travel articles: adventurers who left normal life

I read this on one of those instagram picture quote things from a random person (and yes, i know they are cheesy and super girly) but I liked this one a lot, so I wrote it down.

"Sometimes the people around you won't understand your journey. They don't need to, it's not for them."

Someone close to me, who knows me well, and who knew me at a time when my heart and my soul was just so sevilla happy, said something really important to me this past week. He said, "I'm so happy you are doing your thing." I can't begin to tell you how nice and reassuring it is when people affirm that they are on your side and that they support you and love you and believe in what you're doing.

I love travel articles, and this is a mix between a travel article and a piece on bloggers/adventurers who left normal to follow their hearts. I believe that everyone has their path, and right now, I like the one that I'm on, I like this one that's less traveled.

Here's the link to the original article from Buzzfeed.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/laraparker/inspiring-stories-of-people-who-left-normal-life-and-emba

11 Inspiring Stories Of People Who Left Normal Life And Embarked On An Adventure

So, are we quitting our desk jobs now or later?posted on February 11, 2014 at 12:23pm EST

Lara ParkerBuzzFeed Staff

1. Jodi Ettenberg, Ex-Corporate Lawyer Now Traveling Food Blogger

Jodi Etternberg

Jodi Etternberg

Jodi Etternberg

After five-plus years of working as a corporate lawyer in New York, Montrealer Jodi Ettenberg decided to pack it up and eat her way around the world for a year. Next thing she knew, one year turned into another and another, and she’s now nearing six years of travel to faraway places. While she jokes that she “eats soup for a living”, she’s not too far off: Her site, Legal Nomads (which she started to keep her mother updated about her travels) houses photos of foods from around the world. Though Legal Nomads is unmonetized (she has turned down sponsored links or ads), Jodi supports herself with freelance writing, consulting work in social media, and, more recently, feeding her hungry eaters when they visit Saigon.

When asked if she plans to return to “real life” Ettenberg told BuzzFeed that she takes things one day at a time. “I am thankful for the ability to have built a business around the foods and places I love, and never quit my job to ‘be’ a travel writer. If this doesn’t work out, going back to being a lawyer isn’t the worst thing I can think of. But it’s far less fun than what I am doing now!” Feed your wanderlust by following Jodi’s adventures on her blog.

2. Liz Carlson, English Teacher Turned Travel Writer

Liz Carlson

Liz Carlson

Liz Carlson

After graduating and teaching English in Spain for a few years, Liz fell in love with travel. However, she ended up moving home to Washington, D.C., and working in a dead-end office job trying to follow the path that she felt as if she were supposed to be following. It didn’t take long for her to realize that button-ups and quarterly meeting weren’t for her. The nine-to-five scene was becoming suffocating and she could feel herself growing increasingly unhappy.

She knew she had to do something about it, so she did. After deciding to pursue writing, she saved up and quit her job to travel and has been on the road ever since From camping with the Bedouins in the desert in Jordan to paragliding in New Zealand, she’s fully embraced having both a life filled with travel, while also encouraging others who might want the same that it is possible. Carlson told BuzzFeed, “Anyone can do it.” Learn more about Liz and her ongoing adventure by visiting her website.

3. Ying Tey, Felt a Sense of Urgency to Start Living After Mother’s Death

Ying Tey

Ying Tey

Ying Tey

When Ying was just 18 years old, her mother died. “Death,” she said, “is a great teacher. It reminds you, almost mockingly, that everyone is stamped with an expiration date.” She was left with grief, but a sense of urgency accompanied that grief. The sense of urgency to start living.

With this urgency in the back of her mind, it didn’t take her long to realize that her time spent in the corporate world would be short-lived. After just three months, she packed up for good. During this time, travel blogs were rare and Malaysian backpackers even more so. Sixty-six countries and two passports later, she’s holding down a copywriting stint at an advertising agency in Singapore but told BuzzFeed that the flames of wanderlust have yet to die down. “It lies dormant as I embrace stability for the next few months. As soon as my bank account starts getting healthy again, I will heed the call of the open road again. After all, I’m just an average girl from Malaysia yet I was able to wander. If I can, so can you.” Feed the flames of your wanderlust by visiting Ying’s blog.

4. Yasmine Mustafa, After 22 Years in the U.S., She Became a Citizen and Left on Her Own Terms

myasmine / Instagram

myasmine / Instagram

myasmine / Instagram

Yasmine Mustafa immigrated from Kuwait with her family during Operation Desert Storm when she was 8. She became entangled in the immigration system, worked numerous under the table jobs, started a tech company, and when she finally became a U.S. citizen at 31, she booked a six-month trip around South America to experience the freedom of traveling and to find out who she was without her laptop.

She traveled solo from May to November 2013 where she visited Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Yasmine told BuzzFeed that her life’s path has long been restrictive due to circumstances beyond her control and for the first time in her life, she had the opportunity to steer away and do exactly what she wanted to do: travel.This is only just the beginning. You can learn more about Yasmine and her adventures by visiting her personal blog.

