Traveling Soul

Going on a towel scavenger hut was a blessing in disguise. The strangers that we met while doing that are to this day, still our friends. Roberto and Eder are their names. The following day, they took us to San Miguel, another beautiful town. We took a taxi to the bus, an hour bus ride to the city, and then a bus to the downtown area. I love using the public transportation system in another country, it makes me feel accomplished, but of course, we had a lot of help. The bus station was the first place that I had seen where we had to pay (5 pesos) to use the bathroom. When did necessary needs such as using the bathroom become a privilege? Granted, 5 pesos isn't a lot, but if you had to choose between using 5 pesos for the bathroom and saving it for food, the choice becomes a battle between two needs....Speaking of privileges, the water here (as been warned by many) is not safe to drink. I had a similar problem in China, but for different reasons. The water in China contained metal t...

The people here are something else....they are all so incredibly nice. A couple of days ago, my girlfriends and I signed up for a gym near my house and it required that you either bring your own towel or that you buy one in order to clean the equipment that you use. Of course, when we were signing up, they didn't have any. We went on a search to find a store, but the one that was recommended by my host mom was closed. So we did the most logical thing possible, we asked some strangers on the road. It turns out that one of them is also an exchange student here. They walked us all the way to the store, which was pretty far away, and then they walked us back to our gym. The other day while taking the public bus, I met a girl who turned out to be a teacher for the same school that I was attending. She helped me navigate which bus to take and which stop to get off. This complete immersion, although difficult, is exactly what I need. I can feel myself improving, slowly but surely, every d...

Wow...what a crazy and long couple of days it has been here. I love the unfamiliarity of coming to a new place; the foreignness feels good to me. It is easy to get attached to a certain way of thinking or behaving...often times we get comfortable in just that; our bubble of what's right and wrong, our lack of desire to know and understand more. I know that I've been there, a lot and I admit that, but I'm also more than willing to open my heart to new ideas and viewpoints different from my own. The last couple of days before I left were weird...I was feeling incredibly grateful for my friends and family that were providing and caring for me. Although I did not have one place to call home, I felt like I had many homes. However, as my nomadic transition came to end, it seemed as though that I, was once again, alone. Alone to my thoughts and emotions....despite what everyone has told me, this has remained a consistent and somewhat, harsh, yet satisfying truth. Kelly picked me...

It has been 17 days since I've been back from my excursion in China and in 4 short days, I will be leaving for Mexico to study abroad for 3 months. I'm restless and excited, apprehensive yet collected. An incomplete flawless list of emotions, time will continue to move along its continuum and I will have no choice but to move with it. I've lost, for hopefully a short period of time, a dear friend that I thought would always be standing by my side..but relationships, as always are often messy and inconsistent. In the end, time and distance often truly proves those who are, despite your imperfections, are more than willing (and worth fighting) to be in your life. We all learn this lesson, in varying moments of our lives, but eventually we all face the heart ache and the pain of letting someone that you care so deeply for, go. No matter how much effort, how many times you press the call button, or how many thoughtful messages you send, there comes a time when the best thing ...

It's such a strange and unfamiliar feeling to be back. The crisp, fresh air is something that I dearly longed for...I never slept at all on the 12 hour plane ride and I barely drifted in and out of consciousness on the second plane ride to Portland. My friend Chaunte picked me up and on the 2 hour ride home, I rambled on about China, skipping over the details...we made a quick stop at a secret swimming hole near the McKenzie River where we enjoyed the company of a stranger friend, organic watermelon, and the beauty of the setting sun. I dipped into the cold water up to my waste, looking into the distance, I saw a blue heron fly over. Nature is something I can never escape and as promised, it always brings the good vibes. I knew that when I came back, it would be somewhat difficult to adjust to everything. When talking about any experience, words fail to convey the emotions, the thought process, and the feelings that create and make up an experience. When you return from traveling...

About two weeks ago, I lost my phone... It's been very difficult communicating and reaching out to people, but on the plus side, I spend the majority of my time reading and writing, if not having deep talks with my roommate. For the most part, it has been very enjoyable and I feel as though my days are more fulfilling. So Chris from Germany and to my friends and family who I haven't been able to contact, I'm still alive. Last weekend, on Friday, my friends and I went out to dinner for Shakercha's birthday. Her birthday is next weekend, but she's not traveling with us to Shanghai. In fact, there will only be four of us going there, two down from our usual six. We are taking a 16 hour overnight train to save money and then a bullet train back. We will have 26 hours in Shanghai, but I know that every second will be worth it. It's crazy to think that I have 10 days here in Beijing. What started out as 2 months has passed by faster than I could have imagined. As so...

This last weekend was definitely the best weekend I've ever had in China. On Friday we traveled to Hou Hai, a beautiful and serene area surrounded by three huge lakes. Around the lakes are restaurants, cute stores, and of course many bars and clubs. We left our apartments later than anticipated with one of our usual six girls staying behind. We made sure to get detailed directions from our co-workers who had visited the area the previous weekend. She handed us a map and circled the address of where the hostel was located. We got off of our metro stop around 8:00 and walked for about 30 minutes until deciding to ask for help. A worker from a dessert shop points us straight while simultaneously speaking in Mandarin. Before long we agree to flag a tuk tuk down because we were told that taxis can't go through Hou Hai. Squeezing five people into a tuk tuk, the driver takes us on a long and crazy ride. He drops us off in the middle of Hou Hai, nowhere close to our hostel and we are f...