Beautiful Moments
For me, travel is more than a change of scenery or a way to occupy my daughters during their school breaks. Travel invigorates me, as if I’m promoting the growth of brain cells and expanding my capacity for understanding the world as a whole. I feel my creativity recharge and soul breaths deep with fulfillment. Travel is more than just an escape from home. I love my home. I love my friends and family. I love my life. I am not seeking an escape, but rather an opportunity to create experiences which can translate back into my daily life providing a fresh view of my routine. Over the years, it was challenging to plan meaningful getaways with three little girls and a husband who preferred to vegetate on a beach, but I successfully fought those battles and thankfully, my children have travelled to interesting destinations. It’s always been clear to me that the actual destination was not important, but rather the opportunity to have an experience that I could share with my children. Bonding with them over new experiences away from the safety of their friends and small hometown was my ultimate goal. Today, travel is not as easy as it once was. I dream about a getaway and where I would go if the world were healthy and safe. Jetting off with my daughters to a transporting location far from the precautions of a Covid life.
My parents groomed my appreciation for travel, and I am grateful they placed importance on worldliness. I have vivid memories of numerous impactful family trips. When I was Fifteen, we travelled to Paris to visit my sister who was studying abroad. We dined in fancy restaurants, stayed at a fancy hotel, and as a typical teenage girl, I felt awkward, and uncomfortable. One night after dinner, my sister invited me to sleep at her flat. I twisted my earring and twirled my hair at the invitation. My big sister would be taking me under her wing, and that was an invitation I would relish. That evening, she brought me to a party with Parisian high school kids. I don’t remember if it was in her flat, or if the party was for one of the family members she lived with, but I remember feeling tumbleweeds blowing in my belly. I have a clear visual of my outfit from that evening. A cognac brown leather skirt, supple leather boots to my knee, and a brown and red sweater accented with gold buttons. I stood against the wall, sweating from a combination of my heavy clothing, and the intimidation of not speaking a word of French. Without warning, a boy approached me and took my hand. In that moment a song I recognized, Big In Japan by Alphaville, blared throughout the room. He held my hand and we danced in a way no American boy had ever danced with me. His tie and navy sport coat mixed with his French accent made me sweat even more. I stared at his movements, mimicking him to keep up with the unfamiliar dance steps. He gazed into my eyes as if he was saying, ‘trust me, I got you.’ The kids crowded around us forming a circle as he spun me again and twisted his hips to the beat. A massive adrenaline rush made me light headed. The dance ended as quickly as it began. Aside from being out of breath, I wanted the twisting and spinning to go on all night. Moments like an unexpected dance in Paris are what I cherish about travel.
I prefer to dictate my travel destinations through my passions and interests. Art history has been a passion of mine since high school, and have a particular love for Italian renaissance art. Studying in Florence, Italy for a semester in college was an experience that woke my understanding of how travel can be impactful in many ways. From the moment I stepped off the train in Santa Maria Novella Stazione, the city felt familiar and today still feels like a home to me. The friendships I formed in Italy were rich and added to my cultural experience in the city. From the leather goods store owner who had me help with American customers, to the local teenage boys I befriended at the Synagogue during Yom Kippur services, my trip became multidimensional when I made efforts to experience Florence through the lens of a local. Today, I dream of meandering the cobblestone streets in my head, anticipating each turn to my favorite chapel, or gelateria. Immersion can change your experience from an outsider observing the culture, to an active participant in the local rituals and daily routines. These are the moments I seek out when travelling and the moments I am missing these days.
At the surface I realize that many view travel as a luxury, and in fact it is, but I really miss the growth that cannot be achieved in the comfort of our hometowns. The last thing I ever want to be is too comfortable. Get me out of my comfort zone and I feel alive. Discomfort is a sign I am in fact growing, and forging new pathways in my brain. Of course it’s nice to lie on a magnificent beach and nap between umbrella drinks, but that’s not the stimulation I desire. My mind is curious, like a little pac man,chomping at pellet size dots of new information. Expanding my knowledge beyond my front door is what travel represents to me and the pinnacle is sharing these adventures with my daughters.
As we packed for our volunteer trip to Ecuador, I was uneasy revealing the details of our rugged voyage. My daughters had never experienced a vacation involving hard labor, long travel days and no hotel. They were accustomed to beautiful lobbies and dressing for dinners, but this was not that type of vacation. I delicately dripped out the details of the trip; several hours on a bus through the Andes mountains where mudslides would slow our journey, and two hours in a motorized canoe on the Amazon, before we arrived at our camp, which was only accessible by boat, and had no wifi. I was nervous they would boycott and not understand the gift I was giving them. They each rose to the occasion, and appreciated what this adventure represented. Each day was filled with authentic Amazonian meals, wildlife lessons, mornings filled with the art of coffee brewing, afternoon visits into local communities for cultural immersions and construction work as we continued the building of a local school. I watched my daughters tickle children, smiles growing wider, until water sprung from their eyes.The carnival they created in the village boasted piggy back rides and ametuer face painting, but the laughter in the dirt yard was uplifting and beautiful. I am confident their exposure to a world they hadn’t known existed, was life changing. I want my daughters to witness various cultures, and communities throughout the world. It’s important for me to show them there are many different ways to live in this vast beautiful world. The covid quarantine has made me realize how vital these trips are to me personally and as a mother. I even miss the laborious, yet exhilarating task of planning these adventures. I have hope that we will once again have the opportunity to step outside our comfort zones and observe other diverse locations.
Connecting with people from around the world in their native cities or towns can uncover local perspectives that you won’t find on any tour. In 2019 I travelled to India, also on a cultural immersion and volunteer vacation. We ventured into a rural village for an intimate gathering with women in the community. They asked us many questions about our lives in the United States, and we had many questions of our own. I was curious to know their daily high/low, essentially, what was the best and worst part of their day. I never would have predicted the answers as we sat in the tiny mud hut made of cow dung. “There is no worst part of her day.” the translator said. “She says, this is her life, she accepts it for what it is, there is no bad part. It’s just her life.” Talk about a lightbulb moment. These women were fetching water on foot, a mile away, cooking on an open fire, and there was no low point of their day. Put that in perspective compared to our daily lives. What followed was equally impactful. We expect the unfamiliar from travel experiences, but there are some things, no matter where you are on the planet, that are human nature. The women all agreed, the highlight of their day was chatting and gossiping with their friends. They asked us if we did the same with our female friends. The translator tried to keep up, as the women in their vibrant Sarees giggled and engaged amongst one another. They were shocked that our lives could have anything in common. It was a moment. A beautiful moment. Sometimes it’s the similarities that astound us more than the vast differences.What I’ve learned from my travel, is that human nature is consistent regardless of language or location on the map. Mothers protect their children, humans are resourceful, and strong, and undeniably, we all long for connection. When the world reopens and we have the opportunity to engage with our neighbors on the other side of the globe once again, I’m sure we will compare our experiences navigating a pandemic. Something tells me there will be many more commonalities to explore.
