Traveler

Beaches Around the World

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Without thinking for more than two seconds, I assume that there are three kinds of nature people:  1) beach people, 2) mountain people, and 3) forest people.  On further thought, perhaps there are also desert people?  Leave a comment if you are one of them, because I would like to know why.

Growing up in the Midwest, the beach was idealized.  We were so far from any kind of ocean that those lucky few who vacationed by the Atlantic or the Gulf returned as mystical creatures, tanned and boasting about seashells and tides.  I never fully understood this obsession, because I am 100% a 3) forest person.  Who wants sand in their swimsuit when they could breathe in deeply, inhaling the scent of dirt and photosynthesis, looking up through sun-dappled leaves to a blue sky?

I am a forest person, but I’ve never quite been able to shake the thought that, perhaps, there is something to beaches that I’ve been missing.  So I keep visiting them, hoping someday this missing piece will click within me, and I’ll fully appreciate the wonders of hot sand and salty water.  These are some of the beaches I have visited so far, each with a very different experience and enjoyment level.  Continue reading →

There Are No Adults in Disney World

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It has been thirteen years since the last (and only) time I have been to Disney World.  My aunt and cousin wanted to spend our one day in Magic Kingdom, and I agreed, despite my memories of it being a little boring.  I wanted to indulge in my love of travel in Epcot or maybe enjoy the shows in Hollywood Studios, but they promised Magic Kingdom would be worth it.

IMG_5599It was fun enough.  We rode famous rides like “Peter Pan’s Flight” and “It’s a Small World.”  I couldn’t shake my adult cynicism, however, and I made my mom listen to comments about the subtle racism of a majority-white puppet world.  I liked the puns made by the “Jungle Cruise” operator (“What is the scariest plant?  BamBOO”) and I enjoyed climbing through “Swiss Family Treehouse.”  But nothing had awakened my childlike glee since boarding the ferry that took us from parking lot to theme park.

Nothing, that is, until we avoided the mid-afternoon heat by escaping into seated, air conditioned shows.  “Is Mickey’s PhilharMagic like Fantasia?” I asked.  “Yeah, kind of,” my cousin lied.  We put on our 3D glasses, and my heart exploded.  Continue reading →

New Travel Page!

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I over-organize and over-share, so it was only a matter of time before I created a page that lists my trips in reverse chronological order.  You can find it by hovering over the “Travel” icon at the top of my page until the drop box appears, then selecting “Recent Trips.”

I like this page because it erases the US/international travel dichotomy I had previously established on my site.  There are beautiful places and cool people to meet in my own country and throughout the world, and I want to honor them equally.

I also like being able to see the number of places I’ve visited in a year and the months in which I tend to travel.  With this information I can get statistic-y and self-aware.  For instance, I have done a lot of traveling in 2015, and the year is only half over.  This directly coincides with my move from Texas to Illinois, and a frantic upswing in “I need to see as many things as possible before I leave!”  And based on three years worth of data, it looks like March and July are my preferred months for traveling.  Also easy to dissect, because at until age 27, I was still a student, and spring break/summer are prime times to take off on an adventure.

I hope this page is handy for some of you.  It definitely is for me!

You Don’t Have to be Fluent in a Language to Communicate

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I hate learning foreign languages.  It necessarily makes you feel dumber than a three-year-old, and there are few things I hate more than feeling dumb (maybe pulling teeth  or horror movies).  But there is one huge benefit:  with a grasp on only a handful of phrases, speaking in a foreign language forces people to be more intimate and vulnerable.

I like to use words to my advantage, spinning out sentences that make me seem self-effacing or funny or smart.  The more I say, the less it really means.  But when I’m in Mongolia, I cannot say, “You didn’t have to do that!”  I can only say, “Thank you.”  When I’m in Senegal, I cannot say, “That dress is really flattering, and wow!  Your hair!”  I simply say, “You are very beautiful.”  When I’m in Greece, I cannot say, “I really appreciate what you did for me, that was great!”  I have to say “I love you.”  Continue reading →

Travel Tip: Be Assertive

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One of my favorite things about Gany is that she asks for what she wants.  She even asks for what I want, which is exactly what I like in a friend.

When we were driving into the Mongolian countryside, we passed a small strip of desert.  Some young boys were standing by the road with camel halters in hand.  “We’re going to stop to go to the bathroom,” Gany explained, pointing to the hole in the ground surrounded on three sides by bright orange tarp.  “Do you want to ride a camel?  It’s three dollars.”

I stared greedily out the window.  How fun!  But…this was just a bathroom break.  Gany and our driver wouldn’t want to wait while I rode a camel.  My friend watched my face, opened the car door, and said, “I will hire a camel for you.”  Continue reading →

My 4-Year Mongolia Anniversary

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Timehop reminded me that four years ago today, I was flying from Chicago to Seoul to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  I spent three weeks in the Asian country (south of Russia, north of China), and that trip remains one of my absolute favorite traveling memories, in large part because of how it came to be.

