The end of my season consisted of us making a run for second or third place which for my club was a sweet finish! With some last minute injuries, we unfortunately were running low on steam and ended up in third place. Overall, everyone was pretty pleased with our season as a whole. Of course you always want to be first but hey, if this was the Olympics we'd be on the damn podium. With that being said, I can officially say my first season as a professional athlete is complete! And with the grueling 8 month schedule I am even more stoked to stay I walked away with minimal aches and pains. Being someone who is injury prone, this is a VERY BIG DEAL. When the season ended, we were still in the third week of March, and Gabbi's return plane ticket to the states would be April 27th. What's a girl to do with a month and half of no volleyball, job or responsibilities whatsoever? Use all of her money earned playing on plane tickets and souvenirs! Now we segway into the fun part of this blog...reliving my incredible month of country hopping.
April is now here and my first destination, Madrid! This country not only is a great travel destination, but is also where my Aunt has been living for the past year teaching English so it was an easy decision to buy my easyjet ticket for 50 euros. (Yes, you can buy a damn plane ticket for 50 euros to a different freaking country. Incredible) My itinerary included 3.5 days in Madrid, then a train ride with my aunt and cousin to Barcelona for 2 fun filled days of touristy stuff. Now it's been a little over month since I made this trip but the best and most prominent memory is the sangria. Wow, if you have ever made it yourself in the states you haven't lived till you've tried true Spanish Sangria. AND iberico ham. Holy crap is that stuff good. I don't like ham, never have and it takes something truly mind-blowing for me to want to eat it. This stuff is absolutely amazing! You have these big legs of meat that are dried out, then they shave the meat and served it as tapas with some bread. You add sangria to the mix and you have a very happy American eating to her hearts desire. Especially when the bartender continues to give you these tapas fo free!
ESPAñA
Not only was the food and drink amazing, but this country is pretty great for a traveler on a budget. Really really cheap to go out and eat. Not just because you sometimes get free food, but especially comparing to Switzerland it was night and day difference. Felt like a big spender which with my limited spending money was quite fun. Madrid was one of my favorite cities overall that I visited. It is extremely tourist friendly. Easy to read maps, signs everywhere. Many of the things to see and do are all clustered together in two different parts of the city. It made my life so much easier because this trip also was my first time traveling by myself. Even though I was visiting family, most of my time exploring was spent alone. Something I thought I never could or wanted to do. Turns out I am quite capable of navigating myself via map and a metro app on my phone. I saw just about everything there is to see in this up and coming city. Here are the pictures to prove it:
Cool sign in Puerta del Sol
Views from Palacio de Cibeles
This garden had Dr. Seuss esque trees I thoroughly enjoyed
Another one of the lake because it was my favorite part of Retrio which overall was my favorite part about Madrid. If I ever lived in this city, I hope to be near this place so I can walk through it every sunny day.
This was just a really tasty drink that includes Fanta and red wine. And I thought I was really artsy with my picture taking skills. Similar to Sangria but with carbonation. 
Walking over the bridge on Rio de Madrid
When you meet someone from Portland, OR in Madrid, you immediately become friends and go to your favorite tapas bar.
Templo de Debod: Egyptian temple that was transported to Madrid.
Has actual Hieroglyphics and makes me want to travel and see the pyramids.
Palacio Real: If you have a chance to visit this do. The royal family had some serious dough to spend inside this place. I have never seen more ornate and fancy schmancy decorations. Just trying to comprehend the amount of money needed for all that was done to this place hurts my brain. Pretty frickin cool.
THE BEST CHURROS AND CHOCOLATE IN SPAIN. DIVINE
I haven't covered everything play by play about Madrid and unless you felt like reading a novel, it's time to move on to a city where I wish I had at least a week let alone two days to see, Barcelona. I had no idea this city was as huge as it is. It's right up there in my mind with Paris and London in it's enormity and tourist appeal. I barely even scratched the surface here and honestly was a little burn out from how much I did in Madrid. I walked every day at a solid pace for 12 hours, waking up at 8am to see and do everything I possibly could. The big things I did see though was the main walking strip Las Ramblas, Gaudi structures such as Casa Batlo and La Sagrada Familia. One of many beaches, mainly the touristy one Barceloneta. And finally the location of the 1992 Olympic games, because that was a great frickin year and I ain't just talking about the Dream Team. MORE PICTURES!
This is THE market to go see right on Las Ramblas. You can find just about everything here all from local people.
