You know what? I am so proud of all of the adventures I had while traveling!
People ask me about my travels, and I tell them about all of the amazing things I did. In all their envy, they tend to ask questions like “How were the gondolas in Venice? That’s SO on my bucket list!” It’s incredibly sobering to think that gondolas were on my bucket list up until the exact moment that I got to the docks and saw the price tag on a one hour gondola ride.
People I talk to try to make graduating a semester late, or not doing all the cliche things in Europe out to be a bad thing. I beg to differ, and I will never apologize for the decisions that I made while traveling.
Here are the choices I will never, ever apologize for:
Not getting a gondola in Venice – 80 Euro can be much better spent mainland, without a time limit. 80 Euros could last me a week, and blowing it in an hour on dirty, stinky waterways with a pompous driver is not how I want to spend my Venetian afternoon. Sorry Not Sorry. I’d much rather spend $120 booking tickets to Turkey, or eating pizza, or on my ever growing collection of location-focused shot glasses.
Skipping class –Most of these times were spent hitchhiking across the country to swim in the Mediterranean shipwrecks, spontaneously meeting locals and going on mini adventures, and knocking other amazing things off my bucket list.
Getting ill in Athens – I’m not perfect, but I can say that I’ve tried every traditional Greek drink. In one night. Turns out I can also vouch that they don’t mix well.
Meeting a ton of Americans – There is no better way to learn about yourself than meeting other versions of ‘you’. It is humbling to take a step back and looking at my culture from the outside.
Graduating in 9 semesters – Two terms abroad. Two transfers. Two majors. One minor. I chose my adventure!
‘Stealing’ hotel food – See #1, there are better ways to spend my time and money than in lunch lines. I shamelessly carry a mini tupperware to store breads, and eat the breakfast buffet fruit throughout the day.
Sleeping through drives across beautiful countrysides – Sometimes, I was just too busy in the cities to find time for R&R. I’m young, and I sleep well on car rides (thanks mom and dad for countless weekend road trips!). Sure, I missed the vineyards of France and the rolling hills of southern Germany, and there’s nothing better than the landscape of Austria! Which leads me to this:
Taking the long way – I wouldn’t change these road trips for anything. I recommend to anyone to take the time to travel across countrysides, and see countries for more than their landmarks. Beyond that, I’ve loved seeing Europe and far western Asia’s smaller cities and getting to know the authentic cultures.
Something I have always dreamed of is being a careerwoman. I’ve also always dreamed of traveling the entire world, thus not picturing my career taking place in an office setting. Most individuals do not see how these two things can be possible in one lifetime.
You know by now that I am not ‘most individuals’.
I read a book once called The Four Hour Workweek. The basic premise of the book is that people waste a lot of time in office settings, and that ‘working from home’ can cut down on a lot of time clutter, thus improving efficiency, both for the individual and the company they represent.
Whether it be socializing with coworkers, endless brainstorm meetings, or messing around on the internet, I spend a lot of time not being conducive toward my job description. I usually fulfill my job in about 100 minutes total.
I personally believe that my company could pay me a stipend of the equivalent to my 25 hours a week at $10 an hour, have me come in once a week, and get the same quality of work done (if not better). I should have stated that case to my boss today.
Today, for the first time, I asked my boss if I could work from home. The conversation lasted about a minute, I didn’t make a great argument, and ended up being told I could distribute my hours on to other days. So, now I work late every day next week.
This isn’t a great feat, but for me, I feel that it is a career first, and something that I can build upon. Wish me luck.
It’s been half a day since I left Nicosia. Yes, I had tears in my eyes.
I’ve left Nicosia loads of times since moving there in January, but the sense of finality this time was difficult. If that isn’t enough, my two best friends in Nicosia were there to say goodbye, before one heads home to Boston then moves to Israel, and the other goes on to (probably) the Arabic speaking world and France until December.
Let’s not talk about that though.
Keeping with the listicle theme, what will I miss from my Cyprus home?
If I never see a feral cat again, it will be too soon. But at the same time, they do.. kinda.. keep the streets cleanish. And I guess sometimes seeing them fight is kinda cute.
Living nearly on top of the grocery store
Living literally on top of the organic store
Having a conversation and my friends switching languages multiple times during it
‘No Name Shop’
Full moon rooftop gatherings
Realizing that I understand far more in a language than I realize
Al Jazeera on public programming
The struggle of not knowing what the stink I’m purchasing at the grocery store.. cabbage or lettuce? Instant or filter? Mamma mia.
