Lessons Learned While Traveling Abroad

Europe & N. Africa - November 2022

Other than a few words in about 7 different languages, I’ve learned so much about myself and the world, simply by interacting with and witnessing other humans.

Madrid, Seville, & Malaga-Spain 

Our health is not limited to what we put in our bodies. 

I’ve learned this by witnessing the Spanish drink, eat & smoke at every hour of the day. I thought it was counterintuitive that you can drink beer/wine/coffee, chain smoke cigarettes, and eat bread like it’s your job, while still beaming health & happiness, and living a full life. What we’ve been programmed to believe in the west is that alcohol is something to drink when your down, bored, lonely, (the list goes on & on), cigarettes will kill you quickly, and gluten should be avoided at all costs. What I’ve witnessed in many places in Europe has proved to me that my programming must be wrong, or at least that there is another way. Which is quite humbling and a welcome shift in perspective. That being said, I am aware that some folks really do have a gluten allergy, although the gluten “intolerance” that we experience in such high numbers in the states is a whole blog post in itself. There have been times in my life when I felt, for lack of better words, “holier than thou”. All because I stuck to a clean diet, didn’t drink alcohol, stayed away from nicotine, and limited my caffeine intake. All of that and I still was lacking something. I was restricting myself from some experiences that could have been healing for me by staying closed to the world around me. Now I’m realizing that the Spaniards have something we are missing. They have community and culture. Yes, we create our own community. Yes, I am surrounded by a beautiful group of humans and have healthy interactions daily. But there is something about witnessing folks in Europe that made me feel like what I have is a watered down version of what true community can look like. Folks sit together and commune over their coffee, wine, & cigarettes not because they need the caffeine or alcohol to get a buzz, but because they are enjoying themselves and it is part of the enjoyment. I didn’t see one drunk person the whole time I was here. And If I saw anyone slightly buzzed, it was probably a tourist. The pours of wine were about 3 ozs opposed to the 6-9 ozs in the states. One glass of wine could be sipped through a two hour long conversation. Another thing about what I witnessed with Europeans……They walk, everywhere. When we flew into Madrid and took our bus to the flat we were staying in, we walked about 1.5 miles to get there. I thought, “wow, I’m looking forward to figuring out public transportation”. But then something shifted in me, I craved walking, I wanted to walk everywhere we went. We would look at a map and see that the park or museum was only a 47 minute walk and I would say “perfect, let’s go”. When I’m home in Florida, I get in my car to go across the street to the grocery store. There is so much more to see, hear, and be a part of when we are walking the streets and interacting with other humans. 

Marrakech, Morocco 

There is no need to be afraid of what is different or what we don’t understand. 

When we told some new friends in Spain that we were traveling to Marrakesh, they said “I wanted to but everyone at my hostel told me that it wasn’t safe to travel there.” I had heard that a number of times, so I entered the country with the thought that I would need to be “on guard, alert, aware, and essentially not trust anyone”. I understand that it is important to be mindful of your surroundings when you travel, and I always am, but I found myself on “high alert” my first day in Marrakesh. As I was looking lost, walking thru the souk, someone tried to offer me directions to the Jemaa el fna (the big square), and I looked at my partner like “they could be leading us to a dark alley”, when in reality, all they were doing was offering a lost looking lady directions. I’m sure this same person offers many lost looking people directions many times a day, and I wonder how many times they receive the same skeptical look I had? What inspires them to continue to offer help when they could simply stay quiet? I believe it is their faith. Being in the heart of the Medina (the old town), we were able to hear many different mosques call for prayer 5 times a day. Listening for the call to prayer became a welcome reminder to pause and offer my gratitude/pray in my own way. (even when the first call came at sunrise). I imagine that if I was reminded of a higher source and asked to dedicate just 10 minutes of my time 5x a day, I would have more patience,  compassion & love in my heart. Honestly, I often forget to pray before I eat & that is only asked of me three times per day. 

Berlin- Germany 

It starts with the small changes to make a big difference.

The “going green” trend is not just a trend here; it is a lifestyle. Witnessing the way that the Germans are working together to give back to Mother Earth and do their part in protecting the environment for future generations was very inspiring for me. When we were at a concert and ordered two sparkling waters, they came out to 11 Euros and we didn’t even get the whole bottle. Instead they gave us two reusable cups with sparking water and told us that when we bring the cups back, we can get two euros per cup. I was interested in how this would look at the end of the night. We’re people just going to leave their cups on the dance floor and forget the 2 euros? Or would this crowd be interested in bringing back the cups for their deposit? Never have I ever seen a cleaner dance floor then this one. At the end of the show, everyone was in line to return their cups and get their euros back. I was amazed that it was so simple to keep 3000+ plastic cups out of the landfill. We continued to see this trend throughout our whole stay in Berlin. When we went to a Christmas market, we were given our drink in a cute mug that we would either return for 2 euros, or take home as a keepsake. It made so much sense to me in that moment. Why wouldn’t every country use this method of reducing waste? I think the answer is time. It takes time to stand in line to return a cup or mug. You have to make an effort to keep the waste out of the landfill. I think in the west we are programed to rush from one thing to the next and so this kind of effort would be an “inconvenience” to some. I believe even these small efforts make such a difference. If every concert, farmers market, or outdoor event offered reusable cups, we could save 1000s of lbs. of plastic from entering the landfill every year.  I trust that this movement will make its way over to us soon and when it does, you will find me waiting in line to return my cup.

Traveling the world allows us to see the bigger picture, widen our circles, and broaden our horizons. I feel so blessed to have the privilege to travel the world and learn more about myself and others through these life changing experiences. Above are just a few of my own personal take aways and perspectives. Please feel free to share what you have learned from traveling below.