Citizen of the World

Do you want to be a power in the World? Then be yourself!! The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers, but most of all, the world needs dreamers who do... Once you believe in yourself you can risk Curiosity, Wonder, Spontaneity, Delight and all other experiences that reveal the human Spirit... Believe!!

Why am I traveling? I am taking this leave of absence and traveling the World because I want to! I am in search of an extraordinary journey, a grassroots effort to make a difference in the World. Perhaps to discover what it means to be a citizen of the World and a member of the human race… not separated by borders, belief systems, skin color, or political doctrine. The possibilities are endless and I’m preparing to take off on a round the world adventure! There have been many changes is my life in the last couple of months and this trip has been a dream of mine for years and I’m so excited to finally make it come true. I want/need to take time to think about things that matter to me rather than what is next on my list of things to do. I want to fumble through my phrase books, play charades with locals and attempt to bargain with vendors until they somewhat understand what I'm trying to say. I want to feel lonely and really miss the things that matter most to me. I want to hike to the top of mountains, trek through the jungle, swim in as many bodies of water than I come across and gasp at the sheer beauty of this world. I want to volunteer and serve people that really need my help, and in return, be reminded of how incredibly blessed I am.

I don't want to look back when I am older and regret that I didn’t allow myself to experience this world the way I wanted to. I am so thankful to have so many amazing and supportive people in my life that accept me for all of my crazy ways. Words seem so inadequate for me to express the way I feel about my family and friends – I would be completely lost without them, and I hope they all know what a difference they make in my life. I am so excited to start my trip, but I will definitely miss everyone.... but technically it’s not really “goodbye,” it’s just, “See you in a few months” Plus if anyone gets the travel bug while I’m gone, we can meet up along the way!

Skiing Utah

After arriving at Salt Lake City Airport, Eight of us piled tightly into the rental minivan and headed to the rental house located at the base of the pristine Wasatch Mountains. We claimed our rooms, unloaded all of our belongings and piled back into the minivan to have Dinner at Porcupine Bar & Grill.

The first time visiting Utah was a very pleasant surprise. The mountains are a bazillion times better than anything I've ever skied on the east coast. Wide, level, smooth, empty....Not only are there a bunch of vastly different ski resorts to choose from, but each offers a totally different, yet equally incredible skiing (or snowboarding) experience and absolutely breathtaking scenery... I ventured on several blues and a few black trails. The snowfall was over the top and gave us several inches of powder.

Throughout the week we visited Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude. Each mountain truly has something for everyone. It is a thing of beauty seeing a skier/boarder who knows what they are doing, gliding effortlessly down a perfectly groomed trail or through the heavily wooded areas... For some of us, it might look more like a grotesque marionette dance, at the hands of a puppet master suffering from turrets... but you have to start somewhere, and the pursuit of perfection is not such a bad thing to spend your days searching for.

After each exciting, exhausting day we all came home ready to go strong all night and party it up, but at soon as we all piled into the hot tub our bodies felt like blobs of jello and ended up passing out around 10pm to get up the following morning and do it all over again. The last day a few of us got up bright and early to go Snowmobiling at Snowbird and ended up getting caught in a blizzard during an avalanche warning! As you can see by the snowflake that is eating my face...The snow was really coming down! It was such a blast!

In the evening I met with Jacquelyn and her fiancé Dan, old Skydiving buddies from NC, who just moved to Salt Lake a few weeks ago. They picked me up and we went on a little tour of the town. We ate lunch at Einstein Brothers bagels because we weren't too "wild" about the Wild Grape and their expensive grub. Then we made our way over to Hatch Family Chocolates to visit Steve from the TV series The Little Chocolatiers. Cutest little guy ever!! http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/little-chocolatiers/

Time flew by pretty quickly and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the East coast.

Now is right on time....

