Lesser Known Philly

This Summer one of my best friends invited me to meet up in Philly. He spends many of his work days in the center of the city and I was living nearby in Carbon County. We decided to meet up when he and his team finished for the day.

      I arrived early since I was on vacation and I decided I would park for free in Philly and leisurely walk toward my friend.  I found a place in Fairmount Park at the entrance of the Sedgley Woods Disc Golf course. I illegally crossed Route 13 on my way out , but that was the only time I was without a pedestrian path.

      I walked a quarter mile through Breweryton and then wove my way into another section of Fairmount Park. It is massive! I saw open access basketball courts, a playground, and a historic building called Lemon Hill Mansion.  As I sauntered along I found myself at the building side of Boathouse Row.  For decades we had past this landmark on the highway and Dad had pointed it out as a symbol of Philadelphia.  I walked towards the student buildings and the boats on the dock.  I looked across the Schuylkill river just to make sure I had my bearings.  It was true.  I was on the boatside of Boathouse Row, looking into the city of my childhood roadtrips.  

     As I continued walking I arrived to the Philadelphia Art Museum, but at the rear facing gardens! People usually miss this area since the main entrance is on the opposite end of the massive city building.  There was an azalea garden and a number of well kept plants.  Between the plants and the museum were a surprising number of free two hour parking places.  I walked where my eyes called me, passing a few feet farther from the museum and towards some pretty pavilions.  As I walked with the museum on my left and the Schuylkill on my right, I entered the first one that called out to me.  It is the Mercury Pavilion and it gave me a wonderful now elevated view of Boathouse row.  

     I continued past the museums and found myself on a well kept paved walking path.  I passed an open entry skate park on my left and later my path afforded a distant view of Drexel U and 30th street station.  The path was long and leisurely, usually following the river.  I noticed a simple set of free bathrooms.  Simple, with no sink, but ready if someone were to need them.  

I exited the path near 24th street to look for Nate and I found a few more beautiful buildings as we prepared to meet.  There was the parish house of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia.  It looked ancient and strong in the bustling city.  I continued along and saw what looked like a castle!  On the sides of the buildings were signs that parking was restricted to military participants.  When I found a sign for the mysterious and massive building, I learned that it is the home of the FIrst Troop Philadelphia City Calvary.   This troop is the oldest mounted military unit in the USA.  More information can be found here  Hidden City Philadelphia  .  To the left of this beautiful structure was the Red Cross in a building labeled as their Scientific Building.  

Here I met Nate, one my best friends and a longtime adventure partner.  We had a blast catching up on life and looking through the city.  We returned to the Schuylkill River Trail on the portion I had not finished.  We followed the river until we reached the CHOP Roberts Center for Pediatric Research.  Here we exited and started a stroll down South Street.  We laughed to realize I am on the cusp of trying to do what Nate has been living for the past decade - start a family, find a place to live, make a life with his wife and kids.  We past Mom Mom’s Kitchen, which almost won us over with the name.  We continued onward, looking for some delicious cheesesteaks Nate had recommended.  

In the end we stopped early and ducked into the PHS Pop Up Garden.  It was a beautiful sheltered outdoor venue and the whole place felt like peace and relaxation. I enjoyed a “summer tomato sandwich” and a cucumber tonic while we continued to catch up on each other’s recent experiences.  

This was an amazing day in the city!  The company was fantastic and the route was splendid.  The light, delicious meal finished off the trip perfectly.  As we made our way back to the cars, my heart was happy.  I hope it is not long until we can repeat the experience.

The Suegra’s Beans, Yerno

At home with my wife, I find myself in the small kitchen we use to prepare our family lunches.  Now we are cooking for six since some of the family has joined us in Madrid.  I am trying to finish the first part of the family’s bean recipe before I get in the way of lunch.  I usually take the easy jobs for lunch, because my kitchen skills are much much slower.  Today, after the beans, I will only need to prep the broccoli.

