The crossroads of the semester has finally come: we’re over halfway
through the experience and the newness has worn off, leaving me searching for
reassurance. While I still enjoy my experience in France every day, and
continue to take advantage of the cultural opportunities, I am beginning to
long for the comfort of my American lifestyle. While this longing for the
familiar has come over me, I still want to take full advantage of my time in
Europe and be open to new chances and possibilities. As I continue to grapple
with this personal shift, I couldn’t help but wonder…
How will I live my “dream life” while staying true to the lifestyle that
best suits me?
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been reflecting a lot on the type of
lifestyle I want to live, while also taking into account the lifestyle I know
best suits my personality and my life goals. The idea of living a life like Elisabeth
Eave's in Wanderlust has its appeal:
you're free and can pick up your life at any moment and discover a new culture,
nothing is tying you down, you meet new people, experience all that life has
to offer, and there are no limits. It sounds pretty impossible when you think
about it, to live with so much possibility each day. However, this perspective
is obviously romanticizing the idea of living with no home base. You lose a lot
with this lifestyle as well: a community, a place to call home, a family,
regular friendships, etc. While I with I could live recklessly and freely for a
while, and experience all of the positive aspects of this lifestyle, I know I’m
not capable of it. I am way too much of a planner to ever handle all of that
uncertainty. I also count on my family and the stability/comfort of my routine
and lifestyle way too much to just leave with no idea of tomorrow.
It’s hard when you realize that you can’t do everything, or experience
everything that people tell you about. Being the perfectionist that I am, it is
very hard to accept that I am not capable of embracing and living in another
fashion. But, I know it wouldn’t be as fulfilling as I make it sound, for me it
would be more stressful and worrying, not to mention lonely at times. If living
abroad for two months has taught me anything, it’s that I miss my stability and
my close friends and family always around me.
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| Sur le Pont d'Avignon (yes, now you're singing the song in your head!) |
After talking with my mom via Skype, we figured out how I can combine
these two approaches to life: travel often, but with a schedule. Yep, sounds
pretty good to me. Of course, it would be ideal if my job paid for me to do
this travel (and maybe bring some family along!), but even just getting the
normal vacation time will allow me to continue travelling and exploring new
cultures while having my stability and home base. They always say that reading
allows you to vicariously live through others, and I am very grateful for that
ability.
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had conversations with a few people
that touch on this subject of living out your dreams and taking chances while
also focusing on yourself and what you need out of life. I was lucky enough to
have the opportunity to interview Olympic-hopeful Evie Stevens, who is
currently competing as a professional cyclist, for a profile that will
hopefully appear in The Key (Kappa
Kappa Gamma’s national magazine). Talking with Evie was very inspiring,
grounding, and eye opening. We’re fortunate enough to be in the same time zone
since she’s currently training out of Spain, and that made Skyping a lot
easier! We chatted about everything from her entry into the cycling world, to
her experience in Kappa, and her current goals.
Evie is unique in that she just got into cycling a few years ago at
the age of 25 after working on Wall Street. What started as a fun way to stay
fit uncovered a tremendous talent for cycling and a new passion. Her story is
truly inspiring, and honestly a real-life fairytale. While she took a huge risk
in leaving her financially-steady job for the not very well known world of
women’s professional cycling, she says she has found her passion and the chance
to go after her dream. She is so grounded, natural, and warm, and I feel so
fortunate to have met such a talented Kappa sister. I love when Kappa leads to
these unexpected opportunities. One of Evie’s pieces of advice was: “We all have these abilities within
us, and I think a lot of times we stay so focused on what we’re supposed to be
doing that you might miss this something that’s inside of you just telling you
to try it out…just give it a go.”
She shared
a lot about how being open to a new career, taking a leap of faith, and
following through, have truly brought her into a healthier and more fulfilling
lifestyle. I know I will always keep her lessons with me: focus on leading a fulfilling life while not being too afraid to take a chance. As Evie said, “I think you only get a chance once in your life
to go after your dream. It was something I just had to go after.”
Evie also shared with me that most of the close friends she’s kept in
contact with during her crazy lifestyle (she’s rarely in one place for a week
between training, racing, etc. during the season) have been her Kappa sisters.
I hope I will be able to say the same thing in the future, as I can’t imagine
my life without my sisters. I was fortunate enough to meet up with two Kappa
alums the other day in Nîmes. It was so comforting and fun to meet up with
other Kappas currently living in Europe. One is teaching in Nîmes, while the
other is currently attending grad school in Scotland. Being able to have a
relaxed conversation with people who understand the Denison culture, and with
whom I share the same background, was exactly what I needed.
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| The garden in Nîmes where we had our picnic. |
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| The Arena of Nîmes where they used to hold bull fights |
Our conversation covered many aspects, but my favorite was probably
talking about the opportunities we all have ahead of us. I mean, we’re all
living in Europe, how much better can it get?? As we shared our experiences
abroad and our hopes for the next coming years, it was comforting and inspiring
to hear everyone’s dreams and ambitions. At this point, the world is truly our
oyster, and we can carve it in whatever fashion we want. It’s nice to know
along the way I’ll have my close friends and family to help guide me.
I think Oliver’s quote below pretty much sums me up right now:
During this transition period, I’ve also learned how vital Yoga is to my
sanity. Whenever I’ve had a stressful day, or one filled with a lot of worrying
and second-guessing about my lifestyle, I find that even just 30 min. on my
yoga mat changes the world. Every breath connects me with myself, the world
around me, and grounds me in nature. I try to set intentions that will truly
help me through the day, and re-focus on them at the end of my practice as
well so I can take the wisdom and enlightening aspects of yoga with me when I get off the mat. I highly recommend yoga for everyone. It is honestly the best cure.
I’ve had some great educational experiences in the past two weeks as
well! I taught my first class at the Collège Saint-Joseph where I do my
community service each week. I instructed 8 students for an hour, mostly in
English, about vacations in the States (since they had just gotten off their
2-week vacation period.) We talked about their activities, what American
students do (I offered the typical beach or skiing spring vacation ideas), and
I also tried to explain the concept of a road trip. It’s a very American
practice, but I think by the end they had an idea of how it works.
The students were very active, but also respectful. I was honestly
surprised by how well it went. I was definitely worried about the
“authoritative” aspect, since I’m technically not their teacher, nor do I have
a degree in this area. Luckily, the students were very attentive, participated,
and were really fun to work with! At the end of class, two girls came up to me
and asked me if we have a big “ball” at the end of high school. It took me a
minute to figure out they were talking about Prom, and when I shared my two
experiences they got so excited. Sadly they don’t have Prom in France, although
they told me they petition for it each year. Prom was definitely a “typical
American” experience that I loved, and it was fun to describe my dresses to
them.
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| Le Palais de Papes, Avignon. |
On an entirely different “educational” note, I saw Hunger Games in
French this weekend! SOOOO good. If you haven’t read the books: do it. And then
watch the film. I’m proud to say I understood everything in French. (Not
difficult since the book is quite simple to understand and I clearly already
knew the storyline.) But nonetheless, I felt very cultured seeing it in French!
The next few weeks are seriously going to fly by! My family gets here on
Tuesday, so excited!!! And then I’ll be heading off to Prague for Easter
weekend, only to return for a week before spring break. So crazy how time
flies!
Gros Bisous
SA