My journey has molded me for the greater good, and so far it has been exactly what it needed to be. Don't ever think that you've lost time.... every so often the thought crosses my mind, but then I remember it takes each and every situation you encounter to bring you to the now, and now is right on time.... A New Year is upon us! Even though it has been a little chilly outside I feel that it adds a magical element to the Holiday season. It is the time of year when we appreciate the little things a bit more.  We live in a modern world with everything at our fingertips, and not much of a connection to the World around us, our past or each other. But there's a different world within our reach! Get back to the basics by writing, adventuring and challenging your skills! Unglue yourself from the electronic society we live in and take risks exploring like our ancestors did. Go outside and enjoy nature and everything that surrounds you! 

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life; but there I was always with some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way! So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit light a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it...Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. but Life is about not knowing. It is about having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity...You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face... do the things you think you cannot do. life is short. eat dessert first!

As most of you know, I’m better at writing my thoughts than saying them …. So I’m going to put what’s been on my mind into a scenario…. I was at the airport and they had announced the departure, I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.' The daughter replied, “Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too” They kissed and the daughter left. The father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?”

“Yes, I have,” I replied. “Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?”

“I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.“When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, “I wish you enough.” May I ask what that means?

He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone...' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' is when you want the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

For now my plans for the future are to move half way across the globe….for my close friends and family I just want to say that I love you and will always be here for you. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but time goes by fast and I’ve come to the realization that I won’t get to see you guys like I get to now…and actually it isn’t that often that I see you now anyways. When I move I can’t just swing by when I feel like it, or call you to make plans to go to dinner or the movies whenever you get free time. I want to spend time with you and want to be close to you…..

I know it won’t really by a good-bye forever, but I know that I won’t get to see you as often and will only be able to make it back to visit ever so often. I know you guys don’t have a lot of money and probably won’t make it over to visit very often or ever. So I’d like to spend as much time as I can with you now as I can…

I know you have to work and that you’re busy, but so am I and I always tell you that I’ll make time for you whenever you let me know that you are free. If you work your life away it’ll be over before you know it. TAKE TIME TO LIVE.... I WISH YOU ENOUGH

Deutschland

Germany welcomed me with a cold rush of wind running down my neck as I stepped off the plane and headed to the metro. We were greeted by two of Carsten's old friends which was enough to fill anyone with warmth. Petra and Gero told me some history and fun facts about Frankfurt on the ride to their flat.  We warmed up and ate a little Stubenknecht (Little bread man from the bakery) before venturing out for the day.


Carsten and I roamed the streets of Frankfurt until my feet went numb (from the cold, not from walking). The first thing he had to do was eat currywurst (although it is typically from the Berlin area, he couldn't wait any longer). I stopped in a small bakery and ordered a sugar cookie, which he thought was hilarious because it's name was Amerikaner....so yes, I ate an American.  Once our stomaches were satisfied we walked around the Zeil area and went to the top of Zeil Gallery to overlook the city, then to Fressgasse street by the old opera, walked through Anlagenring park in search of the masses of rabbits, and ended the tour at the Eiserner Steg after strolling down the sidewalk of the Main river.  Since my fingers were beginning to go numb as well Carsten said he knew just the thing to warm me up! I couldn't go with him because he said he was taking me somewhere tomorrow and I wasn't allowed to see. So, I waited for him on the bridge. I watched as he crossed the street to a lighted area with booths and music, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise so I walked to the middle of the bridge and began taking pictures and enjoying the surroundings. Ten minutes later he came back with a steaming cup in his hand and said "Drink this! It'll warm you." Glüehwein, a Hot Mulled Wine, is an acquired taste...but did in fact warm me up pretty quickly.


Dinner time had approached and we were taken to Zur Elenburg (Castle of Owls) a cute little restaurant hidden away down a cobble stoned street of the city. I ordered goose, but tasted a bit of all the different foods from everyone's plates. We drank Äppler (Apple wine) traditional to the Frankfurt area.

Exploring cidade Maravilhosa

After reading through several books on Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in general I had a pretty good idea about the places I wanted to see during the stay in the cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City). On the way to the airport, Carsten & I stopped at Cookout to meet a friend that had visited Rio several times in the past year and had several tips and books for us to use on the trip. The book titled "How to be a Carioca" (a Rio native) was the most entertaining, and will definitely help you fit into the crowd if you visit Rio.