5. Robert Schrader, Once a Victim of the American Economic Apocalypse, Now Makes a Living Traveling the World

Robert Schrader

Robert Schrader

Robert Schrader

A few years ago, Robert faced a dilemma. “I wanted to travel the world,” he told BuzzFeed. “But I didn’t have the means to do so, financially or confidence-wise.” Robert Schrader’s journey began in 2009, when he fled the American economic apocalypse for China. Five years and more than 50 countries later, he makes his living via Leave Your Daily Hell, a travel blog he uses to inspire, inform, entertain, and empower other would-be escape artists. After leaving his real-life job over three years ago, he has made it his goal to inspire others to do the same.

No matter how many friends of family members expressed skepticism toward his grand plan — and nearly all of them did — he remained steadfast in my determination. Robert believes that the surest way to make more of your life is to become more aware of what’s out there- and to expand your definition of what’s possible. The surest way to do that? Travel.

Let Robert help you travel by visiting his website.

6. Katie Aune, Left Chicago to Travel All 15 Former Soviet Republics

Katie Aune

Katie Aune

Katie Aune

Dissatisfied with her job and feeling restless after a decade in Chicago, Katie Aune told BuzzFeed that she decided to quit her job to travel in 2011. She spent 13 months traveling solo through all 15 former Soviet republics, a journey that included running a marathon in Estonia, traveling the length of the Trans-Siberian Railway, desert camping in Turkmenistan, and volunteering in Russia, Armenia and Tajikistan.

After enduring challenging border crossings, dozens of squat toilets, long overnight train rides, and occasional bouts of loneliness, she returned home a stronger, more confident woman with a new perspective and an appreciation for the little things in life. Now back in Chicago working full time again, Katie writes about travel on the side as she dreams of her next great adventure. Follow along with Katie’s future adventures here.

7. Megan Smith, Started Traveling Post-Breakup

Megan Smith / Flickr / xolowercaseyou

Megan Smith / Flickr / xolowercaseyou

Megan Smith / Flickr / xolowercaseyou

For several years, Megan felt stuck in a career path and a life that she desperately wanted to be free of. After a breakup, she decided to hatch a plan. She would work hard and save money for the next year and then take off on a journey by herself. So, in August 2013, she did just that.

She packed her life into storage and took off on a journey that took her across the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and soon Central America. She told BuzzFeed, “It’s been an incredible experience so far — teaching me so much about myself, other cultures, the world, and how I fit into it.” Learn more about Megan and her incredible journey on her blog.

8. Kim Dinan, Sold All Of Her Possessions And Traveled The World With Her Husband

Kim Dinan

Kim Dinan

Kim Dinan

In 2009 Kim Dinan lived in a great city, owned a home, and had a good job. Life was nice. But she knew, deep down, that something was missing. She’d always dreamed of traveling the world. At one point, back in college, she’d wanted to write for a living. But somewhere along the way her dreams had ended up on the back burner. So she hatched a plan.

For the next three years Kim and her husband saved every penny and sold all of their stuff. In May 2012 they set out to travel the world with all of their remaining possessions strapped to their backs. “There was definitely a point where I wondered what we were doing, if we hadn’t both completely lost our minds,” said Kim. “My mom kept begging me to use the money we saved to buy a bigger house! But of course that wasn’t what we wanted.”

Today, Kim and her husband travel the world full time and Kim has turned her love of writing into a career. Since bucking the cubicle for a life of travel, they’ve trekked the tallest mountains in Nepal and descended into the world’s deepest canyon in Peru. Kim has walked solo across Spain and driven a rickshaw 3,000 kilometers through India. Today, she lives the life she used to only dream about. “Life is an adventure now,” she said. “I’ve truly come to believe that if we can find the courage to do the things that make us feel most alive, we do not only ourselves a favor but the world a favor too.”

Follow her story here.

9. Matt Kepnes, Normal Guy Turned Serial Traveler

Matt Kepnes

Matt Kepnes

Matt Kepnes

In 2005, Matt Kepnes went to Thailand with a friend and, while in the city of Chiang Mai, he met five backpackers on a bus. Listening to them talk about extended travel inspired Matt to leave his job and travel more. As they all spoke about how insane only getting two weeks a year was, Matt began to think about making a change. Kepnes tells BuzzFeed that he realized they were living his dream and he thought to himself, Why not me too? When he came home, he quit his job.

In July 2006, he set off on a yearlong trip around the world. That was seven and a half years ago. He’s never looked back. Travel is what makes him happy and he finds a way to make this lifestyle work. He has now been to over 70 countries, worked various jobs to be able to fund this, and now he is able to help others learn that traveling isn’t as hard or expensive as they think. “I remember being scared and worried when I was planning my trip,” he said. “Every fear went through my head but being on the road taught me that the hardest part is getting the courage to walk out the door. The rest is a cakewalk. Everything on the road works itself out.” Learn more about Matt and his story by visiting his website.

10. Jill Inman, Made Her Dreams A Reality

Jill Inman

Jill Inman

Jill Inman

A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for. This very statement serves as inspiration at the heading of Jill Inman’s blog. She wanted to embark on an around-the-world trip because she had long dreamt of seeing the world in a way that many people only daydream about. So one day, she decided to make her dream a reality. She left, and never looked back.