Anything from iberico ham to chicken feet and goat heads. Literally everything, nothing is wasted.
At least 20 fruit stands
More candy than Willy Wonka's factory
And smoothies galore
Don't even know what these are, mushrooms maybe?
Empanada things I think
I paid a euro to have my face touched by some weird gold lady with wings. #tourist
I just really like marinas and there were some pretty spectacular sailboats/yachts.
Dubs up for the Mediterranean
Casa Batlo was designed by famous artist Gaudi for some rich family who lived there. Some pretty funky architecture which is his signature and one of Spain's national treasures.
La Sagrada Familia, is still under construction. Didn't get to see the inside but is really impressive still. Another Gaudi creation, but I'm pretty sure he didn't live to see it finished. Could be making that up though.
Favorite spot in Barcelona: Park Guell. This park was also designed by Gaudi and you could spend your whole day exploring this place. I managed to find an area with a rock you climb up on with some precarious stairs that leads to a cross and this incredible view. You can see La Sagrada Familia from here in the middle left. I truly didn't comprehend how huge this city was until I came here. You're lucky if on a nice day you can find a seat to appreciate the view because it is a popular spot for teenagers to hang out and basically be teenagers without supervision. Darn kids.
This is a view from the Catalonian arts museum which is many many stairs above Plaza Espana. While I was there, they were holding a BMX bike sort of event and people were on tandem bikes riding down extremely steep ramps from up here all the way to the bottom. Crazy ass Spaniards.
1992 Olympic games site.
Castle where Franco did some pretty mean stuff to the people of Spain.
When I visited a museum called La Reine de Sofia, I saw one of Picasso's most famous paintings (Guernica 1937) which was transported out of Spain and instructed never to return to it's home until the government got their stuff together and not be a dictatorship. I think that didn't happen until the 1980's. This painting is enormous and no pictures were allowed so this is a very fine Google replacement. Not really an art person but if you read the history behind why he painted this and what it stood for the Spanish people, you truly can't look away. Not only do you see the images of people and the horse but you can start to look past that and all the intricate ways he used lines and switched from grey to black to white. I felt really cultured after this experience.
View from the castle. The panorama feature on my phone was used heavily this trip due to the numerous views I felt compelled to capture.
Spain ended with an ice cream next to the Mediterranean, my toes in the sand and being bombarded by people trying to sell me stuff. Not like I looked like a tourist all blonde hair and blue eyes over there.
One hard lesson I learned from this trip is even if you think looking cute in non walking shoes makes for good pictures later, your feet and shins will not agree. After this trip I needed a few days to get over what was sure to be the beginning of a stress fracture somewhere and now I believe tennis shoes and jeans are perfectly acceptable combination. I skipped a bout a million other little side stories but I feel we should move on to my favorite food country of all time...
ITALIA!
This trip I was really fortunate to do with my one of my Swiss teammates Magali. If you have been following along on my other blogs, specifically the "Keep calm and travel with a ginger", you'll know I had a great time already.
Isn't she so cute? That by the way is fresh squeezed lemon juice (not lemonade) and I had one with lemon and blood orange. TO DIE FOR. Everyone and their mother whether it's homes, businesses, apartments etc. has either a lemon or orange tree in their yard or in a pot on their balcony. Citrus heaven is located in Napoli.
This was my second time in Italy, the first being with UW and our dawgs abroad adventure two years ago. (I can't believe it's that long since my first trip across the pond). Just like the first time, I was not at all disappointed with the abundance of superb food and wine. I make this claim and I make it firmly...ITALY HAS THE BEST FOOD IN THE WORLD. You go to some dive hole in the wall, a five star and anything in between and you will always have a delicious meal. I mean it. I'll fight anyone who tries to tell me differently. Proof is in the pudding, or in my case doughnuts/pizza/pasta/mozzarella.
As if our morning couldn't start any better.
If you don't get gelato everyday at least once, you're doing Italy wrong.
Cheese so good, you eat it plain and maybe eat the greens on the side.
stupendous salami sandwich
Her first time eating lobsta, with giant shell cracking cracker
Babas: weird pastry thing that have so many layers they're like ogres, but much tastier.
More ham and mozzarella, I think Europeans do ham way better than us.
My shrimp scampi with two of the largest shrimps I've ever seen.
