How My European Travel Journal Is Helping Me in Quarantine
Quarantine has led me to, among other things, massively reorganize my bookshelves. This frequently walks me down the reminiscing path and not too soon into perusing, I found my travel journal. I spent the last four months of 2019 studying abroad in Nottingham (Robin Hood-land), England. This was semester one of two for my master’s degree. While in Europe, I visited nine countries and several cities within England itself. As the “basic abroad girl” would say, it was the time of my life.
Needless to say, I was a little nervous to open it up because I didn’t want to be filled with the post-abroad blues intensified by the inability to even leave my house. But the old Italian style leather journal called my name and I pulled it from the shelf.
Reading through these pages obviously filled me with overwhelming nostalgia. I felt my cheeks getting warm as I smiled. I occasionally let out a deep and reminiscent sigh, but it actually did my heart more good than I thought it would. Here’s why.
1. It showed how much I’ve grown, and how much further I can go
It’s not very often you find yourself saying, “right now, I am actively growing as a person.” That sounds a little silly. We usually realize how much we’ve changed or expanded as a person after the fact, once accurate reflection has taken place and we learned to appreciate any growing pains along the way. While in Europe, I knew I was growing but it wasn’t until I got home that I realized how and in what ways. The beauty of keeping a journal is that it’s a window into your personal thoughts and feelings. Reading my own perspective from the past illustrated so clearly those changes.
We can learn and grow from almost any experience we go through. When we consider our current world situation, it’s easy to see how society is changing and growing, and not just in negative ways. Most notably, being from the United States, I can’t remember a time the country was so united in a cause since 9/11. The United States is a country that thrives on individualism, which is admirable, but sometimes working together becomes just as vital a lesson. This has the potential to fundamentally rethink the way our American values are put into action. We promote freedom and individualism, but we also are a country who thrives on diversity and the power of multiplicity.
I hope the United States can use this as a chance to see how the lessons we learn now can be usefully applied to the future.
2. It told me to live in the moment and enjoy the little things
Alright, living in the moment of snacking on the couch watching the same depressing news is not exactly the most exciting. I’m sure I’m not alone in the “I wish I was doing ___ instead,” or “If things were normal, I would be at ____ with ___ right now.” It’s hard to not be flooded with the ifs, should have’s, could have’s, and so on. This is all valid — take the time to recognize that it’s okay to be struggling right now and tell yourself it is normal to be having more dull days than not. But enough of that for now.
Just because an overall situation isn’t desirable, doesn’t mean all the details have to follow the same pattern. Something I have often struggled with is living in the moment and letting my life just be in the present. As I read through my journal, I noticed that the little things are often what grounded the memories that brought me so much joy. For example, the bits of delicious waffles and ice cream our firs night in Greece fills me with as much joy as kayaking in the Mediterranean. Those little snippets sometimes feel much more real than the “I can’t believe I’m here,” moments — they remind you that yes, all of that did happen. All of that was actual real life! If I hadn’t made the conscious choice to embrace myself fully in those moments, my memories wouldn’t be as potent and meaningful.
There have been a number of things happening day to day that bring me happiness and joy. Now, more than ever, we have to keep those moments close. I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with my dog who has been comforting just in his presence. I take him outside several times a day to play with him because his excitement makes me happy, too. I treasure the delayed laughs I hear over my FaceTime and Zoom calls that although I wish I could hear in person, I’m blessed to be hearing them at all. Since before quarantine, my family watched Jeopardy together every night, and we now still do. It’s a highlight of my weekdays and a reminder that not everything is different.
Keeping your thoughts so constantly fixated on the past will drive you bonkers, especially as quarantine fatigue is quickly creeping up on us. Here and now is not all bad.
3. It’s given me more to look forward to
Alright, so I just said to not be so fixated on the past or the future. But, this is not forever, and that is crucial in keeping us going. At least once a day, I purposefully remind myself of this important fact.
Obviously, our treasured memories are in the past. My time in Europe has come and gone. But it was once my future. Your wedding might not happening this summer, but it will still happen! Your exotic vacation may have to be rescheduled, but the tropical island will be there waiting for you. Being a conscious member of the present and understanding that the choices we make now will directly impact the future is crucial in the future looking positive. Two concerts I was looking forward to have been postponed as did a summer road trip to the western National Parks. But the reality is, is that moving those further into the future will make us enjoy those experiences more. I wouldn’t want to be at a concert right now, worried about the millions of things that could go wrong. I wouldn’t even want to be camping in a park where you come into contact with people from all over the world. There would be no peace of mind.
This same close friend I plan to road trip with and I exchange hand-written letters weekly. Every week, I look forward to getting her letter in the mail, as small a gesture as that might be. This is both a little moment I treasure in the present and something I continuously look forward to.
4. It reminded me to look for wonder — everywhere
Before arriving in England, I had a ten day layover in Ireland to have our first international family vacation. We worked westward across the east of the country in Dublin down towards the Ring of Kerry and then settled about an hour south of Galway to our family’s small rural town. Seeing my family’s Irish roots was amazing. I had dreamt of what it would be like for years, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. When there’s a sunny blue sky in Ireland, it might just be the most beautiful country you’ve ever seen.
My family’s town is in a part of Ireland called the Burren, which is dominated by glaciated karst, which means the landscape is almost entirely limestone. We drove down the coast and pulled over to explore some of the rocks close to the shore and there I saw a rock which had inscribed on it, “Wonder-filled”. And that was the perfect way to describe that moment.
There’s a long list of “wonder-filled” moments from Europe. There’s wonder-filled moments from everyday life, too. It warms my heart to see people of all ages doing what they as individuals can do to make a difference. Healthcare workers are truly doing what can only be described as the Lord’s work. Every time a patient is discharged, it’s wonder-filled. All the side-walk chalk art, the signs of appreciation and thanks, every single food donation and act of kindness, makes the world that much more positive, that much more hopeful, and that much more wonderful. The days look rather monotonous and grim at first glance, and moments can be. Sometimes looking for wonder takes more effort than others, but it’s the wonder-filled moments like those that keep my chin up looking forward to a brighter future.
I think I can speak for everyone I traveled with that I knew studying abroad in the fall would be different from my semester in the spring. But not this different. I went from traveling miles across borders almost weekly to primarily making the trek from my bedroom to the living room. This life is different than any of us are used to. Moving on from this will be difficult and uncharted waters for all. Despite that, I’ve learned from my past that, as Albus Dumbledore said,
Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.
