Define Necessity

I came across this photo a few years ago, and I always feel compelled to track it down and revisit it annually around this time of year.  I am not sure where we went wrong with the "spirit of the season," but somewhere along the way, holidays have gone from being about

* peace * love * thanks * togetherness *

Replace that now with...

* gluttony * spending * consumerism * greed *

Define necessity.  The verb 'need' is grossly misused.  No one NEEDS a Tickle Me Elmo (who gets that reference? Did I just age myself there?)  We rarely need anything that can be put on a list.  There are The Tangibles - food, water, shelter, a source of income.  And The Intangibles - love, happiness, etc.  But never has a pair of shoes or a movie subscription calmed my soul.  Don't get me wrong, they are fun.  But define necessity.

People often dread the 'getting together' part of the holidays.  Probably because of the fighting and stress that most often is as a result of a months-long shopping spree full of lists, seeking, searching and empty bank accounts.  What if we took a year off of buying fruitcakes for each other to rest up and look forward to our time together?

If you want to give something, why not help out a charity?  They are ones that help people, animals, etc. to achieve true, tangible necessities.  Is it better to give Uncle Don a new tie, or a hungry child a meal?

Define necessity.  

For ideas on ways to satisfy true need this holiday, check out https://www.justgive.org/

Another Road Takes You

I recently came across this poem and I thought it was insightful and lovely.  For those of you who are not yet travelers, hopefully it will inspire you to go beyond your comfort zone to explore new worlds.  For those who are veteran travelers, hopefully it will prompt you to take a minute to reflect and appreciate the privilege of travel that we often take for granted.  Enjoy.

**************************

For the Traveler

Every time you leave home,

Another road takes you

Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.

New places that have never seen you

Will startle a little at your entry.

Old places that know you well

Will pretend nothing

Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself

Alone in a different way,

More attentive now

To the self you bring along,

Your more subtle eye watching

You abroad; and how what meets you

Touches that part of the heart

That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune

To the timbre in some voice,

Opening in conversation

You want to take in

To where your longing

Has pressed hard enough

Inward, on some unsaid dark,

To create a crystal of insight

You could not have known

You needed

To illuminate

Your way.

When you travel,

A new silence

Goes with you,

And if you listen,

You will hear

What your heart would

Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:

Make sure, before you go,

To take the time

To bless your going forth,

To free your heart of ballast

So that the compass of your soul

Might direct you toward

The territories of spirit

Where you will discover

More of your hidden life,

And the urgencies

That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,

Gathered wisely into your inner ground;

That you may not waste the invitations

Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,

And live your time away to its fullest;

Return home more enriched, and free

To balance the gift of days which call you.

~ John O’Donohue ~

Jet Lag and Diaper Bags

Have you ever noticed how much travel is like parenting?

I am guessing your answer is no, and not because you disagree, but more likely that you are sane enough to never have compared the two.  My mind goes places like that.  What can I say?  Introverts like to dig deep into their heads sometimes.  Like digging around that closet of clutter, you never know what you are going to find.

Travel is like parenting.  Envision either of these scenarios applying to parenting, traveling, or both.  Whichever you can relate to best.

Anyone who isn't fortunate enough to do it, always romanticizes it.
"You are so lucky!  That must be so nice to get away from work to relax/have fun." 

Wake up in a jolt to a screaming alarm. Matted hair. Bags under your eyes. Time for a shower = luxury. Throw on wrinkled clothes that may/may not have questionable stains on them. Rapidly eating your only meal of the day, a breakfast bar, while grabbing your purse/wallet, keys, bags, sunglasses, (maybe tiny human), out the door.  Why are my feet cold? Oh I forgot my shoes. Go back inside. Sleep is a memory. Silence, a dream.  Wait, where are those keys again? [insert evening version of same events]

Anyone who is fortunate enough to do it, always complains about it.  
"Ugh, this is the third time this month I have had to go to Europe.  What a nightmare."
" Ugh, this (loving, adoring) kid always needs something!  Just my luck, he now wants me to help him find his crayons so he can express his love for me by drawing me a picture.  It never ends."

The scene above is true - no sleep, little mental rest, time to yourself is history, life is dictated by the clock, days pass in handfuls rather than one by one, and being "on" all of the time, especially for an introvert like myself, can be beyond grating and draining. But here's another truth - they are two of the most educational, transformative, and rewarding experiences you can have in life.

Nothing that is easy is worth it.

