Maia's (Mis)adventures

As I gaze out the small, oval window at the puffy sheet of cloud below me, one hour into a 10 hour flight home...I try to think of what I can write to wrap up this experience into one neat, final blog for you all. But what is there to say? What could I possibly write in this moment to summarize my experience for you? Let's start with, this trip has taught me... Well...that's it, isn't it? This trip has taught me. Period. It's overwhelming to think of the things I have learned. I left Austin as a fragile mess. I was stuck in a mindset of urgent necessity, which I had talked myself into years ago, due to the circumstance of my original return to Austin, but which no longer served a purpose in my life. I was overworked, emotional, depressed, exhausted, heartbroken, and lost. Floating in an abyss of my own creation. Trapped with the monsters of my mind. I thought that if I (ever) turned down work, in order to rest, I would find myself out of money and homeless. I ...

After five nights in Berlin, I'm back on a bus, heading out of the city and out of the country. I've got a 9 hour bus ride ahead of me, and that feels ridiculously long, until I remember that back home, I'd be lucky if that got me out of Texas. Do I feel that I properly experienced Berlin? Despite having spent nearly a week here, the answer to that, unfortunately, is no. The recovery time for my tooth (still not complete, to be honest, there is quite a bit of pain remaining) significantly slowed me down in my exploration of the city, not to mention the immense size of Berlin. Though the things I did manage to get out and do are certainly classified as time well spent, in my opinion, even if the sadness is still lingering on my mind. Do I feel I've experienced Germany, at this point? Not even close. Berlin is a wonderful city, and like many metropolitan areas, it attracts hordes of people from all over the world, to work, visit, study, and live. I heard English spoken...

I'm not gonna lie, you guys, writing through the recovery pain of having a wisdom tooth pulled is not the easiest thing I've ever done. I want to just lay in bed and try to sleep this off, but I know from the past that laying around doesn't actually make me feel better. It just causes new aches and pains. So let's get writing. Shopping center in Dublin At least, as I'm preparing for pain, the universe still holds me in its hands, and says, "We've got cha." Sometimes it seems that every time I turn around, someone is there with a gesture of kindness. Waiting to get off the bus at the airport terminal, I back into a lady behind me. "Oh! Sorry! I'm just trying to wait for everyone to get off, cause my bag is heavy, I don't want to hit anyone with it." She smiles and says she's waiting too, before calling something across the bus in German to her husband. He gives the luggage rack a once over, grabs the straps of my bag, and...

Traveling, for me, has always been about the people you meet. Yes, of course, I want to see beautiful sights, and visit wonderful places, but the truth is, all of my favorite memories are because of the people involved, not the places we went. Croatia and Cambodia have been my two favorite countries in all my travels over the years. Why? Because the locals were kind and accepting and wonderful. Meeting people from all over the world while traveling is probably the best thing I've ever done for myself. The best tool for becoming a better person. Forming friendships with people from different cultures breaks stereotypes in your mind, teaches you to communicate more effectively, and have patience with each other while overcoming barriers between you. It reminds you to get to know someone before judging them on race, religion, nationality, and all those other outward variations of humanity. It teaches you to be more accepting of differences. It can bring things into your life you ne...