Greco du Tuffo: the white wine that changed me forever. On the right, I think this was called something like Gabba or maybe even Gabbi. I just remember thinking it looks like my name so I should try it. Ended up being a sort lemon sorbet gelato thing with a type of mini strawberry that just tastes like candy. Ah-ma-zing.
I got in trouble because apparently you aren't allowed to take pictures at this particular gelateria. No regrets.
Citrus anyone?
Who knew a plain margherita could be the best damn pizza you have ever eaten. Mag was telling me that Napoli is the place to eat mozzarella, even within Italy. You want the best cheese, you come here. We were not disappointed.
I could spend an entire post just talking about the food but that wouldn't be doing the trip justice. While here we were able to see so many incredible things. One in particular is something I never even dreamed would happen...
POMPEII
AND
VESUVIUS
I remember being nine years old learning about the ancient city destroyed by a mighty force brought on by angry gods, or just a really old volcano tired of being dormant and destroying everything. This event is one of my earliest memories learning about ancient history and being terrified and mesmerized by mother nature all at the same time. And yes I took this picture of the crater from the blast Vesuvio (Italian version) made a second time in the 1940's. From Napoli, you take a 30 minute train to the area of Pompeii where we were met with a guy advertising trips to the top of the mountain. Uh hell yea! We bought our tickets and soon enough were strapped into a giant off-road bus that was plenty bumpy and made our windy way up the incline eventually going where no more vehicles could go. The rest of our trip was a 30 minute hike to the top and I will forever and ever and ever remember this experience. Each step was a mantra in my head of, "holy crap I'm hiking a volcano, but not just any friggin volcano, THE NOTORIOUS VESUVIUS". This is in my top 5 of coolest things I have ever done in my life period. When you reach the top, there's not much to do but look at the views but if you're as much of a nerd as I am, you love every second just looking inside the massive and still smoking crater (freaky) and basking in the view of Napoli down below. Sitting there and trying to picture the chaos that ensued years ago on Pompeii is a pretty once in a lifetime experience. How many people get to say they saw the top of Vesuvius? Wow, still geeking out about it as I'm writing this.
You'd think just with that we could go home and be happy but there was more to be seen. So after some lunch and delicious fresh squeezed beverages we entered Pompeii. I had no idea how ginormous this place is. I guess when I thought of this city, I didn't realize how much was truly left in the aftermath. We had half a day to explore but if you're really into history then I recommend a whole day if you want the media guide and all. We were there for a few hours and saw about 75% of what there was to see. Truly surreal to be here.
Mosaics that were preserved even after all the destruction, how?!?!
Really person, teeth and all included.
These were casts made from cavities created in the ash after it hardened. Archeologists injected plaster into the spaces left behind from the bodies buried. Seeing a child curled up hand in hand with presumably their parents doesn't quite compute even seeing it with my own eyes.
This picture in particular was something I would never have recalled on my own but once I saw it in person, I knew I had studied it previously those many years ago when I first learned of this historical event. This is one of the few ornate floors preserved and restored over the years. This was really cool having something I could connect from my childhood memories to the real thing.
Amphitheater
I had the name of this in my phone then proceeded to break my phone and lost ALL OF MY NOTES FROM ALL MY TRIPS. So in writing this blog all by memory and some google searches I remember this being a really significant piece that survived everything. It is a detailed fresco of the wedding process for a new bride. Had a cool name but for the life of me I cannot remember it. I'm thinking of calling it the original Facebook wall post ever made about upcoming nuptials. I say this because I have about 10 up and coming weddings all up and down my timeline right now. This is how it's done ladies.
The rest of our trip was more sightseeing and I have to say, Napoli is great but also terrifying. Magali couldn't have put it any better when she described the driving to be "complete and total anarchy". It doesn't matter if you have a green or red light, drivers and pedestrians alike cross the streets as they please. The city's official noise are car horns. You know how it is a stereo type in movies for Italians to talk and argue with their hands? Yea well I think this city is where it all began. Maybe don't come here if you get stressed easily (like moi) or have a heart condition. Or bring someone who can balance out your anxiety. (Like both of my gingers.) Any who enough chatting, here are some more pictures.
These are from catacombs dating all the way back to the 2nd and 3rd century that had been altered and added to for hundreds of years. The organization behind our tour are respoonsible for the preserving these frescos and tombs and the history behind them.
The symbol above are three women I believe within the church. This is one of the oldest frescos in the catacombs and has a huge significance within Christianity.
