Traipsing through Europe

I’m just over halfway through my last hurrah journeying through Europe before my return to the States. It has been a fun trip so far! We started in Rome, passed through to Naples, took a day trip to Pompeii, then flew over to Venice. We’ve just arrived in Milan for a short stopover before heading to Switzerland and Germany and then back to Prague. It has been amazing, just what I’ve always dreamed of doing. We’ve eaten sooo much delicious Italian food!! And we’ve seen some unforgettable things.

I remember being a kid and wanting to go to Europe as soon as I saw pictures of it and heard about how fascinating and beautiful and full of history and culture it is. I had a dream to come out here and so I worked hard, and I went and did it. I studied for a semester in Barcelona and took some trips from there. Then I graduated, saved some money, and moved to Prague. Living in Prague has been an adventure and I’ve taken a few trips and seen a lot. Then my boyfriend and I decided to go back to the United States so we had to take one last trip before we went so far away that European travels would become a much more significant expense.

Having a dream (in my case, living and traveling in Europe for an extended time period) and fulfilling that dream is something everyone should strive for. I’ve worked hard to get here. But it makes me feel a bit guilty to know that not everyone has that opportunity. That’s the problem about going to big cities: in every big city there are homeless people asking for money on the streets… And here I am spending more money than I’ve spent in my life; money that was well-earned, yes, but still it’s hard to not see my privilege when it’s in front of my face everyday.

I read an interesting article the other day about panhandlers, but I find it difficult to follow in a foreign country when I don’t speak the language. I’ve felt the same way in Prague too. I think from here on out I need to focus on recognizing the people I see and know that they have a story, and they have dreams too. At the same time, though, I’m not rich, and if I gave to every person I saw, I wouldn’t be able to live this dream I have. I can’t help others by undercutting myself: that kind of attitude isn’t sustainable and leads in all likelihood to bitterness and regret.

So as I look towards the end of my stay in Europe, I’m glad to know I’ve done something good for myself: I’ve achieved a long-standing goal. I think my next big goal, though, should be about something bigger than myself. Traveling and widening my horizons is great, and I know I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life. But I’ve found that life is more fulfilling when you’re doing something for someone else. Maybe my next goal will be helping someone else reach theirs.