The Gift of Gab

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who talk very LOUDLY about their personal business on their cell phone on a quiet plane getting ready to take off. Just like the guy in the row right behind me right now. I'm tired and have a headache and could really use a little peace and quiet right now.

Ear plugs, anyone?

Slavko Comes to America!!

Slavko is a great friend that we met in Prague.  Originally from Macedonia, he had moved to Prague for university and then took a TEFL class and became an English teacher- he worked at the same school as Jason.  He was a member of our close group of friends in Prague and we shared all too many great stories and funny moments with him around.

Back in October we got word that Slavko was coming to Texas- El Paso/Juarez more specifically- for Christmas.  I know, Juarez and El Paso??  To travel halfway around the world to go to one of the most dangerous and least desirable places on earth!  I tried to warn Slavko of this, but he was going to visit a friend and was convinced it would be fine.

In the end, it was, of course.  He stayed there for the holidays and then made a weekend trip to visit Brandon, Sarah, Jason and I in Austin.  It was so much fun to see our old friend and relive some of our favorite memories from the good ol' days.  We greeted Slavko at the airport wearing t-shirts designed by Brandon, special for his arrival.

We all wore our t-shirts out on the town that night and got plenty of good laughs and great photos.  What a fun night of catching up it was!  We spent the rest of the weekend showing Slavko as many Texas sites as we could- everything from BBQ to walking around Town Lake and 2-steppin' at a real country bar.

It was a great visit, but I couldn't help but to think how strange it might have been for Slavko.  Slavko still lives in Prague and has a good job (much better than when we were all English teachers...).  But still, the disconnect from life in Prague and life in the States is unreal.  When we all lived there, we had small (but nice) apartments and owned basically just what we could fit in our backpacks and took public transportation everywhere.  Now, both Jason & I and Brandon & Sarah have bought big houses and have two cars with tons of stuff.  How different can life be??  Whenever I think about how much stuff I have now it makes me want to take a step back and simplify my life.  While I do enjoy being able to buy a new shirt without having to wonder how I will take it back home, I miss the lack of materialism I had while living abroad.  Anyway, I just realized how strange it would probably seem to an outsider... especially since we all were in the same boat just a short time ago.

Ahhh... the simplicity.

Why Do You Go Abroad?

It’s a good question, and one that I’ve definitely been faced with before. Friends and family members sometimes don’t seem to get where and why I travel. Why do you want to go to all of those places? How to you communicate when people don’t speak English? Don’t you get scared when you visit those countries?

Enjoying a beautiful day in Prague, Czech Republic

I go abroad because that’s how I learn and grow. Sure, I learned some useful things in my college courses and I’m proud of my Journalism degree that I achieved. But those classroom lessons aren’t near as memorable or thought provoking as the ones I experienced while traveling.

I studied abroad in Spain for a semester during my junior year of college. Before that, I had traveled on several family trips around Europe and Central America, but studying abroad was different. To stay in one place for an extended period of time allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of another city, culture and language. It was enchanting to me.

With New Friends in Spain

Upon college graduation I was ready to do it again. I knew I soon wanted to put my journalism degree to good use and move to New York to join the (struggling) magazine industry, but before that I needed one last adventure- and a summer volunteering in Peru sounded perfect.

There was only one problem with my little plan: I feel in love with Peru and found a love for traveling unlike ever before. After only being there a week, I knew that my summer abroad would not be enough. I extended my stay in Peru while my parents moved my things out of my college apartment. I took a TEFL certification class and then taught English in Cusco for the next six months. The real world wasn’t going anywhere- that part of my life would just have to wait.

Jump!  At Machu Picchu, Peru

The travel bug which had started as a small seed inside me continued to grow and expand and I found myself bursting at the seams with a desire to see the world. In all, I spent 3 years teaching English and traveling the world calling Peru, South Korea and then the Czech Republic home. The more I traveled the more new places I learned about and wanted to visit. Laos? I had never heard of that country- let’s go there! Bratislava? A European capital city I wasn’t aware of? Let’s check it out!