We headed straight to where summer happens in Rio.... Ipanema! The neighborhood with a tradition of freedom and innovation. We began walking from the side of the beach nearest to Leblon. Along the way we watched all of the locals playing sand sports (most popular was Fruitvale (no hands volleyball). We stopped at a coconut stand, gave the vendor 3R$, he pulled out his machete, chopped the coconut 3 times, popped the top off, stuck a straw inside and tada! in no time we were enjoying our Água de Côco (chilled coconut water) straight from the coconut!! We walked all the way to the other side of the beach ending up at Parque Garota de Ipanema where we watched some fisherman reeling in a fresh catch.

After resting for a bit we headed to Viscondede Piraja, a happening street in Ipanema that has tons of trendy boutiques and juice bars on every corner. We sat down at a tiny street cafe to have lunch and plan out the rest of the day. Before we knew it the sun had set and the nightlife crowd had appeared.  Walking through downtown Leblon and Gavea, we came across Jobi a real hot spot for the younger crowd. You go in, order your drink and then hang out on the sidewalk with your friends. We stopped at several tapas bars, and ended up at a tiny pizzeria to enjoy a cheesy 2:00am snack. An enjoyable day to say the least.

Failure is the mother of all success

My fortune cookie today said "Failure is the mother of all success" ....Somehow in the process of making our way to Fribourg, Switzerland from Basel we took a little detour when the lady at the train station misunderstood me and we ended up in Freiburg, Germany....

We walked around for four hours attempting to go to the locations that our cousin spoke of (examples: the river we would be able to swim in ended up being a creek we could sit and splash in, the music festival that was taking place ended up being a guy on the street corner playing his guitar and the Amazing artwork was nowhere to be found) We called our friend we were supposed to be meeting when we arrived at the McDonalds... the other end of the phone grew silent as we explained the landmarks around us...by the time we were finished she said "Are you in Germany?" .... that would explain why nothing was what it was supposed to be and why we kept seeing the German flag everywhere. We had to backtrack 3 hours and then head 4 hours in the correct direction.

We made it just in time to hear the last couple of bands playing at the music festival we were originally supposed to be at. We hung out with our cousin and his wife and I danced on stage with a guy dressed like Mario for his bachelor party. All in all it was a good day. Bad news was we wasted most of our day, Good news was we got to explore a new city in an unexpected country and finally arrived in Switzerland 7 hours later.

We hung out with our family for the next two days. Visiting castles, the Pre Alps, the town of Gruyères. Swimming in the Zürich and hanging out with the locals.It went by fast and sadly it was time to head back to the States. We took a 2:00am train to the Zürich Airport. When we arrived we had about 8 hours before our plan was scheduled to depart, so we did what we do best...Entertain ourselves :D   
We hijacked a luggage cart and toured the airport, talking to all of the random people that we saw along the way. We got bored after a while and ended up Camping out for the night in a set of chairs in a corner near our gate. We built a little fortress of chairs, cart and tables and passed out for the night.

Running with the Bulls ~ Encierro

San Fermin is accompanied by dancers and street entertainers.The week-long celebration involves many other traditional and folkloric events. It is known locally as Sanfermines and is held in honor of Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarre. Its events were central to the plot of The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, which brought it to the general attention to the World. It has become the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain.

Our morning began at 5:30am.... Rushing down to the streets after a long night was tough, but we made it and our adrenaline quickly woke us. Anxiously waiting for the run to begin, the rocket was lit, the bulls released from their pin, and the crowd began running, screaming, pushing their way towards the bull fighting arena.

We jogged for the first minute thinking "Oh it'll be a while before the bulls are near" .... Within 70 seconds we were running within arms reach right next to the enormous beasts! The ground shook as they went by. It was madness!

Not only did you have to watch out for the bulls, you had to watch out for the fear crazed people beside you, and if one person went down, 5 - 10 people toppled on top of them.

