peruse my little seedling of a list, but underclassmen, don’t make the mistake of thinking being abroad will not still be jarring after you’ve packed the perfect suitcase (something that will not happen, by the way).
#1: You are wrong. I am wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Wrong. I just don’t have a blog to constantly say it. Even if you are in a program surrounded by Americans, you will inevitably discover much of what you have learned, even in an oh-so-international university, is wrong. You eat the wrong things (no GMOs in Europe!); you are too wasteful (So. Much. Recycling.); your accent is not pretty and will never go away despite straight A’s in French-6,000,001; and your view of history is even more one sided than you thought as your intelligent-honors-nerd self. Don’t be offended. Be flattered that you are smart enough to know it.
#2a. Travelling smart: Always print multiple copies of your Ryanair boarding pass, just in case. They are scary, and so is their 150-euro fine.
#2b. Travelling smart: Always bring earplugs and a sleeping mask when you travel on long trips… European buses and trains can sometimes sound like slaughterhouses. And that’s just in countries in which farm animals are not actually allowed in public transport.
#2c. Travelling smart: Do wear a flat fanny pack or money belt, especially at night, no matter what you are doing, and especially on public transportation. Don’t worry – you can hide it under your clothes. People you know WILL get robbed. They will think they were being perfectly responsible and it was a freak accident that they lost a passport and got stuck in a foreign country with no money or phone. It’s usually not.
#3. Lastly, and in my best attempt at non-clichéd profundity:
Step 1: Don’t seek moments of beauty to validate your experiences. They are organic. Believe in serendipity. Let yourself get lost in a new city wandering with nothing but a vague idea of where to go, and when you stumble upon Notre Dame for the first time in Paris, the Furstenberg Gardens in Prague, or the Old Town of Stockholm, let it surprise you and fill you with emotion you would never feel if you had planned on it.
Step 2: Once you are there and the surprise passes, don’t pass by thinking you don’t have time to see everything else, too, or thinking of what you “should” be doing at that moment that is most efficient. Fight the urge to be your busy, #honorsproblems self. Leave your camera in your bag for just a moment more. Sit on the cold wood of Jazz Dock, give a coin to the man singing Neil Young under Prague Castle so he won’t mind if you sit and listen for ten minutes, or settle in with a brewery-special beer at the top of the hill to do nothing but look down for a long, long time. Don’t worry about remembering. Know you will come back. Know there is more to come. You may never have so little to think of or more to relish as being completely free to slow down and be grateful.
