Waiting in Heathrow

Although I won’t be posting nearly as often, I’m practicing getting into the habit of writing about my days and also, I have a lot of time to kill in this airport. Haha! The view from the plane was gorgeous and within 7 hours I experienced the sun set and rise below and above the clouds. The plane from Chicago arrived early to London and while I wait for my flight to Copenhagen, I am reflecting on how much has changed and happened since I was last there. As I scroll through my photos from 4th and 8th grade, it’s hard to believe how grown up everyone is and I can’t wait to see mor, far, søstre, og brødre! Oddly enough, we have similar activities planned as we did in 8th grade but this time, viewed through a different lense. It’s incredible how much of an impact the Denmark program has played on my life and even more incredible to think last time we saw each other, we were kids, and now we are adults.

If you know anything about my past experiences in Denmark (in particular, the passport situation), you know it was definitely quite the adventure and came with very unique challenges that became stories. I cherish these crazy stories and it still sometimes feels surreal that so much could happen to a group of 30 4th graders on a field trip. For starters, most 4th graders definitely don’t have that kind of field trip. But on top of that, they certainly don’t have the kind of obstacles and factors we encountered. Nevertheless, they made us stronger and taught me how to be a SMIT, as Mr. Horowitz would call it, Sophisticated Mature International Traveler. Each of these moments were growing points and each taught me a lot about traveling. In 4th grade, the trip centered around our awe of just about every little thing surrounding us, and as 10 year olds, we took pictures of practically everything and enjoyed our freedom with the Danish children, much different than our own structure at home. In 8th grade, we really soaked in that freedom, some of us even having Danish cell phones, being able to pick and choose which activities we partook in, and taking public transit around the city by ourselves.

This trip, however, is not only viewed from a more mature lense but feels more like coming home and visiting friends. I’m excited to live daily life with my family and attend special events, embrace theater and music, and relax before the busy school year begins. I’m excited to go to some of my favorite spots (The Little Mermaid) and reminisce and be familiar and comfortable with a setting. It will be the perfect blend of nostalgia with a taste of fresh perspective layered onto the story. I can imagine my former classmates have wiser opinions on the ideas we once had on our trip. I know I certainly do; and I look forward to discovering that new perspective upon coming home to Copenhagen. It’s been way too long, my Danish is rusty, and my jet lag is real, but my vivid memories of that house and the neighborhood and walking to Dyssegardsskolen and Netto every day are as real and clear as they’ll ever be. As I always say, Jeg savner Danmark (I miss Denmark) and now I’m blessed enough to come back. Jeg elsker Danmark.

Introduction

Waiting in O'Hare

I took two improv classes through ComedySportz a few years ago and one of the games we played involved putting an alliteration adjective before our name. My word was “adventurous”. Ever since that day, when passing that game down to students, I’ve stuck to that adjective. So though using alliteration may be cheesy or “adventurous” may be an overused adjective. While the word may be losing it’s meaning in this whole“Instagram-worthy” generation, as cheesy as it sounds, that’s what I strive to have, adventures. Traveling anywhere out of one’s home is often filled with the unexpected in every aspect of the experience. One must develop a go-with-the-flow mentality in order to survive these interruptions and embrace the spontaneity of travel, and that is what makes it adventurous.

So I don’t know how consistent I’ll be with blogging. What I do know is I love taking pictures, and I like making what can sometimes become long-winded, descriptive posts about experiences I have in life that are special. And well, what I’m about to embark on seems like an experience worth writing about so I’m trying my best to not only document for myself, but update others. I figured I post enough updates on Facebook or Instagram, I might as well have a formal place to organize my thoughts. I’ve always been intentional about collecting things while traveling such as seashells, brochures, ticket stubs, unique gift shop bags, or postcards with inspiring views. But when it comes to combining all these into a scrapbook, the items tend to sit untouched in a rubbermaid container in my basement, like my “scrapbook materials” from my trip to Denmark in 2008 and 2012. This blog will be an attempted way of sort of “collecting things”, so to speak, along my journey through thoughts, anecdotes, and photos throughout my adventures..

This new adventure is studying Drama, Applied Theatre & Performance at the University of East London for the fall term. Before that, I will be taking a pitstop in Copenhagen to visit my lovely Danish host family for a week. During, I will be taking courses Urban Interventions, Politics of Performance and Memory, Actor Training, and Applied Performance. After, I will be traveling to Lisbon, Portugal to spend time with a dear friend for the holidays. Hopefully, there will be other European pit stops along the way.

Though I won’t know anyone directly in East London when I arrive, another dear friend will be studying abroad in Canterbury this semester, about two hours away from me. While I’ll have to adjust to jet lag and distance between myself and some loved ones, I look forward to closing the geographical gap and time zone differences with others- a rarity for these friends.  

One of my favorite quotes another dear friend shared with me is “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” That is how life has always been for me, having relationships across state borders and oceans. Though what might seem like a setback, has given me an appreciation for each little moment I have with the people I care about and opportunities to travel the world. I look forward to cherishing upcoming moments with those loved ones on another continent with different time zones and different languages, and creating new relationships and a piece of home in the city of East London.