Anyone who has done it, can never imagine or go back to a life without it.

The minute you catch the travel or baby bug, you had best get your postcards ready.  Because you will need to send one to your former self.  Your old way of seeing things is gone.  You will never get that back.  You will never be who you were before your eyes were opened to seeing colors you didn't know existed or to faces you never knew you could love until you laid eyes on them.  It is a rebirth.  A new education.  It is a new you.

And then there is traveling WITH children...but that is a whole other blog.

My son, already loving to travel.  Also a young gentleman,  insisting,
I repeat INSISTING to carry my luggage.  Indoor voice, please.

Gem Tips

I am often asked by my less experienced traveler friends for travel tips.  Immediately in my mind I go to thinking about telling them how much their suitcase should weigh, or or how to find the best hotel or airline deals.  But they are able to find out that information on their own.  That may be what they think they are asking me for, but what I can really help with are those hidden gem tips.  The ones that involve such small details of travel that you wouldn't think to ask about them, but once you know the tips, can make all the difference in the world to the ease and comfort of your travel.

Always bring an empty water bottle or thermos.
It can be a fancy Camelback, or as simple as an old plastic water bottle.  You can't take liquids through security, and if you come with a full water bottle you will have to throw it out.  It is important to stay hydrated while traveling, and by bringing an empty bottle, especially a self filtering one like a Camelback, you will be able to fill up your bottle at water fountains at the airport, restrooms, and restaurants without breaking the bank buying water.  Save your money for something more exciting while traveling like....well....anything.

Don't pick seats together.
Well, that isn't entirely true.  When you are traveling with a friend, pick seats with an open seat in the middle.  For example, if you have the option of 1A (window), 1B (middle), and 1C (aisle), you and your travel partner should pick 1A and 1C.  When other people are picking seats they will rarely pick a middle seat, for fear that the people sitting next to them (aka YOU) will be nightmares and they will be bookended between Dumb and Dumber.

This makes odds good that you will have an empty middle seat, and you and your paisano can live la dolce vita and enjoy the row to yourself (as much as seats that are 6 inches wide and recline 2 inches can be enjoyed).

Also, this picture is pure fiction. No one has ever been that comfortable, or comfortable at all, on an airplane. Ever.




Bring hand sanitizer.
Everything you will touch on your trip will be dirty and gross.  Everything.

Wear socks.
That can seem like a no-brainer to some people, and a foreign concept to others.  If you are a sneaker,
boot, or dress-shoe traveler, socks are likely part of the uniform.  If you are a sandal or ballet flat type, socks probably won't be your go-to travel friend.  But believe me, when you are barefoot going through security lines that are tens or hundreds deep, sometimes various times throughout a trip, you will want something between your feet and that well worn and soiled ground.  Don't believe me?  Look at a stranger's bare feet one time.  You will be sprinting for your Gold Toes.

Wear a scarf.
This applies to men or women.  Scarves not only add a little style to an otherwise frumpy travel outfit, but the real key to them is that they can double as a blanket on an airplane.  On more and more flights, blankets are a scarce commodity.  Maybe those in first class will have them, but the huddled masses in coach seating are left to be...well, just that.  Huddled together for warmth!  A scarf is a great way to keep warm in the airplane and throughout the varying temperatures in airport terminals, and can easily double as a head scarf when you need a quick fix to hide that airplane hair.

Try not to check any bags.
You have heard this a million times, but lay out everything you want to take with you, and then pack half.
 You will not regret leaving behind those 20 pairs of shoes when you are carrying your 2 ton bags up to your 4th floor flat in Europe without an elevator.  It depends on the duration of time you are traveling for too.  If you are like one of my study abroad students, you obviously need to check a bag to have enough for a semester.  But if you are going for even a week to 10 days, a carry on will suffice.  Take things that can mix and match (neutrals like black and brown pants and jeans, pair them with neutral shirts and then mix things up with accessories, jewelry or jackets.)  My favorite carry-on bag combo for women is Samantha Brown's Cabin and Tote set.  But guys, there are a lot of great options out there too.

...and last, and maybe least.....

