Homeward-bound
The end of a whirlwind European tour…
I will be coming home soon. Unfortunately, my 6 months of travel have turned into 6 weeks (womp womp). I tried to readjust my trip after the EU removed the U.S. from its safe travel list and the CDC added 7 new countries to the ‘Do Not Travel’ list, but it just didn’t make sense financially. I know it’s probably much more responsible for me to be at home right now anyway, fully vaccinated or not.
And like I told my good friends Paula and Cheryl, I don’t need to be knocking on each country’s metaphorical door asking if I can “just hang out for a bit,” and even if any country was willing to have me, I worry they would take one look at my flea-bitten bod and tell me to scram. I can vividly imagine a polite customs & immigration officer at the airport telling me, “Ma’am, you might not have COVID, but whatever you obviously do have, we don’t want.” And no, I don’t actually have flea bites, but the bites I do have look so angry and enormous I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking I live in unsanitary conditions. I digress. The point is, I have zero regrets about coming to Italy. I wish I could have made it to Croatia or Estonia, but I knew the risk involved with travel before I left, and I fully trust it will happen in the future if it’s meant to be.
Nature enthusiast globetrotter?
If you’re wondering if I found what I came for, I honestly don’t know, but I have learned a few new things. For example, it has become painfully clear during this trip that I’m not particularly good at traveling or even being in nature. The first fact I always suspected, the second I was resisting. I used to think I could live in nature, perhaps in some small cottage in the forest with a vegetable garden, but I realize now that being born in Cali, and spending most weekends at the beach does not make one a nature person.
Anyway, this is not a tragedy, merely facts. I have a combination of fated and chosen characteristics that make me less than the ideal traveler, such as my allergic reaction to bug bites (I’m actually watching my arm swell from the latest bite as I type this), my delicate immune and digestive system, my vegan diet, my strong dislike of small talk, and my knowledge of only 2 languages. The cherry on top of this vegan sundae, I have no natural sense of direction. Half the time, I look lost even when I’m not.
That said, I have loved this experience, and I would like to travel more, which is something new I learned about myself because I had never really traveled before. And I do have a few characteristics that make traveling easier than I had imagined. I’m flexible; I hold off creating rigid expectations, so I can greet whatever happens with ease, which means unexpected hiccups don’t unnerve or anger me. I’m okay getting lost occasionally, and I trust that things will work out or that I will figure something new out. I am comfortable being alone, rarely feel lonely or bored, and I’m patient. You must be patient if you’re trying to buy vegan shoes in a small shop in Pavia and the clerk doesn’t speak a word of English.
At the end of the day, I think it all kind of evens out, and I can’t wait to plan my next trip when Covid is under control and the Green Pass situation is figured out. :)