In the fall of 2010, Samaritan’s Purse Children’s Heart Project sent 14-year-old Sarangoo and her mother, Byamba, to Peoria, IL for heart surgery.  They stayed with a couple from my church, and the rest of our congregation poured food, entertainment, and love into their lives.  Except me.  I was recently returned home after college and five months in Senegal.  Bored with the familiar and feeling very single amongst married or dating friends, I was depressed.  And in my depression I couldn’t be bothered to help someone else.

Luckily for me, there was another depressed person in the mix.  Gany was Sarangoo’s translator, and their host family sent out an email that essentially read: “Gany is bored!  Will someone take her out for something fun?”  That sounded exactly like me, so I volunteered.  We went out to eat at Culver’s, took pictures of the Holocaust Memorial at the mall, and played the piano at my parent’s house.  Almost immediately, I knew I had found a kindred spirit.  Continue reading →

Video Rec: HeyUSA Season 2

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Last summer, I fell in love with HeyUSA, a video series about Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart traveling around the United States in order to wear weird outfits, drink a lot of alcohol, and participate in hilarious adventures.  I wrote a blog post about it!  When I found out there would be a second season, I was pumped.  When I found out Grace wouldn’t be in it, I avoided the videos for two months.  It just couldn’t be the same, I whined.  But in a moment of desperation (aka boredom), I caved.  And I’m so glad I did!   Continue reading →

Living in the Midwest

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I grew up in central Illinois.  My parents always wanted us out in the country with at least a couple acres of land separating us from the neighbors.  Every time houses or shopping complexes appeared within two miles of our house, complaints were made about increased traffic.  I reacted to this like every normal teenager:  by rebelling against everything they stood for and declaring myself a fan of big cities.

After living in Dallas for three years, I can officially say that I do like big cities.  The availability of unique and fantastic food and entertainment cannot be beat.  However, now that I’m back in Illinois, I can admit that there are some solid reasons to love the Midwest.  Continue reading →

Goodbye Dallas

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Today I leave Dallas.

The three years I lived here weren’t especially fancy.  I arrived a 24-year-old, and now I am 27.  I graduated from seminary with a Master’s in Biblical Counseling.  I traveled to three new states.  I got a tattoo.

But the most significant memories are subtler.  I lived with six women who taught me, laughed with me, and let me rant about gender roles in the church.  I nannied two children who adored my silliness.  I learned from professors who deepened my understanding of my identity as person made in the image of God.  I attended a church that taught me to depend upon weekly Communion and the grace of God.

I think, though, that the biggest change that has happened in Dallas has been my emotional growth due to my time spent in counseling.  I attended 20 individual sessions, and my primary goal was to learn to be vulnerable, especially when it came to showing sadness and anger.  I grew a lot during those sessions, but mostly I intellectualized myself away from really sharing how I felt.  I never cried in front of my counselor.

I attended 8 group counseling sessions, and my world broke open.  I opened up about some really hard feelings, cried (and apologized for crying) in front of my peers, and heard, “Before, I just thought you were ‘nice,’ but I didn’t really know you.  Now you’re a real person.  I like you more because you let yourself cry.”  That was the first time I cried in front of someone since high school, I think.

Yesterday, my church commissioned me for my time in Greece.  Our elders laid hands and prayed for me and several other men and women going on mission trips.  I hugged my church family goodbye, and immediately teared up.  “I didn’t want to cry!” I said.  The person I hugged happened to be a counselor.  “Why don’t you want to cry?” he asked.  “No, don’t do that!” Another friend came up and hugged me.  She’s tall, so I got to bury my face in her shoulder and sob a little.  And she’s emotionally healthy, so she cried with me.  When we made watery eye contact, she told me, “Your tears are precious.”

I cried a lot yesterday.  I said goodbye to dear friends that I consider family.  I ate, laughed, and hugged.  And now I’m leaving.  But my tears are precious, because they mean that Dallas mattered.  I had so much fun here.  I’ll miss this place, and my time here, deeply.  And I’ll be back.

Looking Forward to Greece

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One of my DTS friends recently decided that she and her husband are moving to England instead of staying in Texas.  I freaked out, screaming, “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing!  You’re going to live in England!  That is such a cool opportunity!  I’m so jealous!”

She stared at me for a moment.  “Tricia.  You’re moving to Greece.”

I gasped.  “You’re right!  I’m so cool!”

I was flabbergasted.  I guess I’ve been so involved in the planning, and worrying about the fundraising (donate here!), and thinking very practically that I forgot:  I’m moving to Greece.  I’m going to live in Athens for a whole year!  This is literally a bucket list experience (which I would prove with a picture of my bucket list notebook, but it is already packed for my move to Peoria), and I don’t think I’m appreciating it enough.

Luckily, I have friends like Michal, who share my love of traveling (read about our Puerto Rico vacation or our New Orleans weekend) and ask me, “What in Greece are you most excited about?”  Well, here’s my top five.  Continue reading →