She has since visited 64 countries. Inman told BuzzFeed, “While my passport stamps and screensavers from the 64 countries I’ve visited are the recognizable signs of my adventures; the lasting lessons learned from the challenging times and unforgettable memories from the amazing times are the real reasons I continue to travel.” She wants to encourage others to do the same. She believes that seeing the world allows her to be more adaptable to life’s curve balls. “I view the world with so much more curiosity,” she said. Read more about her adventures on her personal blog.

11. Kate Hall, Needed a Life Change

Kate Hall

Kate Hall

Kate Hall

One moment Kate Hall was on the phone to her boyfriend telling him they had no money for dinner that evening and the next moment she found herself telling him that they had to leave the UK because her heart was telling her to do so. She thought to herself, Life shouldn’t be this hard.

Fast-forward two years and Kate has cured a 5-year-old depression, started her journey into self-employment, and has traveled the world. She roamed the Red Light District in Amsterdam, spent six months in Greece, partied under the Eiffel Tower, and will soon be getting married in Frankfurt, Germany.

When asked about her travels, Kate told BuzzFeed, “Sometimes, you need to take that leap of faith and follow your heart.” Follow Kate’s ongoing journey by visiting her blog.

life update!! adventures in dublin, brussels, & cadiz.

"to live is the rarest thing in the world. most people just exist" - oscar wilde

I know i'm desperately in need of a blog post but i can't even begin to explain how busy life has been. the good kind of busy. the happy kind of busy, so all is well.

Since January, I have been to dublin, galway, and the Cliffs of Moher which took us really all over the western coast of ireland; Brussels and Bruges which are in belgium, and last weekend I was in Cadiz for Carnaval. It has been such a whirlwind and so much fun. But for the next month, I will be in Madrid and then April will get crazy with traveling again.

Let's start with Dublin, so Elli and I went to Dublin to go see Maroon 5 in concert, which was incredible. I forget how much I LOVE live music. And how that's how all music should be. The 02 in Dublin was a really small venue, so it was great and Adam Levine is a dream boat, so swoon. We ran around Dublin for the day and saw the Dublin Castle, the Guinness factory, Trinity College that houses the Long Room and the Book of Kells. We also took a bus at 6am to Galway, then from there did a bus tour and went on this hike up a hill in Ireland farm country (and saw goats) on our way to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher were PHENOMENAL. It's like one of those places that you've always dreamed of being and you always wish you could stay. It was worth the whole day of winding roads and being cramped on a bus to get there. It was super windy and cold, and my hair was super hat hair-esque, but nevertheless it was beautiful. AND harry potter and the half blood prince (HP6) - the cave scene, where voldemort hides the locket horcrux was filmed there, which makes it even more awesome.

Elli and I ate our way through Dublin which was full of lots of veggie soups and potatoes. We went to the Guinness Factory and did the tour, went to Whelan's - which is the bar in PS I LOVE YOU, and got to see lots of happy ginger irish people that you dream of when you think of Dublin.

There were lots of birthday celebrations in mid-january, we did a super cute and fun birthday 26th dinner on the night of my birthday and we went out the weekend before to celebrate both Brittani's and my birthday. And on Sunday morning, we did birthday brunch for Brittani's birthday. Before I left LA, we did a family birthday dinner which was really fun, so I'm glad I got to celebrate my 26th yr all over the world. :)

After that, we had a puente (long weekend, with Friday off of work) at the end of January. Elli and I hopped a plane to Belgium for the holiday and had lots of fun. It was still cold in Belgium but not as cold as we thought it would be. We ate lots of frites (fries), gofres (waffles), and chocolate! It was a quick but good weekend. We spent Friday in Brussels and got to see everything. Brussels was super urban, and reminded me a little bit of Budapest, and a little bit like Dublin mixed, but a little dirtier (unclean). It felt like a very immigrant city, like lots of international people. Everyone in Brussels also spoke French, with a little English which was really interesting because Amsterdam is really close and in Amsterdam the dominant language is English. So I was super surprised that we went a lot of places and there were people that spoke very little English. On Saturday, we took a 1 hr train to Brugge. And I LOVED Brugge!! It was what you picture Belgium to be - with canals and little houses lined in a row, very much like Amsterdam but smaller and amazingly beautiful. Elli and I ate lunch at this super cute cafe that made their own quiches by hand and they had more veggie soup!! We bought lots of belgian chocolate truffles while we were in Brugge too. My favorite thing we did was that we took a boat ride through the canals, which made us really cold but it was so worth it. We might have drank our weight in tea that weekend as well, to help keep us warm.

