Lots of Trips and a Bouquet

As I begin writing this post, I’m patiently waiting for my Ryanair flight scheduled to leave in fifteen minutes, so naturally, I will be waiting thirty more than that. I just spent the weekend in Amsterdam with fellow GU alums (go zags!), admiring the canals, eating Stroop waffles, and smelling the tulips (sorry, roses). 

Me and Katie at the tulip fields!

I’ve long wanted to go to Amsterdam. The skinny and forward-leaning houses overlooking the myriads of bikes and twisting rivers became a desired backdrop after the iconic book-movie duo: The Fault in Our Stars. Well, iconic for tweens at the time but perhaps not for anyone else. I felt another urge to visit the city after my mom shared her own cherished memories of the annual tulip festival hosted there. My mom spent some of her childhood in Germany, and throughout my time abroad, I’ve found a lot of beauty exploring the places and memories that meant a lot to her, and now, mean a lot to me. 

Seeing the tulips was beyond anything I could have imagined. The flowers bounced off one another as if the hues were notes and they were composing a song. Every time we reached a new patch of tulips, I swore they were my favorite…but the truth is that all of them were equally gorgeous. Part of the beauty was the intentionality of their placement. Of course, the tulips would be breathtaking in random allocation, but the way they were planted and cultivated was incredible. It was art, and I’ve come to realize that nature is my favorite canvas.

My teachers and I in Dalkey, Ireland

Another impactful part of my weekend was my tour of the Anne Frank House. Yes, I know, most locals tease tourists for going, but I felt I needed to see it. I find that history will always be important to expose oneself to. I knew before entering that it would induce many emotions, but of course, you can only prepare so much. Physically, I realized I need to do more cardio… Mentally and spiritually, however, I was left with so many thoughts. World War II has always been taught as a horrible part of world history, because it was. But, when absorbing facts and names, it’s too easy to leave behind the humanization. These were people faced with a real-life nightmare, not just a number in our textbooks. I grew an even greater admiration for those who risked their lives to help save others. 

Another thing that stuck with me was how young Anne Frank was when she wrote her diaries. She was wise beyond her years, and it goes without saying, that she should have had many more. Again, I found myself realizing that age does not equal sagacity. Yes, one gains more knowledge with experience, but no one starts with a completely blank slate. I have learned just as much from those younger than me as I have from those who are older. In this case, age is just a number but perspective, in a way, is intrinsic.

Cooking class with our amazing hosts!

Following my Netherlands adventure, I joined my school in Dublin, Ireland for a week-long excursion. Only in Europe would a fieldtrip consist of going to another country! If I had to summarize this trip in three words, I’d use: comical, tiring, and heartwarming. Our group of students consisted of sixteen girls and one boy - oh don’t worry, he enjoyed the attention. With any group of preteens, there were many laughs (both from jokes and utter disbelief), some tears, and lots of drama! Us four teachers had a go-to student who would give us all the tea, and it was about what you would guess - who likes who and all that, but it was piping-hot nonetheless!

Aside from gossip, I gained other valuable knowledge, like how to pronounce “otorrinolaringólogo” perfectly after being forced to say it three times a day, every-day. I’m starting to hear it in my dreams. It’s the official name for an ear, nose, and throat specialist, so at least I know I can handle my own in the doctor’s office. If you’d like to hear me say it, it’ll cost you a euro. But seriously, I did learn a lot about my students and about the teachers I was traveling with. Every time I learn more about another person, I am amazed at the depth capacity each of us holds, and it fuels me like a car with gasoline. Simultaneously, every interaction reminds me that for most people we meet, we don’t even begin to enter the crack of their long and twisting inner maze.