I ask Jeni questions I am embarrassed to ask about the pressure cooker, but I am determined to make these beans a success.  She is beautiful in our bedroom organizing some things before she will join me in the kitchen.  She answers all my questions with patience today and I start the bean boiling process.

Later we go to work together, caring for the uncooperative red beans and now the day’s lunch as well.  She’s decided that si o si she is going to make a dessert in the midst of this, because one of the family member’s asked for it.  Her love is powerful and it puts extra hope into the life of everyone who lives here.  We are going by my notes on the family recipe because, as Jeni tells me today, she doesn’t quite know the process for the beans.

Halfway through the lunch prep I want to  patear el perro because the directions for boiling the beans left them somewhat uncooked.  Jeni is unphased and tells me we will need to return them to a boil until they are soft.  I resist, I want to go by the recipe.  But after a few stubborn minutes I admit to myself that she almost never steers me wrong when we cook together.

We finish lunch, and, at the same time, the beans are finally done with the boil phase.  We sit down with part of the family to eat.  Tesla, my amazing mother in law, will be home from work an hour later.  Lunch  is delicious and Jeni and I relax a bit and take care of a few odds and ends.  Before I know it, I find Tesla in the kitchen blending my beans (step two of three).  “Wait!” I tell her “I was going to make the beans today.”  She tells me the next steps and I confirm with her that the beans seem well prepared up to this point.  She sits down to relax after work and I go at the second part of my project.

As I clumsily dice the onion and garlic, Tesla laughs at me and tells me advice I could have used 15 minutes ago.  “You can dip the onion in garlic to help avoid crying”.  I go back and forth to talk with her as I finish various steps of the final frying.  Finally, the beans are done.  My wife, the love of my life, is tutoring one of the neighbor’s kids and I am in the common area of the apartment with just Tesla.  We chat about an apartment that just came up for rent and who might want it.  When the thinking gets stressful we push a little farther but then rest.  I tell her I’m going to stir the beans and that I love her.  “I love you too” she says, still getting used to the new habit of telling this to her new son in law.  I go and taste the beans and to my delight they are quite good.  I ask her if she is going to try them and watch as she puts some on a piece of fresh bread.  “They are good,” she says.  “They are really tasty.”

I have a special place in this new family and I am finding it day by day.  I love that cooking beans is one small part of what I bring.

NYC for $12 Parking

Every once in a while I make my way over to New York City.  A couple of trips have been for errands, but most have been for pleasure.  At least one was a group trip for an exchange student my family was hosting at the time.  I love visiting the massive city!  My family and I started looking for ways to keep the trip affordable, especially the transportation.  We are quite happy with the process we are developing.

Our current favorite method of touring NYC is parking on Staten Island and spending our day in Manhattan.  This spares us from parking in the busiest parts of NYC and also reduces the stress of the road trip.  We always park at the St. George Ferry lot on Staten Island.  It costs $1.50 an hour or $12 for 18 hours of parking.  We just pay the $12 and enjoy Manhattan until we are exhausted.  I wish this method got us out of the crossing tolls around the city, but I have not figured out how to avoid those yet.  I still paid about $15 to enter New York from New Jersey before I ended my drive. 

There is absolutely no need for a car to enjoy Manhattan.  My trip yesterday was one of my all time favorites.  My wife and I left the car on Staten Island and entered the Staten Island Ferry.  The boat leaves every 30 minutes and it is absolutely free.  It runs 24/7 and the entry process is ridiculously simple for mass public transit.  Simply arrive about 10 minutes before the boat you wish to take.  Walk into the large room that holds the docks for the boat and make your way to the glass door.  Do not be worried if a police officer allows their dog to smell your bags, it is just part of the security for the boat.  Get in line for the boat and file on board once the crowd starts moving.  It’s a 20 minute ride to Manhattan.

The first sight we saw yesterday was the Statue of Liberty.  It is located on Ellis Island, but we enjoyed fabulous views and snapped photos as we passed it onboard the Staten Island Ferry.  The bright green monument shined in the mid-distance as we passed it by.  After enjoying the views, we exited our boat at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal (the only stop the boat makes before returning to Staten Island).  We walked out of the docking building and saw a sign for the subway right outside the entrance.  