February went by really quickly, and I can't believe it's already March!! Last weekend, Elli and I went to Carnaval in Cadiz with her roommate Ale (whose is from Cadiz) and his friends. I almost didn't go because I got a really awful stomach virus and was in bed with a fever for 4 days straight. I couldn't even get out of bed and walk to the doctor, it was that bad. I called my dad and he thought I was dying, and he wrote me an email later saying he had been praying for me everyday (not that he doesn't already) but you get how rough it was. Carnaval was really fun. Julio (Ale's friend) drove us in his car, so on Friday morning/afternoon we packed up and piled into the car, 3 boys and Elli, and me on a 6.5 hr car ride to Cadiz. It was fun to see Spain from a different point of view and go on a road trip. We played lots of car games, looking for signs starting with the Alphabet, and Happy/Sad slash honking the horn game. Julio, Luis, and Adrian thought it was really funny that all we wanted to do was play games all weekend (car games/drinking games). The car wasn't as fun as you would think though, I slept some, but it was pretty cramped for 6.5 hrs. The weekend was really good though. On friday night, we watched the Chirigotas perform on TV at Ale's house and we ordered Telepizza. I couldn't eat pizza because I was still sick and hadn't eaten all week, so Elli and I made rice and veggies that I ate. Which is funny because I ate rice while everyone ate pizza. On Saturday, we woke up around 1 and we saw people singing on floats (kind of like chirigotas) but in a parade, and we drank Moscatel all day (which is the typical Carnaval drink of Cadiz). Day drinking was super fun and we finally went home around 7ish. We took a two hour nap, then started cutting out felt patches, and sewing them on our costumes, it was so rushed and a little cutre (chinsy) because we had like 10 mins to do it. But it was fun, we made spanish flag patches, airplanes, and world patches because we were Goose and Mav from Top Gun. We even had mustaches and aviators with our army green jumpsuits. We botteloned in the street most of the night and then ended up going to the carpa (tent) at like 5 or 6 in the morning to dance and drink more. And we finally made it home at like 7 or 8 in the morning, it was fun to see everyone's costumes and just be out all night. AND I have to tell you, Ale's house was awesome, it was right on the beach and the view of sunrise/sunset was amazing. Definitely lots of sun chasing these past two months. I haven't uploaded pictures from my phone to my computer of Cadiz yet, so I will have to put them in the next post.

So the past two months have been a whirlwind to say the least, but that's more becoming the norm of my life, and i don't particularly mind that. :) Also I'm reading the Divergent Series (I bought divergent in Dublin) and it's amazing. It's like Hunger Games and the Giver combined. I bought the next books in the series, on amazon UK and they are suppose to come this week!!!

Things to look forward to in the next month.... DAD'S TRIP!!! My dad is coming for spring break and I cannot wait!! We are going to barcelona, paris, and portugal. I miss him so much, I can't wait to spend time with him. Also Matt and Krystal are coming to Madrid the week before my dad comes which will be so fun because I will get to show them my city and I will get to talk to Matt about books. And it's finally getting warmer in Madrid, so sundress/tights and cardigan weather is here and that makes me so happy.

"Be who you are, not who the world wants you to be."

Christmas in Sevilla, Madrid, and Los Angeles.

"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." -Anonymous

So I am desperately due for a blog post, and since jetlag has me up at crazy hours of the night and day, this is a perfect opportunity for an update.

So December started rough with being sick, but our weekend trip to Sevilla made Spain feel like Christmas and so it was just everything that I had really needed at that point. It was so nice to get to experience Sevilla at Christmas time because it just made feel even closer to my heart than it already is (if that's even possible).

I spent the rest of the month in Madrid. And then just before Christmas (on Christmas eve), I flew home to Los Angeles. I've got to say, Europe just does Christmas right. Especially Spain. Between the Christmas lights, Christmas markets, our Christmas show and special events at school, it just felt magical (yes I know that's corny but I don't have any other words to describe it).

In Madrid, I got to shop at a ton of Christmas markets mostly for things that I brought home to friends and family (and some things for me too). Some of my favorite markets were the one in Plaza de Jacinto Benavente and of course the Mercado de Artisaniía (Artisan Market) in Plaza de España.

One of my favorite things about Christmas in Madrid (and in Spain in general) is that there a HUGE focus on nativities and Los Reyes Magos (the Three Wisemen). Instead of Santa bringing you gifts, or sitting on Santa's lap, and writing a letter of things you wish for to Santa, children in Spain write to Los Reyes and The Three Wisemen came to school one day so that children could sit on their laps and give them their letters. Growing up, we we didn't believe in Santa Clause because my dad is a pastor. We always knew that he didn't exist. Actually one Christmas, when she was like 7 years old, Kelsey pretended to be Santa and she wrapped presents under the tree from Santa because she felt left out and different from other families. So spending Christmas, not really talking about Santa Clause, wasn't a big deal for me. But talking about Los Reyes so much, I thought it felt more important and focused on religious reasons for Christmas (aka Jesus being born), which made it just as special.

Some of the fun Christmas adventures that I got to do included the Navibus (a 2 euro open top bus that takes you around Madrid just to see the Christmas lights), our Secret Santa friend Christmas dinner/ pizza party at my house, Reina Victoria Christmas dinner with Elli's roommates, and our Calasancio teacher Christmas dinner with Javier, Maria Fuente, Cristina, Ana, Raquel, Arantxa, and me. School was crazy because the last week before break there was literally something special everyday. We had an Advent Candle Lighting Service, making Christmas cards and taking them to the retirement home, visiting with Los Reyes, practicing Christmas Carols for the Christmas show, and the day of the Christmas show. It was such a busy December but it was so much fun and it really made the season feel like Christmas and feel special, which is a big feat when you are so far from home.