Carry pink luggage.
Disclaimer: this one contradicts everything a 21st century woman like myself stands for..."I am woman, hear me roar!"  I don't wear the damsel in distress costume well.  But here it is.  Don't kill the messenger...I'm just reporting what I have heard.  If you are a woman traveling alone and need help with your luggage (like those of us that travel to fairs and trade shows with hundred pound suitcases full of catalogs and other swag), a friend once told me that whenever she has pink luggage, people offer to help her get her bags in and out of overhead compartments.  And when she has black or blue luggage this never happens.  This is hardly scientific research, and because I don't have any pink luggage I haven't been able to test it out, but it sounded interesting enough to share!  No harm in looking a little helpless, especially when you do in fact need help!

Riff-Raff is Unavoidable

Greetings on a lovely autumn day here on the east coast!  I am currently in Pennsylvania working from Athena Study Abroad’s newest office here in Western PA.  In addition to this office, and our headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, we are also currently recruiting for an Academic Relations Representative position to be stationed in California, so we are working every day to get ourselves a little closer to wherever you are!

I decided to start this blog because I realize that I am in a unique position to share my experiences with all of you, so that maybe you can see yourself in me, in what I did or didn’t do, and what the future holds for you.  I am a mother, wife, sister, daughter, company owner, coworker, boss, friend, but underneath it all…..a simple small town girl turned globe-trotting nomad.   I have gone from being a young student (more years ago than I care to count!...ahem you are supposed to say ‘no Stacy, that can’t be true, you look like you are still in college!’  I’m waiting…) who came from a small town, and decided to venture to Europe without any friends to seek the learning experience of my life, different from anything anyone in my circle of family or friends had ever done.  Hands down, that experience shaped the direction of the rest of my life. 

While on my study abroad program to Toledo, Spain,
me and a new friend Nancy on a field trip to
Alicante, Spain.  Love the dress with those enormous flowers??

After working at law firms, schools and universities, I now sit here in the office of my study abroad company, almost 10 years old (the company, not me, although thanks for getting around to that ‘young’ compliment!), working to achieve the values that are important to me, and I hope to many of you, both students and colleagues in the field.  Getting study abroad out to as many students as possible – to students like I was, who think this experience is bigger than their small town.  Bigger than something they can attain with their limited financial resources.  Bigger than what their parents or families thing is “reasonable” or “practical.”  Bigger than anything they could achieve.  Unattainable.  Wrong. 

You can do this.  I did.  Many of us have.  Many of us still plan to.  The main thing standing between you and your dreams is you.  Anyone and everyone you look up to – teachers, politicians, business people, musicians, actors, writers – all of them were “just people”…and still are…who had a dream.  Some have more resources available to them than you.  Some have more connections available to them than you.  But you have more resources and connections than other people too.  Drive, stamina and a dream is what it is all about.

As I write this, my husband has been on the phone for an hour arguing with an unnamed but quite inept and absurdly useless phone company (I know that doesn’t narrow it down much) and that has me thinking about how many of these inane and tedious tasks take up our time and break us down to the point that things that will actually satisfy our souls are thrown by the wayside only to be replaced by yelling at an automated answering systems.  “ENGLISH!  TWO! …SPEAK TO SOMEONE!....SERVICE ISSUE!”

That riff-raff is unavoidable.  But as the saying goes, you make time for the things that are important.  You are reading this blog instead of doing your homework, handling work emails, or getting much needed sleep.  Admit it.  Because daydreaming and planning is your priority right this second. 

So you want to go abroad?  Do it! 

• You don’t have the money?  Most students can use financial aid for study abroad.  There are scholarships everywhere!  Athena offers many scholarships, and like many other organizations I’m sure, we have fewer students applying for these scholarships than we should.  Students self-select themselves out.  Why?  Never count yourself out!
• You don’t think you can get credit for your work abroad?  Most schools now will allow you to transfer in credits back into your program so you don’t lose a step!
• You can’t go because you don’t know anyone going.  Neither did I!  Believe it or not, strangers don’t bite.  Unless you get between them and their gelato.
• You can’t go because you are an athlete, because your parents don’t want you to go, because you will miss your boyfriend/girlfriend too much…..

The excuses are endless.  But they are just that – excuses.  Study abroad is not for everyone.  But the fact that you are reading this tells me that you are one of those who might be destined for it.  And if you are, then throw away the can’ts and let in the list of can’s.

In the future of this blog I will provide useful little tidbits of things that have made my travel and business adventures easier, more fun, resources that have helped me along the way, and lessons I have learned and want to pass on to you.  And you can always feel free to submit questions to me or topics you would like me to speak to.  I want to provide a resource that will help you find your path.

Wander on.