Traveler – Page 18 – It Is Trish

My Brief Obsession with Soccer

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015TrishLeave a comment

I’ve never been very into televised sports (Olympics obviously exempted), but in the summer of 2014, the stars aligned and I became intensely invested in the World Cup. That was the summer that Liz and Mallory and I were having a Senegal reunion, and I was annoyed by how often our text planning devolved into the two of them talking about soccer. In a desperate attempt to fit in, I agreed to watch the USA vs. Portugal match. I knew a girl I follow on tumblr was fanatical about “her son” Christiano Ronaldo, so I rooted for Portugal. Although they lost, I was hooked on the game.

It was a perfect setup. Liz was the soccer aficionado who could explain offside rules and eloquently describe the beauty of the long choreography that led to a goal. Mallory was the man appreciator who responded “YESSS” to my texts of “take off your shirt!!” I was particularly in love with Ronaldo (albeit briefly because of Portugal’s loss) and Mesut Ozil, who someone described as a big-eyed orphan boy, and my heart was gone. Continue reading →

Greek Time

March 22, 2015March 22, 2015Trish2 Comments

I’m pretty sure my body was made for Greece. Once I got over jet lag, the pace of a typical Greek day (at least, according to the school at which I was staying) was exactly what I would choose if I could schedule the world. Everything is two hours later than usual, and I LOVE IT. My typical day at the Bible College went something like this:

8:30    Wake up, eat breakfast, slowly get ready for the day.
10:00 Work and/or classes start.
11:30 Snack and socializing break.
12:00 Back to work.
2:00    Lunch time!
3:00    Back to work.6:00    Finish work and hang out for a while.
8:00    Eat dinner!
9:00    Socialize, finish projects, whatever.
12:00 Bedtime.

Three other North Americans were visiting at the same time as me (two Canadians and one USian). Several times they expressed surprise (and dismay) at the schedule or slyly over-mentioned how weird it was to eat lunch at 2:00. Not me! I fully embrace the Greek lifestyle, and I plan to subtly complain about the weird American system for now on.

If you could force the world to adapt to your personalized schedule, what would it look like?

Flying First Class for the First Time

March 7, 2015March 24, 2015TrishLeave a comment

When I printed my boarding pass after checking in online, I was surprised to see the my seat number labeled “Check at Gate.” I didn’t think much of it, and the next day I worked my way through DFW to Gate E30. As boarding began and I realized everyone else knew their seat assignment, I went to the gate desk to ask for help. The man behind the counter looked at my boarding pass, said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” and told me to sit down for the next few minutes. The minutes passed, and everyone had boarded the plane but me.

The desk guy butchered my name as he called me to the desk, handed me a new boarding pass, and said, “Enjoy first class.” I checked the slip of paper. Seat 2D. FIRST CLASS?? Hyperventilating with the sort of excitement that fears a cruel joke is just around the corner, I walked onto the plane. Sure enough, two seats from the very front of the aircraft was an empty seat. My seat. Continue reading →

How to Cope with Anxiety in an Airport

March 7, 2015March 7, 2015TrishLeave a comment

Sometime around 36 hours before my trip began, anxiety hit. Before then, when people asked if I was nervous about going to Athens, I could genuinely chuckle and say, “Nah. I’ve been there before. I know what I’m doing. It’s going to be intense but fun!” I don’t know what changed, but 36 hours ago, all my unacknowledged anxiety came rushing into consciousness.

This is it. This is the beginning of the next step in my life. I’m going to visit the city that will soon be my home. I’m going to hang out with the people who will soon be my coworkers and (hopefully) friends. What if I hate the city? What if everyone I meet hates me? What if I’ve made a terrible decision, but I can’t take it back because then I’d look ridiculous? What if I do back out but it’s a choice made out of fear and I miss out on an amazing opportunity? What if everything goes wrong and I trip on my face five times and no one speaks English and I sit alone in a corner the whole time?

Clearly action needed to be taken. Here are some tips (I may or may not have done) to cope with anxiety while in an airport: Continue reading →

Flying to Greece in Comfort

March 7, 2015March 5, 2015TrishLeave a comment

Today I begin my 20-hour journey to Athens!

Until today, I have posted daily content on this blog, but for the next week, updates might be hit or miss. I will not be uploading any new book reviews or travel stories. I hope to write Real Time updates of what I am doing and learning as often as possible. However, I don’t know what my Internet situation will be like, so there may be some days when nothing new is posted.

Until then, here’s a video I made teaching you how to dress for flying.

My Top 5 Dream Vacations

March 5, 2015February 27, 2015Trish1 Comment

Everyone has a list of places they would go if money and opportunity were no obstacle, right? I mean, my end goal is to visit every country in the whole world, so I’m not too picky. But there are definitely some places that, if given the chance, I would drop everything to visit.

1. New Zealand. I’ve got to be honest. What I really mean by New Zealand is Middle-earth. I think I’ve adequately described how much I love Lord of the Rings in previous posts, but in case you didn’t know: I’m obsessed. My love for this fictional world is what makes New Zealand a distant dream; I need this trip to be specifically tailored to my desire. For starters, I absolutely have to have a fellow LotR fanatic as a traveling companion. 95% of our conversations are going to be about Gandalf, Edoras, etc, and if you can’t keep up, you can’t come. I’m also going to need a lot of money, because I want to stay in Hobbiton, and I want to go on a LotR tour, and I want to helicopter to every filming site. It’s going to break bank, and it’s going to be awesome. Continue reading →

Blog Rec: The Budget-Minded Traveler

March 1, 2015February 27, 2015TrishLeave a comment

When I stumbled across The Budget-Minded Traveler, I immediately knew I’d struck gold. She writes perfectly in-depth posts about traveling accessories (suitcases, backpacks, scarves with passport pockets) and traveling tips (visas, cell phone usage, packing inspirations). Her blog archive is a wonderful place to start, with a tag cloud to help you find a subject you are especially interested in and a list of her most recent posts.

My favorite post so far (I’m still happily exploring her site) is her Ninja Packing Tips: Packing List for Europe With Just a 30L Packback. She includes a lot of pictures and incredibly specific suggestions about what items to take with you and which to leave at home. It was very inspirational, and I want to make my packing increasingly compact.

Once you get a chance to look at The Budget-Minded Traveler, share your favorite posts in the comments! I’d love to check them out.

#Athens2015 Playlist

February 24, 2015March 24, 2015TrishLeave a comment

It is a known fact that the most important part of preparing for a trip is the construction of a trip-specific playlist. Here are five of the songs on my #Athens2015 Playlist.

1) Making Money by Ben Rector

Continue reading →

Tricia Makes a Japanese Friend in Senegal

February 16, 2015February 7, 2015TrishLeave a comment

Fatick, Senegal – March 2010

One of the most powerful bonds between people is formed when people who feel like outsiders find solace in each other. This is especially fun when there is nothing connecting these people other than the fact that they are outsiders.

While I lived in Fatick, there were fourteen people in the city who were “toubabs,” and eight of them were on our mission team. There were three other Americans in Fatick doing work with the PeaceCorps. There was one Korean girl who worked at the hospital and two Japanese girls who taught at one of the schools. “Toubabs” are people whose light skin obviously differentiates them from the local Senegalese. Any further national divisions were often hilariously wrong. I was usually recognized as being from the United States, but only because I am tall. My housemate Liz, also from the United States, was usually assumed to be from Japan, because she is short and has dark hair. But no matter what, whether from Asia or America, we fourteen were all “toubabs.” Continue reading →