The weekend before I went back to Los Angeles, Kelly and I went to Segovia on a day trip as well, which was super fun. We got to see the Roman Aqueduct, the Catedral, and the Alcázar. It was beautiful with lots of country side and it was such a small, quaint, super quiet town. And there is such a place in my heart for towns like that. :)

After Segovia, I flew out of Madrid on Christmas Eve early early AM. I had a connection from Mad - London and got to sleep a little during the first leg. After a brutal 12.5 hr flight from London to LA, I was finally home. My California Christmas was everything I wished it to be. It was full of adventures with friends and family, hiking, the beach, being outside in 70-80 degree weather, biking with my dad, and eating all the foods that I love and miss (21 choices, Gringos, Taco Deli, Star Cafe). It was such a good trip home, but I'm glad to be back in Madrid. And next week Elli and I are going to Dublin to see Maroon 5 in concert!!

Manoli.

“There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be." - john lennon

Manoli.

Last weekend, Elli and I went back to Sevilla for Christmas. When I lived there, I was there from January to June. So I had never gotten to experience Sevilla at christmas time. And I know it sounds corny, but it was pure magic in every way. Christmas lights plus el ambiente de sevilla, just felt like home.

I was super sick with the flu and bronchitis and debated not going to Sevilla on Thursday night. But I'm so glad I did. It was like in the high 60s, like 15-20 degrees warmer than madrid - which was exactly what I needed. And I don't how its possible to be healed with out knowing that you needed it, but that city just heals me in every way.

I finally saw Manoli on Friday afternoon/evening. And it was everything I dreamed it would be and more. I spent 3 hours just talking to Manoli about life, love, and dreams for the future. The time I spent with her made me remember, just how much we are like souls. How we have strong personalities, but that makes you love stronger and harder. And how she believes in being the best person you can be, she reminded me that I need to strive to be the best version of myself, which I often forget to make a priority in this crazy world. She told me that when you are really in love, you'll stay together, and when you're really in love, you'll know that it's meant to be. She made me remember that, while nice things make you more comfortable to live, living within your means in enough, and loving your family is more important.

She is just one of the best people I know. And she changed my life completely. It's crazy because when you think about all the people who have a profound influence on your life. And I think of her. I think of how I would be such a different person, without Sevilla, but especially without her. She's just one of those people that is so very close to my heart, and I'm so thankful for that.

2 weeks of bronchitis.

So if you didn't read my blog while I was in Sevilla (4 years ago) you know that I like to blog about everything. While this is a grand adventure and it's super fun and I get to travel around the world and live in Spain, it's also real life. So I like to portray that because not everything is always fun and flowery.

So let me tell you about the past 2 weeks.... being sick in a foreign country is just as awful as I remember it. When I was in sevilla four years ago, and I lived with Manoli, my friend Amir and Manoli both got bronchitis within like 2 weeks of each other. And those being 2 principal people I spent my time with, it was a big deal - maybe a few weeks later, I got some form of upper respiratory infection which turned into walking pneumonia because I waited 3 weeks to go to the doctor. It was totally not fun at all and quite miserable. I literally laid in bed for weeks, so sick, but dragged myself to school everyday because we had a super strict attendance policy at UPO. Ana claudio (one of my favorite UPO professors) sent me home from school one day and told me not to come back until I had gone to the doctor. Manoli also took really good care of me when I was sick so it made it better as well. I'm telling you this because that experience was pretty awful.

So fast foward to the present... and about 2.5 weeks ago, my friends, Elli and Brittani both had tonsilitis, so I knew it was coming to me soon because if you know me really well, you know that I get sick super easily. It's been better since I had surgery in May, but without allergy shots, I knew it was coming. I was really trying to avoid being sick by drinking a liter of orange juice a day. Orange juice can only do so much though...

So that Friday morning, I woke up and my throat was scratchy, like a cold/sore throat/need antibiotics because something is coming on scratchy. So after school on Friday, I went to the doctor and he looked at my throat and said I had pharngyitis (like tonsilitis, but I don't really have tonsils since my adenoid/tonsil reduction). He gave me antibiotics and all was well. I went out for dinner that night and wine on the terrace of Mercado de San Antón, but I didn't stay out late or get crazy or anything that night. I didn't really do anything of importance on Saturday, but Sunday I woke up and was super awful - congested and coughing and I didn't sleep through the night on Saturday and I just had this feeling I was getting worse. So I dragged myself back to the urgencia (which is like urgent care, because regular doctors don't work on weekends, including Friday) and the doctor listened to my chest and my cough and in 5 minutes told me that I had bronchitis. I stayed home Monday and Tuesday but was still pretty sick on later in the week and not sleeping still (because of coughing through the night and being on steriods) so the teachers at my school sent me home early on both Wednesday and Thursday. It was lucky that I had Friday off of school so I could rest because it was our patron saint day. Basically, I rested most of the weekend again, except going to our friendsgiving/spainsgiving Thanksgiving dinner at my friend Kristin's house on Saturday night. I was feeling much better on Monday of last week BUT THEN... on Monday night, I felt super flush and scratchy throat-ish so I went to bed early. On Tuesday, I woke up fully congested and coughing horribly again (mind you, my cough never really went away). I lasted one class on Tuesday morning and at recess, I told them that I was going home to go to the doctor.