We hurdled a few piles of people and ran like we've never run before. Making our way into the Arena we ran all the way to the back wall, checked for any injuries, hugged, celebrated and took a few pictures before the next round of bulls came out.

A minute later a young bull was released into the crowd, running full speed taking out anyone that was in it's path. When the bull grew tired, they took it out of the arena and released a new bull full of energy. The people on the arena floor that were really seeking an adrenaline rush would run up, touch the bull and run away. For those that weren't quick enough, They went down like a rag doll. They went limp and their eyes rolled back as they fell to the ground.When visiting a foreign country, make sure you research how not to offend the locals ~ Luckily I do my research and know better, but unfortunately we witnessed someone that had not done their research. One guy that was feeling extra macho thought it we be cool to grab both horns of the bull and roll over it's back. As soon as his feet hit the ground and he began to rejoice at least 10 locals beat the sh*t out of him, drug him to the side and beat him some more. Moral of the story ~ Don't touch the

horns, they are sacred. 7 bulls were released total. It was so surreal listening to the cheers, ooh's and ahh's, seeing everyone's adrenaline pumping. Definitely an experience of a lifetime.

Tents, Trains, Friends & Fireworks

As the sun peeked through the tent window, Andrew and I quickly began getting ready for the long day ahead. We packed up the tent, jumped the graffiti cover wall and booked it to the train station hoping we'd be able to make the 9:00am train to Pamplona. Unfortunately it was full and we could only purchase tickets for the 1:00pm train.

Today, July 6 was opening day! The beginning of The festival of San Fermín (or Sanfermines) festival, a deeply rooted celebration held annually in the city of Pamplona, Spain. Thousands of people accompany a replica of the statue of Saint Fermin along the streets in the old part of city. The celebration begins at noon, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic chupinazo and carries on to midnight 14 July, with the singing of the Pobre de Mí.

As much as we wanted to be present for the opening ceremony, it just wasn't going to happen....So we made due with what we had. We stopped in a small internet shop and sent e-mail to the family updating them on our whereabouts, got a few popsicles and hit the streets to continue exploring Barcelona.

We made our way back at the Train station around noon. I ran to the restroom while Andrew stood with our bags in the smoking area. When I came back outside Andrew was talking to a kiwi named Simon who was going in the same direction as us and was trying to get us to return our tickets and rent a car to drive 5 hours.

As much as I love a nice drive with friends, I really wanted to get to Pamplona. We spoke with a few car rental places and they were all out of our price range, so we improvised and snuck him onto the train. We made a pretty good team. After breaching the first security check point we now had to figure out how to pass through the next 2 check point with guards on either side....Simon went outside to the locked glass doors in the lobby area. After Andrew and I made it through I slipped my train ticket under the door. Simon made it through, now for the final security check.... as we got closer we noticed the lady at the desk checking all of the tickets and speaking to each person as they walked through....keeping my composure I handed her our tickets while Andrew stayed to my right Simon continued walking. The lady voice got louder as she tried to getSimon's attention, she looked back at me and I just shrugged my shoulders, she kept speaking to us in spanish asking if he was with me and I just replied inglés, inglés! Luckily the guard that was on our right was assisting someone else so Andrew and I kept walking while she continued talking gibberish, we went down the escalator and onto the train. Found Simon, took his backpack and told him to wait in the bathroom. 30 minutes later after the coast was clear we slipped him a note under the door.....it was smooth sailing from there. Four and a half hours later we arrived at our long awaited destination!

A couple on the bus from the train station overheard us discussing plans for the rest of the day and asked if they could come along. Our motto is the more the merrier!! The 5 of us put our bags in a locker area underneath the bus station and hit the streets of Pamplona listening to all of the live music, looking at all of the booths set up on the sidewalk buying last minute pieces for the traditional outfit to run with the bulls (bandanas, sashes, etc.) dancing with everyone in the street, eating great food and ended the evening with an amazing firework show.

España

Hola! For those who don't know me, I like to travel.... I'm a little addicted, and for this adventure I decided to bring my little brother Andrew along for the ride. I figured he's probably the only one crazy enough to tough this one out.