Snake charming in Marrakech, Morocco

Now, I call the United States my home once again. I’ve been living here for about a year and a half and work as a study abroad advisor, having discarded my old magazine dreams. I don’t think I’ll ever stop traveling- to stop traveling would be to quit learning and growing. I still travel. I may not be country hopping quite as frequently, but traveling the world has also taught me that there are so many places to explore just within my own country. Since I’ve been living back in the US I’ve been to 8 new states and seen some incredible places just within these borders. Sometimes it takes traveling the world to realize the jewels that lay in our own backyards.

Hiking in Korea

Traveling has changed my world. I am no longer the person I was before my abroad life. With each new experience I learn more about myself, the world around me and grow as a person. Whatever your reasons for your travel, you just have to get out there and do it. You never know how it may change your life, it certainly has changed mine.

Admiring the view in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

New Year, New Blog

I'm not usually too big on making New Year's Resolutions. They tend to be hard to keep and I usually forget them pretty quickly after the 1st of the year. But this year, I decided to give it another go. I have just a couple for myself.

Start blogging again.
I've recently been missing my blog, and found myself perusing my old entries a few days back. Even though I'm not traveling that much I can still keep blogging, right? I enjoy writing and this can be a good outlet for me here. I'll write once again and post stories and videos that I find interesting, probably mostly travel, eco-friendly and cooking related, with possibly some DIY home improvement things thrown in (basically whatever I find interesting). I think this is something I can stick with, although I can't make any guarantees on the frequency...

Stay healthy and continue to improve overall health.
Keep going to yoga 2+ days a week.
Add in more cardio, wherever and however I can.
Keep making delicious, healthy food, and learn new recipes.
Eat less junk (can be hard in Texas, with all the delicious queso, breakfast tacos and BBQ...)

And I think that'll do it.

Also, as a side note, in case you've been wondering what I've been up to since I stopped blogging:
-Jason and I moved to Austin, TX
-work as a study abroad advisor
-have made great new friends and explored my beautiful new city
-traveled to 8 new states (mostly for work) and visited some old favorites
-bought a house (!!!)
-settled into life in one place (mostly), but still dream of traveling always...

Anyway....
Happy New Year.
Šťastný Nový Rok.
새해 복 많이 받으세요.
Feliz año nuevo.

RIP Havel

I never was a big history buff and was too young during the time of the Soviet Bloc to remember anything. While living Prague, I quickly learned all about the fall of communism and one of the Czech Republic's most beloved figures, Vaclav Havel. My students loved telling me all about the events of 1989 as well as their own personal stories from this era. It opened me eyes to the incredible history these people lived through. It became clear to me very quickly that Havel was a special man. Czech people were so proud of him and the things he accomplished during his life time. He will be greatly missed.

With the recent events in Prague, it has made me miss that amazing city as much as ever. I wish I could have been there for this.

Hello Again!

I have been seriously neglecting my blog for the last few months. Life has been so busy lately I really haven't had an time to think about the blog. But here's the basic run down of life since June:
-finished up my teaching contract in Prague
-spent July and the beginning of August traveling around Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Switzerland
-New York/New Jersey, Kentucky/Ohio and Colorado in August
-got stung by 14 bees (that's another story)
-moved to Austin, TX, started a new job and moved into a great apartment with Jason

Life in a nutshell! Now I'm busy getting settled into my new life back in America, buying up furniture for the new apartment, and traveling around for work (I'm curently in Ohio!).

I'll try to update again soon and post some pics!

Travel is Good for Your Brain.

Story from the UK Telegraph about creativity in relation to life abroad:

Are expats more creative than stay-at-homers?

Living in another country has long been considered a worthwhile learning experience, but new research suggests it might also increase creativity.

The study, published by the American Psychological Association, showed that people who lived abroad tended to be more creative than those who lived in their home country.

The study required a group of students to undergo a variety of standard psychological tests for measuring creativity, such as the Duncker candle task.

