A Learning Heart

Last year I graduated with my Masters Degree and embarked on a special journey to Europe with my cousin Heather. After traveling together for over a month I learned more about myself and the world than I had throughout all my years of formal education. 

I learned that many traditions I keep are part of my Swedish heritage. I traveled to Gotland, Sweden and met my Cousins on my mother's side for the first time. I learned so much about my family history and that being strong and a little bit stubborn was a family trait that ran deep. The traditional food we ate was less unfamiliar than I originally thought it would be. I took for granted that the pickled herring my mother would make us growing up, the cream of everything, and the Swedish style cakes were just what our family liked, not realizing these were recipes and lessons passed down from generation to generation. Meeting my Swedish relatives helped me to understand better who I am, reconnect to my mother who passed away in 2005, and helped make the world seem a little smaller. 

After leaving Sweden, my cousin and I traveled on to Germany and many different cities in Spain. We learned how to find our way around without understanding the language fully. We learned how to listen to one another and not let one or the other take over, we talked things out. For example, when we were confused about where we were and how to get somewhere and one person though we knew better we would talk and explain why. We also had moments where we just took a chance and tried each other's way with trust and faith that we would figure it out if it did not work. Our partnership took on a natural flow and neither one of us over powered the other. If one of us made a mistake, there was never any I told you so talk. We just would try again.

We did things that were hard together, like lugging heavy suitcases up staircase after staircase. We did scary things together like walking over a high bridge when I am terrified of heights. We figured ways to save and not to spend so much money. Once we found a bus ride to the airport that was only 5 euros. We found ways to be kind to strangers. We once gave our unused bus tickets away to a stranger. We even had to act like an airplane once to find the bus to the airport. 

It was a beautiful adventure, I learned so much, and there truly is no price tag I could place on that experience. It is a piece of me now and I am grateful for it, especially because I get to bring it to my teaching every day.