This was the tomb of a family and each layer was added after each death. The child was the first to go followed by the father, and last the mother who is painted as an older woman as she lived much longer than the rest of her family. Each time a body was laid to rest, a new layer was put on so the red and blue rings you see around the family protrude out farther out with the red being the youngest layer.
Cimitero delle Fontanelle: one of the creepiest yet coolest things I have seen in my lifetime. There are, and I am not exaggerating, thousands of skulls and bones in this place. A sort of cave tucked away in a quiet little neighborhood holds the remains of thousands of people all the way up till the 1970's when it was then banned to add any more remains.
Not only could leave your loved ones skulls here, but you could also "adopt a skull" and leave it money or cute little houses to sit in.
People left Euros on top of the skulls, candles, pictures, jewelry, flowers, and more as offerings and gifts.
Child in a case: not my favorite but had to share. There were Barbies in there.
Skulls stacked on femurs it seemed. Like a train wreck, so terrible but you can't look away.
It seems they like their caves, and other underground places here and we happened to find another place to peruse beneath the surface. The Bourbon tunnel. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed but I will do my best to recount the history. I apologize to history experts for the facts I forget or get wrong.
Back in the day when there was still a monarchy, the Bourbons lived in this palace. King Bourbon was nervous there would be rebellion and people would come after him and his family. So he hired a guy to dig a tunnel from here to his soldiers barracks a ways away as a means to escape and survive. Unfortunately after many setbacks and technical delays, (Kind of like Big Bertha here in Seattle) his reign did not last till the end of construction. From the 1800's on the tunnel served the city as a car pound lot and a garbage dump. As you make your way through the tunnel you encounter large empty water cisterns (created by the original builder) and mounds of garbage. At the opposite end of the tunnel from the palace are all types of old cars, vespas, motorcycles and more that were impounded. Even found an old Chevy in there. The vespas taken in were ones tampered with to go faster and therefore illegal for street use by their standards. Those crazy Italians and need for speed on cute little scooters. But the most noteworthy part of this tour was the area of the tunnel used during WWII as a bomb shelter for the citizens of Napoli. As you may know Italy started out with Hitler then decided to come away from the dark side and join the Allies. Therefore they got bombed a whole bunch by both sides. This tunnel was the locals way of seeking refuge from constant danger. Once you heard the sirens everyone rushed from their homes and made their way to the numerous entrances to wait everything out. You could see old latrine areas, a child's shoe, and countless names scratched into the walls. What's really cool about this project, is it is an ongoing archeological dig and they have only been working on it since 2005 when two guys just happened to stumble across the tunnel. Now open to the public since 2010, they do tours daily and if you are ever in Napoli, come here. Support the dig, and learn some really cool history. Fun fact: Some of the names they found in the walls they have been able to track to the actual families. One tour in particular had an old man who had actually lived in the tunnels for a time as a child during the war. Stuff like that just gives me chills. Spectacular.
This is part of a statue found in the tunnels was of a man who was supposedly in with Mussolini back in the day but then suddenly and tragically died in the middle of a public speech. Everyone speculated Mussolini had something to do with because actually he hated this guy but to try and squash the rumors, had this statue made of him. Once his dictatorship ended, the statue came down with it. His picture in the newspaper does not match the very hunky greek God like man you see in the statue below.
What up Vesuvius?
Last but not least, my final trip would be to my favorite country yet,
IRELAND.
This trip I was joined by my best friend Jill and her sister Halley for six days of crazy fun. We stayed in Dublin and had the chance to sightsee around the city as well as take a couple day trips to Galway and to Blarney Castle. With so many things to see, I think a picture montage with commentary will just have to do because like my other trips, I can write for days about each individual experience.
First night out; music pub crawl. First Guinness of many
The songs played were infectious, the musicians incredibly talented, and the beer was delicious. This was by far one of my favorite parts of this trip. I will go back to Ireland and I will do this experience again as well.
Ha'penny bridge: There used to be a toll of half a penny. They just made the name a lot more efficient. Totes ma goats.
Malahide castle: surrounded by beautiful green fields, and incredible gardens.
There's a peacock hiding in the shadows.
We took a castle tour and learned the history of the families who lived in this quaint castle.
The supposedly haunted room from the ghost of a jester who fell in love with one of the girls of the family who did not love him back. He died and has been pinching and scaring people here ever since.
This bridge is in the shape of a harp which is a national symbol of Ireland. Look at your next pint of Guinness, there's a harp in the logo. They are everywhere here.