I went to the doctor Tuesday afternoon, and they took this lovely photo of my lungs to make sure I didn't have pneumonia. Which, tells you how sick I was but I didn't have it. Yay, there is some victory in this story!! But the doctor just said I had a bad cough still, caused by drainage and congestion. It got super bad on Tuesday night and I was literally crying because my eyes were watering so bad and because I was pissed that I was still so sick. I called my dad and I was super sad and wanted to be home. I stayed in bed from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday night, which was nice because I slept like over 10-14 hours a day which is what my body really needed to heal. OH and I took TamiFlu that I brought from the US, and it worked wonders, so that helped me heal this past week too.

It's just so hard to shake a cold or an infection here because you have to walk everywhere when you are sick. So I've been sick and walking to the doctor in 30 degree weather (and sometimes high 20s at night) and walking to the pharmacy, and walking to get my groceries still. When its so cold out, it just exacerbates whatever you are fighting. But even so, I still love all that fresh air.

Also - one of the things that I will never understand is: my wonderful caring Spanish teachers told me I got sick from not wearing a scarf, so Javier (my head teacher) brought me a scarf as a gift (and so I wouldn't get sick). Spanish people saying I got sick from not wearing mittens or a hat. And I do wear scarves and mittens here, I just didn't happen to be wearing them on that day. Oh but something that I do love -- was that one of the teachers told me to drink hot milk with honey for my throat. Yes it sounds gross, but when I had walking pneumonia in Sevilla, Manoli gave me hot milk with honey all the time.

I'm finally finally better after essentially two weeks of being in bed. I still have the remnants of a cough, but no where near as bad as it was. I was so sick I was even debating not going to Sevilla this past weekend, but I'm so glad that I did. It was so much warmer in Sevilla (in the high 60s), which helped a lot. And that city heals me in every way possible, so I am just so much better after having been there this past weekend. I need to go to sleep but I will blog about Manoli and Sevilla later this week. :)

life lessons

i loved this article about life lessons learned while traveling. i will have to make my own list of lessons learned, when i'm finished with this adventure. :)

my favorites are #2, #7, and #14.

the original post can be found here.

18 Life Lessons Learned From Traveling The World

SEP. 23, 2013 

By MATTHEW KEPNES

kokorowashinjin

I never thought I would still be nomadic. My original round-the-world trip was only supposed to last one year before I went back home, found a “real” job, settled down, and by now, be married, have a house, 2.5 children, and complain about my retirement fund to my friends.

Yet life took a decidedly different turn and here I am, seven years later, writing this from an overnight train to Copenhagen with the same desire to explore the world and no sign of stopping soon.

After so many years on the road, there are a few life lessons I’ve learned from travel that I never would have learned otherwise and I wanted to share with you today.

1. It’s not that hard.

Every day, people get up, go out the door to travel the world, and survive and thrive. Kids as young as 18 make their way around the world without any problems. All that worrying and fear I had before my trip was for naught – this traveling thing is a lot easier than people make it out to be. You’re not the first person to do it and there is a well-worn trail that makes it easy for first times to find their way. If an 18 year can do it, so can you.

2. You learn a lot of life skills.

People who travel are better adjusted and less socially anxious people and traveling around the world has taught me to how to be more social, be adept and more flexible, and, most importantly, understand non-verbal communication a lot better. It has made me more independent, more open, and, overall, just a better person. There’s no reason to be scared that you might not have “it” in you. You’d be surprised how often you’ll surprise yourself.

3. You are never alone.

It may seem scary just throwing yourself out there and talking to strangers, but we are all strangers in a strange land. At the end of the day, everyone is very friendly. It took me a while to get used to just saying “hello” to strangers, but now it seems like second nature. Everyone is just like you – they are alone in a strange place and are looking for others to be with. People travel to meet other people and that means you. Don’t be afraid to approach other travelers and locals. You’ll find that when you travel alone, you’ll never really be alone.

4. You meet some of your closest friends traveling.

Whether it was in a restaurant in Vietnam, on a boat in Thailand, or walking into a hostel in Spain, when I least expected (or wanted) to meet people was when I met the best and developed the longest lasting relationships. And even though you may not see them for years, you still end up at their wedding, Christmas dinner, or family celebration. Distance and time cannot break the bond you formed.

5. Relationships come and go on the road.

I’ve met lots of people on the road, including members of the opposite sex I’ve found attractive. But the nature of travel doesn’t always lend itself to long-term romantic relationships. It’s hard to make something last when everyone moves in different directions and holidays end. If you get too attached too often, you’ll have nothing but heartache as people come and go. But I’ve realized you need to simply enjoy your time together and live in the moment. Dwelling on the future will only keep you from making that leap.

6. But chase the ones you like.

Yet once in a while, you’ll find someone you really connect with. Meaningful romance on the road does happen. And when you have nowhere to be and no place to go other than where you want, sometimes there is no reason not to follow. Don’t force yourself to say another good-bye if you don’t have to. Pursue it even if the distance seems too vast and the circumstances not right, because you never know where it could lead or how long it might last because, once in a while you meet the one and when you do, you should do everything you can to stay with them.

