Spring Break 2015

20.03.15

My very first experience of any american spring break did not fail, all those exceptions that I had, were everything and better. Especially getting to spend it with four of my dear friends, thankfully Manuel could join us for Sequoia, but only for one day. 

Grand Canyon take #3. I could nearly be a tour guide for this place. I'd say between the three of us internationals we done a good job of showing Emma the Grand Canyon, might I mention, the only american and the only person who had not yet been there before. We'll forgive her this time, she obviously wanted to go with the best of company and I think she achieved that.

21.03.15

Enjoying the breath taking views of Sequoia National park from above.

From the top of Moro rock, Sequoia.

The tunnel log

General Sherman: for many years now, I have wanted to visit this tree and I was most excited about this part of the road trip; it also happened to be the one day that we were all going to be together and what better site to see than the largest known living single stem tree on earth. We found ourselves just stepping back and taking that whole moment in, taking pictures was fun and we had a laugh but this was a moment that really couldn't be fully captured on camera. It's a must see!!

16.03.15

San Francisco has been a city that I have always wanted to visit, not just because 'Mrs Doubtfire' the movie was filmed there... It was incredible, every corner I turned there was beautiful architecture and endless hills. Our first sights of the sea were from Lombard Street, we made a list of all the places we wanted to visit in the city worked out the bus routes and hit the ground running on the first day. There was so much to do and only three days.

Lombard Street

Fisherman's Wharf

Japan Town

China Town

Shopping!

Mrs Doubtfire's House

The Painted Ladies

Bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge

We were right beside Pier 39 but had to run for our bus and didn't get the chance.

26.03.15

Finally Lake Tahoe was one of the last stops on the trip as we headed back towards Durango, we didn't have a long time to spend there. Only a couple of hours were what we managed to squeeze in and they were by far the most beautiful.

Excited for every stop on the trip but I never knew that a place could be so amazing. 

I feel like we got the golden hour, sitting on a warm rock as the water splashed lightly against the bay, I sat there in awe at the opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to experience in these past seven months and thank goodness it's not over yet, this was my last time in California but I know for sure that I made the most of it. 

Until next time...

Durango - Silverton steam locomotive

08/03/15

Felt like Maureen O'Hara; little Irish me on my run away train in the big Wild West

Finding myself

No doubt everyone has heard the term, 'going to find myself' whether that is in context to getting a new job, taking a well deserved break or moving away. When I left home six months ago I had no big goals, instead I just wanted to enjoy myself and find myself again. I always wanted to know exactly what that phrase meant; I felt that finding yourself meant 

"distancing yourself from what you know is common, your friends, family, job, school and college, these are all distractions and factors that can cloud your opinion, once you have none of these factors to rely on or distract you; you then revert back to your own instinct."

I notice when you surround yourself with all these factors you end up not knowing what you truly want, these people and their opinion tend to burr your judgement. Not with any intention but when you feel confused and unsure of what you want in life you are inclined to follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. I never felt that my friends or family forced me to do anything that I didn't want to do; instead I hesitated when I was asked my opinion; I didn't know if I liked something because I genuinely liked it or because I knew that everyone would be happy that I was doing the same as them. When you loss the ability to know what you want, it can be very frustrating.

Starting with a clean slate in a different place was exactly what I needed, it allowed me to make up my own mind, rather than following the crowd; I had no intention of becoming a completely different person and acting different I just was allows myself breathing space to make decisions. I allowed myself not to care what people thought of me and instead I chose what I wanted so new friends could get to know me, the real me!

It seems almost, silly. How could you loss your opinion or thoughts on something. I believe that when life gets so busy with all these other elements that we have to make priority, voicing our opinion seems like the last thing to think of. By distancing yourself and becoming more independent you have to choose what you want since you are not selecting them to make others happy instead you are benefitting yourself in the long run. I was curious whether or not other people felt the same. It has become the norm to do what the crowd is doing rather than waste your time or effort (so it might seem) speaking up and not getting what you want. 

My advice. Take the opportunity to do what you really want, stop trying to please other people, it won't make you happy in the long run. Don't be a sheep in the crowd!