These statues are everywhere commemorating different figures in history who have impacted their respective fields. This guy was just really cool with his hat and cane that I couldn't resist. Oscar Wilde lived in Dublin and you can find him and the door of his apartment that he used to live in.
Our third day was the day of drinks: Whiskey museum, Guinness storehouse, and the old Jameson Distillery. The history of whiskey is really fascinating, especially it's role during prohibition and at the time of their independence from England during WWI. When America banned alcohol Ireland lost one of its biggest customers while also dealing with England trying to snuff out all their means of transporting goods to other countries. Just a rough time all around in world history.
This things is a huge wooden pint of Guinness carved with symbols and pictures from parts of Ireland's and more specifically Guinness' role in history.
During the tour: the storehouse has seven levels, this one is just a teaser of the "free" beer you get at the end of everything. You hear and read the history of the founder's 3,000 year lease and his wife. They had 21 children, only 11 survived. Ireland's history includes how difficult it was for a child to survive with wars, invasions, and famine. Truly a testament to the country's pride and determination to not only survive but thrive.
Their advertisements...classic.
Pour the beer, wait 2 minutes, then top it off for the best quality pour and taste. You have to be a certified pourer before you can serve this in your establishment.
The 360 degree bar gives you a roundabout view of the city with fun tidbits and if you're lucky, you can find a seat to enjoy a beer. Here someone asked me if I was Margaret from W.Virginia. Curse of the generic looking blonde.
Jameson Ginger: Whiskey, ginger aile and a splash of lime; new favorite drink.
THE CLIFFS OF MOHER
Views and nature are one of my favorite parts about traveling because there parts of the world you can only see certain things. (Like how the Alps just surround your every move in Switzerland) And there's also places that take your breath away but seem to give you just a little taste of home. The cliffs of Moher were just that. Though I have never seen anything quite this expansive and vast, this coastline had me reminiscing back to the Oregon Coast and how in just a few days I would be back there again. Crazy surreal when you live so far from home for so long. The idea that I was coming back never seemed real but this view hit me hard as I only had days left. We barely had and hour here and I could spend an entire day walking from edge to edge of the cliffs. These moments looking out on the water are ones that convince me that I will come back here again because one time ins't enough.
I love my Jillian
Molly Malone
BLARNEY CASTLE
The Wishing Steps: Make sure to walk backwards both up and down the stairs with your eyes closed all the while repeating your wish over and over again. Within the year your wish will come true!
Kissing the Blarney stone: This tradition started back in the day after it was said once you kiss the stone, you will have the gift of speaking eloquently bestowed upon you for the next seven years. Or more efficiently named, "The Gift of Gab". I'm pretty sure I didn't need it in the first place but when given the chance to kiss a rock up side down hanging over the edge of a castle you don't say no. When people did this in the olden days, there were no bars or barrier to protect your fall. You had someone grab you by the ankles and lower you down OVER THE FREAKIN EDGE because the stone is on the bottom of this turret. Head was spinning after such a magical kiss, but really it had more to do with my fear of heights.
This is what remains of a church from long time ago in the home town of our bus driver so we made a stop and explored the grounds. The stone work here was incredible and the view surrounding the area made for a prime castle/church location because you literally see miles without end here. Just gorgeous.
And to end this incredible trip on a high note, we went to the zoo and I saw like 10 giraffes. Life doesn't get much better for me.
With all of this experience said and done, I have stories to last me a lifetime, new friendships I can forever cherish, and the taste for more adventure. I have learned so many things about myself in less than a year, and am definitely not the same person I was just nine months ago. As a final sendoff to my time in Europe here are five things I learned during my time abroad:
1. Immersing yourself in a foreign language/country is exhausting!
My first month was a battle between jet lag and trying to understand French and/or heavily accented English.
2. Learning that foreign language is not only really fun, but the locals really appreciate the effort.
Americans have a slight blessing and curse with English being our native and only language. Everywhere you travel in the world, someone will be able to speak English. But it's truly more fun and rewarding to try and use the language native to the country you are in. I was fortunate in that I really had an interest in French before I came to Switzerland. You get to meet and converse with more people if you are willing to maybe sound a little incompetent from time to time. So many people wanted to practice their English with me, but at the same time were super pumped to try and help me improve my French. It's a win-win and some of my favorite interactions with the local people in my village were done completely in French. I'm not fluent, but it's enough and to think if I stayed there longer how better I could be.
