Through reflecting on and questioning my believes and values, I figured out a couple of years ago that even though I am not religious or affiliated with any church, I believe and enjoy spirituality. This is most noticeable whenever I enter a place of worship, not matter what dominion.
In December, my parents, my baby sister, my younger brother and his girlfriend decided to join us in New York for the holidays. It honestly meant a lot to have them in our new home town and have the people that mean so much to me get to spend time together.
We were lucky enough that by the end of the year I still had a good portion of vacation days left over. Paired with German national holidays and weekends, I was able to join him in New York for a little over 3 weeks throughout December which was a big luxury.
Our first Christmas together was a roller-coaster. We were living in Hamburg (Germany) at the time and had made plans to spend Christmas eve with my younger siblings and their significant others at our family home on the outskirts of Berlin.
On the ferry, I encountered two other backpackers around my age, one from Sweden and one from Japan. We had interesting exchanges about our home countries and travel experiences over dinner on deck, sharing our travel provisions.
Some people are said to have resting bitch face. I apparently have concentrated murder face.
People like to think in stereotypes. And the only way to confirm or dismiss them is for you to meet people. One of my most striking impressions of Italians (especially in Venice and in Rome) during my visits was... how friendly and helpful people turned out to be.
Living abroad and/or with a significant other from a different cultural background, you sometimes see yourself and your upbringing through a different set of eyes. Things that you might not otherwise question and usually take for granted can very suddenly be open for interpretation and reflection.
I manage to incorporate that mentality into my life on a lot of occasions. This happy-go-lucky attitude takes a lot of pressure out of life and travel for me and gives me confidence that everything will turn out alright someway. So, fake it 'til you make it!
Wandering Explorer Travel 