Unexpectedly

Today was the first time I ventured off on my own. Surprisingly, I warmed up to it a lot more quickly than I imagined. It's interesting the amount of confidence and security you force upon yourself when you know you have no one to protect you at a given moment. Random people I encountered did not scare me, even if a couple creepers tried to talk to me. I also found myself tuning out the outside world and forgetting every useless thought that I might have had since I got here. I suppose it makes sense that to find inner peace you have to rid your mind of the outside noise, even if that includes good company. I will make a habit out of having my own time.

To recap the past weekend, a few girls on my program and I took a train to Venizia for a mini-visit to the famous city. On Sunday, several students on our program decided to cross the Arno River and hike up different hills to take pictures. People really need to make time to travel the world and see the sites photographed so often.. the places visitors try so desperately to recapture through movies, pictures, songs, and stories. Every experience attempts to be unique, but in reality we all see the same things. I took dozens of photos, and when I share them with people at home they will probably make positive comments. However, it probably is only special to me. To some people, photos are merely proof that someone once visited something worth seeing. To others, photos evoke memories of the moments that change their lives. I think what professional artists (photographers, writers, painters, etc.) strive to do is capture the moment and invite the audience to empathize so that they too can experience, without actually experiencing.

I still miss a lot of people and things from home, but I promise I am not homesick. I am enjoying my time away from the convenience of constant communication and transportation, but I am also counting down the days until I reunite with you and In-n-Out: only 29 days.