American cookies
Mezze
The vegan paradise of walking outside for lemons, oranges, cucumbers…
Everything smelling like an air freshener when cars run over the citrus in the street. Yum!
The marketing schemes. For example: “Be safe and don’t get panic, just always get organic!” ugh….
What’s next?
I have just over 13 hours in London Heathrow airport. Then a 8ish hour flight to Chicago, then staying there for a couple of days with Shane.
Am I excited/ready/nervous about going home? Nah, this isn’t my first rodeo. But a stout beer and some deep dish are pretty enticing!
Well, after four months of beaches and rainstorms, countries that may or may not exist, and a complete lack of traditional studying, I’m heading home tomorrow!
So, what have I learned in these past four months?
Much more than I have the ability to put into a post. How about a few highlights mixed with humor?
There are more cats than humans in most Mediterranean countries
If you yell the name ‘Costas’ in public, at least 25% of the people in the room will turn and think you’re yelling at them.
If that doesn’t work, yell, ‘Andreas’
Cypriots and Greeks don’t think it’s as funny as you do when they tell you an English word comes from Greek and it reminds you of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
They also don’t understand why names like Achilleas and Hercules are funny to us
Mouflon don’t exist.
Old women can rock a mustache if they commit to it. Who doesn’t love old matching couples?
Only Jews and American circumcise
Laws are only suggestions
1/6 of the world’s population are Chinese. One in six.
Russian is a much more useful language than I originally realized
Arabic is just as useful as I originally realized
The 9-5er is not what life is about, and it is completely acceptable for adults to skip their naptime if play is calling
Race is much more of a ‘thing’ in the US.
Objects are closer than they appear
It is not weird to have a fro yo place in a car wash, or a souvenir shop in an auto mechanic shop.
I learned a lot of really valid cultural things, obviously.
I had an acquaintance give me the biggest compliment the other day.
I’ve recently been trying to find a purpose in taking the time to write this blog. In a deeper sense, I’ve been trying to figure out what the exact purpose has been for me to do this particular study abroad program.
As I mentioned in my post about Belgium, I was getting worn down from hopping from place to place without really getting to experience what the cities and the residents had to offer.
The compliment was that he approached me at an event and told me that he had been following this page, and that he generally liked what I have to say. I was so pleased to hear that another student and traveler is following and appreciates this page!
So, I’ve decided on a few things.
What they boil down to is this: It’s the little things. For me, traveling to Paris wasn’t about the Eiffel Tower, but about practicing my French again, and Europe wasn’t about checking a bunch of places off my list, but meeting the people who make Europe what it is. The relationships I’ve built aren’t about the places we go together, but the way we make each other feel on a daily basis.
I’ve compiled a little list of things that have made my study abroad experience what it is. I’ll look back at this list someday soon and be reminded of the most beautiful things that I’ve noticed, and I hope some of my student friends can relate to these things as well.
Pura Vida
Listening to the call to prayer multiple times a day in TRNC, Palestine, Turkey, and wherever else there were mosques.
The flags that we see, the Cypriots have to look at them, even though they’re in the North.
My new favorite sweater, bought in the men’s section at a thrift shop for 4 Euros one afternoon. It doesn’t match ANYTHING, but I’m pretty sure some adorable old Cypriot man wore it at one point.
Because patterned pants, with a patterned knit sweater and patterned tshirt almost makes sense… The Chacos pull it all together.
Sitting on my roof, and finding the constellations. Teaching and doing yoga up there. Taking time to read. Talking to myself. Finding solitude.
Seeing the two Turkish flags when daydreaming out of my classroom windows.
My mean Chacos tan that I’ve grown quite proud of.
Chacos are shoes.
Leaving to a new continent for the first time, and doing it alone. All with less than 8kilos of baggage for 10 days of travel. It wasn’t about where I was, but the feeling of independence and liberation.
Leaving my phone at home countless times
Eating lemons, mint, oranges, or whatever else right out of the ground. Jumping in and out of cucumber gardens and learning to like tomatoes.
Taking random sabbaticals from shaving, and being 100% ok with it.
Running in to people I know in public.
Not being surprised anymore when I hear the drag racers outside. 10pm sharp.
Old women with mustaches. And when they clearly cut themselves shaving…
Waving at a Cypriot woman in Troodos.
American cookies.
Our local bakery, Zorpas. Thanks for the American Cookies.
Halloumi on every menu. In every supermarket.
The smell of gyros drifting out from every alleyway.
