Souvenirs

As I pack up my room and life in Fort Worth, I keep coming across souvenirs and mementos from my travels. Some are silly or tacky, but I would have a hard time parting with any of them. I can't help but smile as I put them into boxes and remember where each one was purchased. Revisiting these memories, I am transported back in time and surrounded by the faces of people I miss. I can still remember the exhilarating feeling of being somewhere new, yet in my mind these places feel warm and familiar, like a long lost friend. As a strand of bells collapse into a cardboard box, their jolly jingle sends me back to Santorini where I'm wearing a blue and white striped dress, colors which mirror the Aegean Sea and the white sugar cube-like buildings that surround me. I am riding a donkey named Marco up the winding steps from the ocean, and around his neck are the same bells which clang their happy tune all the way up the mountain side. All it takes is a photograph, a postcard from a travel mate, a well worn leather bag, or a coaster from a favorite pub to remind me of forgotten memories. Here are a few of my favorite souvenirs. Do you have any special souvenirs from your travels? 

{Turkish slippers and a Moroccan pouf}

{an extensive magnet collection that my roommates began to contribute to}

a hand-knotted rug I bought from Fatih at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul

{travel books, volcanic rocks, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and a hand-painted fan from Madrid}

{a poster from a bookstore in Rome}

Graduation Day

Today I'm graduating from college! I thought this was an appropriate time to post one of my favorite commencement speeches, given by Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005.

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

The Unexpected Twists and Turns

I was honored when I was approached by an editor of the campus newspaper, The Daily Skiff, and asked if I would write a reflection piece on my college experience for the graduation issue. How does one sum up a life-changing four-year experience into 500 words or less? Well, I didn't exactly meet the 500 word requirement, but here's a link to my very first published story: http://www.tcu360.com/opinions/2012/04/15338.college-years-present-many-pleasant-surprises. I have to admit, I kind of like seeing my words neatly printed upon paper in black ink. One of my goals in life is to have my writing published, and although this is a tiny feat, I think it counts enough to cross it off my list for the time being. 

The Ultimate Culture Shock

With graduation a mere five days away, I suppose I can't blame anyone for asking me that dreaded question, "What are you going to do after you graduate?" Did I accomplish my goal of full-time employment? No. But, sometimes goals change. The truth is I know exactly what I want to do next year, but I am hesitant because it is not what I am expected to do.

I have been a student all my life--it's all I know. On Saturday, everything will change as I enter the "real world." Nobody ever prepares you for this change--the ultimate culture shock. I'm not convinced there's anything you can do to prepare, except to embrace it. When summer arrives, my friends will move and start their new lives with new jobs in new cities meeting new people. I couldn't be happier for my classmates who are eager to begin their careers at their 9-5 jobs, but I cannot replicate this same sentiment for myself.

When I was in Berlin last summer, my friend took me to a terrific bookstore and told me that it was the place where he decided what he wanted to study. Torn between law and medicine, he perused both sections of books until he realized that he preferred looking at law statutes over diagrams of the human anatomy. Remembering this, I tried the same technique a couple of months ago at a local Barnes & Noble. I explored sections of books covering topics in business, marketing, and psychology, which all appeased my curiosity for a few minutes, but where I later found myself spending hours was in the travel section. I plopped down on a step ladder with a pile of books about Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and other exotic lands. I tried again at another bookstore just a few weeks ago with the mission of finding GRE and GMAT prep books. But I ended up coming home with an Australia travel guide and a copy of both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I'm not sure what this says about me, but I think it's a clear sign that I'm not entirely ready to grow up.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I don't have to do what everyone else is doing. My future may be filled with uncertainty, but it's also full of possibility. It's an exciting time in life--to be young, foolish, and running on the fuel of dreams. I know God has a purpose for me, and when that plan reveals itself, I will share it with you, dear readers. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways acknowledge him 

and he will make your paths straight."  

-Proverbs 3: 5-6

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