7. It’s good to try new things.

I used to be a very rigid person, but traveling has helped me loosen up and expand my worldview. I’ve pushed myself to the limit, eaten new food, taken cooking classes, learned magic tricks, new languages, tried to conquer my fear of heights, and challenged my established views. Travel is all about breaking out of your comfort zone and enjoying all the world has to offer.

8. Be adventurous.

Doing the canyon swing was tough. So was jumping off the boat in the Galapagos. As was eating the maggots in Thailand and caterpillars in Africa. Then I got my butt kicked in Thai boxing. And, while I won’t do most of those ever again, I don’t regret trying new things. Scare yourself once in a while. It makes life less dull.

9. There is no such thing as a mistake.

No matter what happens on the road, it’s never a mistake. As was once said, “your choices are half chance, and so are everybody else’s.” When you go with the flow and let the road just unfold ahead of you, there’s no reason to have regrets or think you made a mistake. You make the best decisions you can and, in the end, the journey is the adventure.

10. Don’t be cheap.

When you travel on a budget and need to make your money last, it’s easy to be cheap. But why live like a pauper at home while you save so you can skip the food in Italy, the wine in France, or a sushi meal in Japan? While it is good to be frugal, it’s also important to splurge and not miss out on doing once-in-a-lifetime things. Who knows when you will get another chance to dive in Fiji?! Take every opportunity.

11. That being said, don’t be wasteful.

But remember you aren’t made of money, so don’t always feel like you need to party with your new friends every night or do every activity in a new place. Sometimes it’s OK just to sit around and relax or cook your own meal. Be frugal, but not cheap.

12. Drop the guidebook.

Don’t be so glued to a book. You can travel fine without it, especially with so many good alternatives on the Internet these days. You’ll buy it and hardly use it anyway. Just ask people for tips and information. That will be your best source of information, especially for those off-the-beaten track destinations and hole-in-the-wall restaurants that no one’s ever heard of but serve the best food you can imagine.

13. It’s never too late to change.

Even if you aren’t the traveler or person you want to be in your head, it’s never too late to change. Travel is all about change. The more you say “tomorrow,” the less likely it is that tomorrow will ever come. Traveling has shown me aspects of my personality I wish I didn’t have and also shown me I’m really lazy. I’ve always lived by the phrase “Carpe Diem” but sometimes I don’t really do it. It’s never too late though and realizing that has made being more pro-active a lot easier.

14. Relax.

Life is amazing. There’s no reason to worry. The universe unfolds as it should. Relax and just go with it. You can’t change the future – it hasn’t happened yet. Just make the best decisions you can today and enjoy the moment. Don’t get caught up trying to see all the “must sees.” There’s nothing wrong with spending a day playing games, reading a book, or lounging by the pool.

15. Learn more languages (seriously).

There’re some great benefits to not knowing the local language – like miming out “chicken” to let the lady know you want eggs for breakfast – but learning languages is very helpful when you travel, and works out great when you meet other travelers. There’s also nothing like surprising people by speaking their language. Moreover, knowing basic phrases will endear you to locals who will appreciate the fact you went the extra mile. You’ll find people will be much more helpful, even if you struggle to say hello.

16. Wear more sunscreen.

Seriously. Science has proven it helps, and with all that beach time you do when you travel, you could always use a little more. Being tan is great. Having skin cancer is not. SPF up.

17. People are good.

All over the world, I have encountered amazing people who have not only changed my life but have gone out of their way to help me. It’s taught me that the old saying is true – you can always depend on the kindness of strangers. My friend Greg taught me long ago not to be guarded against strangers. That experience when I first started traveling changed everything and when you travel with an open heart, unexpected goodness will happen. 99.9999% of the people in the world aren’t murders, rapists, or thieves. There’s no reason to assume someone is one. Sometimes people are just trying to be friendly.

18. There’s no such thing as must-see.

This is your trip. No one else’s. Everyone’s journey is their own. Do what you want, when you want, and for how long you want. Don’t let anyone tell you aren’t a real traveler for skipping the Louvre, avoiding some little town in Peru, or deciding to party in Thailand. This your journey. You owe no one an explanation.

I’ve learned more about the world and myself in the last seven years of travel than I had in the previous 25 years of my life. No matter what happens in the future, I know that travel has taught me life lessons I never would have learned had I stayed in my cubicle job.

Find a way to travel as often has you can to all the destinations you dream about.  They will change your life. 

teaching, outdoor markets, and santander

"Don't let your dreams, just be dreams." 

Sorry for the delayed update. I really need to be better about blogging, but life has just been so busy. so where to start. life in madrid has been really good. full of fun weekends, adventures, and crossing things off of my madrid bucketlist.