3. An eight month season playing volleyball is a LONG LONG TIME.
Even with my short training hours, the toll of season this long really takes it out of you. It's amazing how so many other women I have played with who train three times as much as I do can go for so long for so many years. I could get through a three day club tournament back in high school no problem, but now I just feel old and decrepit after a back to back weekend of matches. Kudos to all the professional athletes out there who make this your entire career. No merci pour moi.
4. With that being said, this is my first and most likely last season as a professional.
I have already told this to a few people and some understand, yet others, mostly other players themselves and coaches have urged me to continue for as long as my body can handle it. So why am I stopping now? Even though I'm only 22 years old, I have spent over half my life training. Most of my childhood, all of my adolescence, and part of my early adulthood has been filled with practice, film, injuries, rehab, and countless hours of sacrifice all for the love of the game. I can now honestly say that I no longer have the passion for volleyball that drives me to look past all of the sacrifices I have made these past 12 years. After my senior season ended, I was extremely burn out and ready to throw the towel in then and there. But I knew that if the opportunity to play pro came my way, I would be an idiot not to try it. Who knows, maybe I would fall back in love with the sport that has done so many incredible things for me. It paid for college, took me to Europe, gave me friendships I will have for a lifetime and more. While debating to make the choice for pro or not, a very smart lady told me that once the urge to train for the sport you love goes away, it's ok to walk away. And after college had ended, I realized that urge was still there. Not as strong, but still a flicker of something I knew needed to be explored. This time around though I needed a change. Maybe a less intense setting would help me see the light. And in some ways it did. Volleyball in Switzerland was definitely more for fun because the women I played with just loved to play. I still love to play volleyball. But, I no longer enjoy going to practice, and constantly being mindful on how to improve myself day by day. I wanna sign up for fours tournament on a wim, or play at Seaside where I see so many old friends and talk about the glory days. But that's it. That's all I need. Even though I know my body could handle more seasons, my mind and my mental health cannot. And that is something I did not take care of as a college athlete. It took me three years to forget my pride and seek out a sports psychologist to deal with issues that were leading me to hate the game. And it's ok to sometimes not have fun while playing, because there will be ups in downs in your sports career. My time overseas proved to me that volleyball doesn't always fulfill things in me that it used to. Once you become pro, that is your job and all you have to do and at this point in my life, that isn't enough for me. Even as I'm writing this, I can feel myself getting choked up because it's like I'm going through a breakup. A relationship that I have loved and will always be fond of, but knowing it has run its course and can go no further.
5. Finally: Leaving America was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
America is a huge country. We are bigger than the entire continent of Europe, (maybe not including Russia) and our language is used worldwide due to our international prowess. But this luxury is also curse because we never leave. Sure it's expensive to buy a ticket but it's more painful for me to think of all the things I would have missed out on had I not left. Not only just visiting a country, but living somewhere far away gives you an entirely new perspective on yourself and where you came from. Americans, (and I include myself in this) are so egocentric. Yes we live in a great country and have so many things to be thankful for. But it doesn't mean we have the only way to live life right. Leaving America makes you appreciate the little things you take for granted, as well as striving for something more that maybe you can't have back home. Everyday we as a population become more diverse. Some embrace it, some don't. When you visit a foreign country, and become the foreigner yourself, all comfort and familiarity go out the window. You start to see how you yourself could try and integrate yourself into the new culture. You see things that you like more compared to what you have back in the states, and there's also moments where somethings are definitely better back home. (Not paying to use a public restroom for one)
Before I left for college, I saw myself graduating with a degree, moving back to Eugene, start working, do the family thing and be just fine with it. And I still think I would have been happy to do that. But once UW took me to Slovenia, Austria, and Italy I realized I needed to do more before it would be nearly impossible to repeat. I needed to go to more places where people didn't speak the same way, or have the same experiences. I found a taste to chase the unknown, and fall in love with so many cities I can't decide where to go next. I discovered a piece of me I didn't know existed until it was smacking me in the face. And with all of the stories and experiences I have acquired, I feel more well rounded as a person. Kind of like when there's a noise in the background you'd become habituated to and once it ends you immediately feel at peace. I didn't know travel was what I needed until I unpacked my bags in a different continent, and I'm so thankful for that.
Thanks again to all those who made my time overseas a reality. I truly am so grateful for all of those who have stood by me to get me where I am today. I hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences half as much as I enjoyed living them.
Signing off until the next adventure,
The Wanderlustful American
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