Smiles in the Atlas Mountains

Despite being in need of a spa weekend after Dublin, I was on another plane less than 24 hours later. I was embarking on an exciting trip to Marrakesh, Morocco, with two friends I had yet to travel with. I joined this trip late, but I’m so happy I made the decision to go. I have to admit I was slightly unprepared for this adventure regarding research on culture, food, things to do, etc. But I found that it was healthy for me to go with no expectations. It was truly an experience that challenged, inspired, and grounded me. In general, I was exhausted, so I had to push through; I had to recognize that my temporary tiredness was nothing compared to the chance of connection and exploration in Marrakesh. Like any place, it is never guaranteed that you will return, so you have to live like you won’t.

We were in Marrakesh for a week, so there are simply too many things to include in this one post, but I will share the moments that stood out to me most. Ryan and I signed up for a cooking class that resulted in so much more. The food was delectable, but the connection we made with the hosts was even more flavorful. Our hosts, Fati and Fatima, instantly showed us genuine kindness, something that is frequently talked about but not as often displayed. I felt welcomed immediately and knew that I was going to walk away with more than just a fully belly. Fati shared with us that, unfortunately, many of their customers have no interest in getting to know them. What a missed opportunity on their part, because Fati and Fatima left me with impressions that I will carry forever.

Abby and I taking in the view

Another impressionable moment was our trip to the Sahara Desert. The desert itself was breathtaking. We had the opportunity for camel rides both at sunset and sunrise. While the late night-early morning combination left me yawning, it also gave me memories to last a lifetime. I will forever remember sitting contently with Abby on the rolling sand hills, sun kissed and baked by the rising sun, every one of our crevices filled with exfoliating crumbles. It was silent and thunderous all at once. That was the first day of our last month of the program - poetic, I think.

My time in Morocco was similar to Dublin in one way - simultaneously long and short. As it came to a close, I had one week to muster my strength, because the following weekend I was on another plane. This time, to Gran Canaria of the Canary Islands, for my last girl's trip with Brynn. I had this trip planned to visit an old friend from high school living there but was very excited when Brynn wanted to go as well. For how short of a time we were there, we gained a lot of memories. In honor of our last trip, we decided to splurge and get a rental car. But even with our splurging, we had a budget (we don’t have real jobs) so a manual car is what we settled for. I don’t know how to drive stick for the life of me and while Brynn knows, she was a bit rusty. But no matter, our many stalls and traffic jams left us in bouts of tear-filled giggles, an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Reunion!

The laughs didn’t conclude in our car adventures, but rather, they were multiplied while we spent our Saturday with Filippo and his girlfriend, Natalia, exploring the island. For those who don’t know, Filippo is originally from Italy and decided to do a year abroad in Alaska of all places, where we became friends my senior year of high school. Like others from high school, we have remained in touch, and it was incredibly cool to see him again in a new place and many years later. I think there is something special seeing friends through different phases of their lives and remaining in touch despite distance and time. I hope that I am able to do that with the friendships I’ve made this past year.

Now to bring us to real-time, where I am finishing this post in a Santander cafe. It is obvious that each trip was vastly different, and I am undoubtedly still unpacking everything. However, right now, I am left with one connecting thought. People, on their own, are layered creatures, beautiful in their complexity. But with time, everyone builds off their innate being with the connections they have with others, like adding flowers to an already existing vase to create a gorgeous bouquet. Each of us are the culmination of those in our lives - past and present, small or significant. So, the flowers may be grand and colorful, or perhaps small and thorny, but they are additions all the same. Concurrently, each of us are flowers in many other vases. My family and friends are part of my bouquet, naturally, but so are my teachers, my students, Fati & Fatima, classmates from high school and younger, the ladies at my local grocery store, the stranger I had a kind interaction with, and many more…

Brynn and I pre-stalling and pre-giggles

When it’s all said and done, I am not sure there is much more to this post than to share my past month with you all and to talk about symbolic flowers...but I can tell you that if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you, and I thank you for helping shape who I am. These next couple of weeks are the last in my program. While I get to stay in Spain longer with my family, I’m limited for time with my girls and my school, and it’s a bittersweet moment. I’m officially entering my hyper-grateful phase, so prepare world!