Hanging out at Elli's piso with Maury, Brittani, and Elli

Bucketlist adventure at the Vertical Gardens with Brittani and Maury

Two things that i love about madrid - first, is their love for books. There are always cheap used book stores that i get lost in and i'm there until closing when they kick me out, or half bars half bookstores which i love to hangout with friends in. And second, is this city's love for outdoor-open air markets. There are two regular outdoor markets that I go to the Rastro market which is every sunday morning from early morning until 2pm and Mercado de Motores, which is every second sunday of the month and its usually all day. This makes for awesome sunday fundays. Rastro has everything from dresses, to cheap purses, to kitchen ware, scarves, posters, socks, etc. and it's in the La Latina neighborhood under these huge oak trees. The market extends for several blocks and branches off in different directions too. There is a bar in this area that has English Breakfast Brunch - called the Rastro Bar, which we go to sometimes for after shopping fuel.

Mercado de Motores is in the train station museum which is located off of the Delicias metro stop, and it's in an old train station! The market on the inside is a little more expensive because its artisan stuff - anything from bags, to shoes, houseware, clothing, children's toys, etc. But the part on the outside is a flea market - which is neat, I've found some good books and random stuff out there too. Another thing about living here - that i know i talked about before but everyday i think it makes me so much happier and healthier, is that I love being able to walk in the fresh air and be outside as much as I am. christmas is coming and so are madrid's winter/christmas markets! I am so excited to be abroad in spain for the christmas season! They already started putting the lights up and they are constructing the huge Christmas tree in puerta del sol. I can't wait!

Let me tell you about my job and teaching - In a different life, I always thought I would be a kindergarten teacher if I wasn't an SLP. So the fact that I teach 3-5 year olds should be perfect, right? It's a lot harder than I thought it would be - controlling a group of 27-30 babies who don't speak English is not how I imagined it. As a teaching assistant, the teacher is always required to be in the room with me - some help you with their kids and others not so much. And the education system in Spain is very weird to me. Some of their discipline tactics would get you fired in the US. For example, their discipline system is shame based. Basically, if the whole class is not paying attention or listening - you pick out the worst kid who is talking and yell at them a foot from their face, and make them stand up the entire class period, or pull them by their ear. Yes and they do this for 5 year olds. They constantly "castigar" (punish) kids all the time, and make them sit or stand separately from the class. And when the 5 year olds cry about being "castigada" (punished) they threaten them with sending them to 3 year old classes or they pull out a necklace of baby pacifiers to put in their mouths if they don't stop crying. For 3 year olds, they put them in a really high chair so they can't get down and/or they make them cross their arms tightly so they can't touch anyone else. Or they threaten to hold them/rock them like a baby in their arms. It's shame based for maximum embarrassment so that the other kids are scared into behaving. It's quite strange really. Oh also interesting fact - I pray the Lord's prayer at least 4 times a day (teaching 5 yr olds the Lord's prayer in English).

One of the 5 yr old classrooms

Other than the behavior and discipline system, I like my job - i love the kids they are just so much fun. My favorite are 5 year olds and 3 year olds. 5 year olds fascinate me because some are so smart and can read and write already. And their system of teaching reading and writing is so different from English!! In the Spanish language, when you read a word or sentence, it looks exactly how it sounds. There are only 5 vowels in Spanish (and they are always the same) but there are 20 vowel sounds in English and there are different letter-grapheme combos to each of the English vowels). Thus, there are no sight words when teaching kids to read in Spanish!! Isn't that crazy?! The 5 year olds that I teach are from a pretty affluent neighborhood so a lot of them have a decent amount of English. In their education system, they teach children how to write in print at 4 years old and cursive at 5 years old. The 3 year olds are sponges and some of them just learn so fast. I love how fun they are! 4 year olds are not my favorite because their just not there yet with reading and writing, and they are old enough to be super mischievous and misbehave.

It's nice having a job - that's just a job for me. I don't have to take work home or worry about reports to write. But I do miss being an SLP.... I saw PTN's annual campaign video come out this week and missed some of my kids so much!!

What else is new? Hmmm.. about a month ago, Elli and I were eating breakfast and talking about our upcoming "puente" (long weekend - with a Friday holiday) and so we searched online for the cheapest tickets we could find in Spain and decided that we wanted to go to Santander. We both loved it. We spent the weekend shopping, being tourists, drinking tea, being by the ocean, and eating tapas in Northern Spain. Santander was really small but homey like Sevilla (a lot smaller than Sevilla though). It rained some, but not a ton, so it didn't ruin our weekend.

Elli and I taking a jumping picture in the street in Santander

In the coming weeks, my school has our patron saint day - our patron saint is San Jose de Calasanz and we have a huge party, celebration, and dinner for the teachers on that Thursday AND the best part is that we have Friday November 29 off of school! Then the next weekend, Elli and I are going to Sevilla to celebrate Christmas with our beloved host moms. I cannot wait to see Manoli. I am so excited!!

Then the 24th of December, I fly home and will be in Los Angeles for 2 weeks. I am super excited to get to spend Christmas with my family. and to fly home to some warmer weather. It has been 34 degrees in Madrid this whole weekend and this week it's going to get down to 32 - which means if it rains, snow will stick. The cold is not agreeing with my California soul, I am constantly freezing.

Other things to look forward to: My dad is coming in April and we are going to Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, and then he's coming back to Madrid. Sharla and I are in the process of planning her trip for her to come in June!!