Running with the Bulls (Encierro) has been on my bucket list for quite a while now....I was tired of watching time pass by and figured I better put my legs to good use while I'm still young. I'm excited for the trip, bonding time with Andrew, exploring new cites/countries and meeting new smiling faces.

Flying out on Independence Day was a bit of a bummer. Fireworks remind me that I'm about to be another year older, but it really doesn't matter because we are on our way to España!!
We arrived in Spain the morning of my birthday. Plane ride was good, food...pretty sure they robbed an elementary school cafeteria, bags arrived as scheduled, exchanged our US dollars to Euros, changed in the airport bathroom and then caught a bus into Barcelona. Arriving in Placa de Catalunya, we were ready to Explore!

After walking around admiring all of the detailed architecture, we took a break in front of Gaudi's unfinished Cathedral. We sat down beside a small tree on the corner of a busy intersection. I had failed to explain to Andrew how thieves work in Europe. They're professionals and they're fast! While I was checking out our map of the city I looked up to find my brother about 15 feet away chatting with a guy that needed "help." He had supposedly dropped something into the drain and needed assistance getting it out.

So while I am explaining to Andrew that he didn't really need help and either wants money or wants to rob us....I hear a voice on my right saying "Tu bulsa! Tu Bulsa!" I looked over to see a taxi driver pointing at the spot in between my feet where my purse used to be. Then he pointed across the intersection to the subway. Without thinking (don't ever do this. It isn't smart to leave

your travel partner) I ran across the intersection dodging cars, ran down the stairs to the subway, jumped the gate, ran down the right side of the 1st train looking like a crazed lady, didn't see anyone with my purse,went back to the main level and back down to the left side of the 2nd train, no luck....sweating and out of breathe, I ran to the security on the main level asking them for help, but they said that there is nothing that they could do.I walked over to Andrew who had come down into the subway and apologized for leaving him. We did a quick check through of our bags to make sure we still had the important things (Money, passports & Camera) I told him we still had each other and the necessities, so it was still a good day.

We hopped on the metro and headed to Barceloneta beach to relax after our eventful hour. The beach was crowded and full of life. Just what we were looking for. Half a mile down the shore line we saw people jumping off of a rock wall. Since we both like to keep our bodies in constant motion we headed straight for the wall.

After jumping off a few times, my leg felt like it was on fire. I looked down to find sea urchin barbs sticking out of it. We packed up and started heading to the lifeguard station. The lifeguard didn't speak much english, but he cleaned me up and had me back on my feet in no time.

We headed back towards the Estacio-Sants main train station where we had originally planned to ride on to Pamplona. I stopped at a tiny internet shop to write my friend in Madrid to let him know about the events in Barcelona and depending on how the rest of the trip goes we may be delayed getting to him. I logged onto my e-mail account and low and behold was an uplifting unexpected message from my friend that read "don't leave Barcelona tonight. The police found my business card in you purse and called me to see if you can pick up your purse" I jumped for joy! Even though deep down I knew that anything of value was no longer inside of my purse, the simple fact that I was able to get it back was amazing. So we headed to the nearest police station. What we didn't realize is there are two types of police that work in Barcelona....one is the Mossos d'Esquadra (civilian, non military) police force and the other are Policía Nacional. Their function relates particularly to issues that affect Spain as a country, and Spain's relations with the rest of the world.

Needless to say several hours and 6 police stations later we finally arrived at the correct station that had my purse. They told me a family picked up my purse from an alley where they had seen the robber throw my purse...as expected there were only a few items left inside. By the time we arrived at the train station our train was long gone and there weren't any more running until the next morning.

Lucky for us we packed a tent!! We walked half a mile until we stumbled across an abandoned lot in the middle of the city. Keeping an eye out for a clear moment that people weren't passing by, we climbed the 10 ft. wall and set up camp for the night. Listening to sirens screaming, dogs howling and people chatting as they passed by, I closed my eyes thankful that this eventful birthday was over and a new day was coming....