In this test, students were asked to work out how to fix a candle to a wall so it did not drip wax onto the floor, using only a box of pins, a book of matches and a candle.

The solution is to attach the empty pin box to the wall and place the candle inside it. This is considered a test of creativity because it requires the test subjects to use an object for an unconventional function – in this case, a box as a candle holder.

The tests showed that 60% of those who had lived abroad solved the problem, whilst out of those who had not lived abroad, the success rate was only 42%.

Professor William Maddux, the lead author of the study, said: “The theory that living abroad somehow opens your mind is an old one, which we know through stories of artists like Hemingway who lived in France. Running tests like this however gives us actual empirical evidence for the first time.”

According to the study, creativity levels were unlikely to be high in people who had travelled abroad for a short period of time, or who had not attempted to adapt to the culture they were living in. But creativity was far more prominent in people who had made efforts to learn the language of their new home.

“Interestingly, high levels in creativity only seemed to show in people who had lived abroad, and not in those who had a superficial exposure to foreign countries through travel, “said Professor Maddux.

“In order to widen their creative abilities, it seems that people have to really try and fit into a different environment, and learn how to do things in a totally different way."

The study also showed a positive correlation between entrepreneurship and creativity.

“There are a lot successful businessmen in the United States who came from abroad, or have worked abroad for some time,” said Professor Maddux. “Whether it’s in solving a corporate dispute, or coming up with a new project, living abroad seems to be able to be to help people approach ideas from different and innovative ways.

“Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programs and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation to stay competitive," he added.

Professor Maddux’s research was carried out on groups of students at INSEAD business school in France and at Northwestern University in the United States in collaboration with Professor Adam Galinsky.

Professor Maddux said that his interest in the subject arose from his own experiences as an expat.

The Final Countdown

6 Days.

6 Days until I leave this beautiful city that I have been calling home for the last 10 months. And I'm not ready!! It's going to be hard to leave. But moving on is just a part of life, isn't it? There's not much room for me to progress and do what I want career wise in Prague, so there's just not too much to keep me here for too much longer.

All the friends we have made here this year have been amazing and unforgettable. We have formed the coolest international expat group of weekend trip taking, frisbee playing, wine drinking, BBQ eating, football watching, marshmellow roasting, camp fire story telling group of friends that I will never forget. How I wish that we could all stay here together and continue our lives in this way. But alas, almost everyone is moving on now, too. I know I will see you all again whether it be at a reunion in Colorado, a hiking trip in Nepal or a beach vacation in Thailand.

This is not the end.

It took me a while to get used to life in Prague, as I suppose it does anywhere. But now I truly love this city and the beauty that I see walking around every day. Views of the Vltava and the castle will never, ever get old. Hanging out at one of the many beautiful parks has become a favorite past time here. And how could I possibly forget to mention the cheap, delicious Czech beer? Wonderful.

It's been an amazing year that I will never forget. It's hard to compare life in all of the countries that I have lived in throughout the past 4 years, but Prague may just take the number 1 spot, thanks to the beautiful city and amazing friends. But each one of my homes will always hold a special place in my heart.

Now on to the next one....

Jason and I are leaving Prague on Friday to spend a long weekend in Budapest. Beyond that, our plans for the next couple of months have changed a lot from our initial ideas. Jason has decided to stay in Prague and work for one more month. So after Budapest, he will return to Prague and work for July. I will continue on from Budapest (exact location still TBD...) and have my own little adventure for the month. I am going to participate in WWOOF, a program that places volunteers with organic farms for an exchange of work/information. I think it's a really interesting program and I am excited to get my hands a little dirty and learn more about organic food and sustainable living at the same time. I am looking into Greece, Croatia and Slovenia for farms and hope to spend about 2 weeks working. Then I will travel around a little bit and hang out at the beach for a few days wherever I am, before coming back to Prague to meet up with Jason again. From here, we'll probably go to Switzerland for a few days before heading back to the States at the beginning of August.

That's the plan, I'll let you know what really happens after the fact.

Cheers to a wonderful summer and a beautiful city!