I tramp a perpetual journey.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky The walls of my room were collaged with vinyl records, silk scarves, pictures of friends, family and travels, posters of musicians and past performances, old love notes, letters, postcards, awards, reminders, and anything you can think of from the time I was a teenager up until college. Before we came to Germany, I tore everything down and just cried. I knew that one day I would have to do it, but didn't realize how emotional it would be. I fell asleep to flaky, empty walls which seemed both disturbing and liberating. The faint lines of the glow in the dark stars I put up when I was a kid continued to glow, even though my dad scratched them off. As much as I wanted to ignore the fact we were selling ou

As promised, I have come back to write on my blog. ;)  In August, my dad and I took a trail that lead to the Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany and of the Wetterstein Mountain Range (Northern Limestone Alps). Although I have hiked a lot in my life, the Zugspitze is the tallest mountain I have climbed to date at 9,718 ft. Not only did we climb the mountain, but we hiked for two days in pouring rain with semi-proper rain equipment, and endured the majority of the mountain covered in slippery snow. Needless to say, I purchased a postcard where I was able to see what the view “would” have looked like. Still, it was an amazing experience, which you can read more about below if you are interested. A little map on the train showed various stops and a cute picture of the Zugspitze. I would like to begin by saying that on our short, yet tiring two day trek, I did in fact bring a book of Henry David Thoreau’s Meditations called “A Light in the Woods” compiled and edit

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” ― Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography I have had this quote on a sticky note on my laptop for a few months... and find that it is always a good motivator. Along with this beautiful song by Patrick Watson, an amazing Canadian singer/ song writer (currently) from Montreal. I also enjoyed this video that was paired with it because it reminds me of the German countryside.

Too those who may be following my adventures, I wanted to apologize for taking some months off after having started writing! I have really been focusing on myself lately and settling into Germany as well as traveling a bit. Soon, I will write a few posts about my travels...but in the meantime, I also wanted to explain what I have been working on! 1. I have decided to get my masters in Germany, and thus I have been working on applying to colleges for either the upcoming summer semester or next years winter semester. I am looking at programs in areas such as global studies, international relations, and intercultural relations among others. Germany luckily has many tuition-free schools and I am lucky enough to currently be supported by my parents while I apply and search for jobs to fund my living expenses. 2. After much convincing towards the Ansbach District Office, I was able to obtain a 9 month residential permit. This allows me to stay in Germany until next summer, allowing me ti

Now that I am settled in at my parent’s humble apartment in Germany, I thought I would reflect a little bit on my trip to Iceland. I have been thinking a little bit about the country every day, trying to decide how I could possibly describe my feelings about it…so here it goes.   This past march, during spring break, I visited Iceland for the first time during its dark time of year. I arrived to the country at around 7am and found out that I could not check into my hostel (The Backpackers Hostel) until 2pm. Thus, I dropped my bags off and walked around the whole city for about six hours in a breezy, cold snow storm without the right foot attire and a light jacket. What I found was that, for being such a cold, rainy and snowy country, Iceland’s culture is warm and vibrant. Although, my first experience of Iceland was very short (one day) and…cold…(including the part where I forgot to pay for a hostel blanket and had no hair dryer) I knew I needed to return. View from Hallgríms

Firstly, I would like to explain the name I chose for my new blog! Since a lot of change is coming my way with selling my childhood home, my sister getting married, graduating college and moving to Germany, I decided to base this blog around my new experiences and gradual understanding of myself and the world around me. I may at times, refer to past experiences and relate them to the new which will all be a part of connecting the dots and understanding what these experiences have meant in my life. The quote "I tramp a perpetual journey," was taken from a segment of Walt Whitman's poem, "Song of Myself" which is included in his work, Leaves of Grass. Leaves of Grass is a vast collection of poems which Whitman wrote about his philosophy of life and humanity. He spent many years adding to and revising the collection, which were heavily influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson's writings. (As am I.) I wanted to use an allusion to the free verse poem, "Song of Mys