This last week, I booked a flight to Copenhagen. Why? Because I wanted to! It has been very interesting being back in the US these past few years. It's so strange to think what it will be like to go back. Mostly, I'm just extremely excited. I love the people I met in Copenhagen. I had the good fortune to meet two fabulous host families and a host of young Danes who I love to this day. More than that, however, I feel in a way like I'm going home.
I was reading through my journal that I kept while I was abroad the other night. It is one of the few times I have consistently written in a journal in my whole life. What leapt off the pages for me was not the sightseeing, not the extravagant cities or nights out. What stood out to me were the people, the places, the smells. The feeling of being so outside your comfort zone that you have no choice than to absorb it. It is as if my life here in the states is so comfortable, so natural, that I almost feel as though I'm not really living. The year I spent in Copenhagen was terrifying – in the most amazing and beautiful way. I was challenged every day. Whether it was the crazy language, navigating public transportation, debating whether I had the energy to walk the extra mile (literally) to somewhere I wanted to go, or spending 2 hours in the grocery store looking for a specific ingredient, I was forced into action.
So often in my life now, I feel like I'm performing some skill from memory. All of the training, and raising that happened in my earlier years is a song that I'm proficiently singing. But, I've been thinking a lot lately. Is proficiency what I'm striving for? So many people don't understand the year I spent abroad. They get a glazed over look when I talk about it, or worse, say “Why would you ever want to leave the US? We have everything we need here!” It is probably true, but I don't want everything I need. I want everything that is out there – and the reality is that is so much more than what awaits me outside my front door.