Our next stop was the American Museum of Natural History.  We paid $2.90 each to ride the metro from the ferry station to 79th street.  The “1” train completes the trip in 25 minutes.  Then it’s a 10 minute walk to the museum.  We both loved our time there.  We spent about 2 ½ hours in the exhibits and really only covered the 1st and 4th floor.  We studied gems, minerals, human origins, ocean life, and dinosaurs.  

Then we went into the heart of the city!  We entered the nearest subway and rode it to 57th street (every subway ride is $2.90 a person).  We got off there for one of my favorite foods - the Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th.  We split a delicious $11 chicken, beef, and rice dish from their spectacular food truck.  There is usually an open spot to sit 15 feet from the truck and we found plenty of room on our Wednesday visit.

Next the must sees!  From Halal Guys we strolled down to The Red Steps at Father Duffy Square (46th and 7th Avenue)  and into Times Square (42nd and 7th Avenue).  The crowds were thick and sealike as we hit those famous sites.  We kept walking downward and the crowds began to thin out.  As we hit 34th street we could see the Empire State Building in the distance.  We walked the two blocks East to 5th Avenue and snapped some photos in front of the building that spent 40 years as the tallest in the world.  

We ended our trip with that stop at at the Empire State Building.  We hopped on the nearest subway and rode the “W” line down to Whitehall Ferry Station (a 20 minute ride).   We filed onto the Staten Island Ferry and passed the Statue of Liberty once more.  This time its crown and torch glowed with light in the gentle black sky of the evening.  After the peaceful 20 minute boat trip, we filed out and walked the 3 minutes to our car.   We were sleepy but thrilled by our amazing day in the Big Apple. 

Philly for $3 Parking

About once a year I take a trip into center city Philly.  I always try new ways of parking to enjoy the city on a budget.  Yesterday I took a trip with my wife to show her the sights.  Hoping to make it an especially enjoyable day, I avoided the all day walking trips I tend to make to save on parking.  To my surprise, we only spent $3 parking even though we kept the car with us all day.  

Past trips to Philly have taught me a number of available parking options in the city.  I learned that I can park for free in the University City district and walk from the 30s down to center.  I have also tried the valet parking lots that charge less but make you leave your key.  I think these have run me about $15 for all day permission and they get me in the teen or 20 blocks from the time I leave the car.  Once or twice I have bought the garage parking on Arch street near the intersection of 10th street.  It is pricey but super convenient.  

Today we went from South Philly to Reading Terminal Market, sampling some of the crucial stops for $3 parking.  We went on a Wednesday, and we started the day with a cheesesteak from Geno’s.  I parked at 4th and Reed in free two hour parking and we took a twenty minute stroll to lunch.  It would have been super easy, but the sun was very hot yesterday. After the steak, we made our way back to the car.  I saw a bit of additional free parking, but not many  open spots before mine.  The art museum steps and the Rocky statue were my wife’s top hopes for the trip so we went there next.   We parked across from 1821 Fairmount Ave, right near the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Once again, we had two hour free parking.  This gave us time to take the twenty minute walk to the Museum steps, pose with Rocky despite the line, goof around on the steps, and return to the car.  We even bought a cold drink on the walk and still had half an hour to spare when we got back to the car.  There was even more free parking between my spot and the museum.  Directly in front of the Eastern State Penitentiary were 3 hour free parking spots.  And right around where 25th or so meets Pennsylvania Ave., there were many free spots for the Art Museum.  4 hour spots that would have allowed a relaxed tour inside or a few quick photos around the city.  

We thought about ending the day there because it was quite hot and we were convinced we could return to the city another day.  But I was reluctant to miss out and suggested we see two more sights from the car.  We drove past City Hall and my wife took a glimpse at the famous massive building.  Then we drove right up to the Friendship Archway installed at the entrance to Chinatown.  I had Jeni step out and snap a photo while I stayed in the car on the side of the road long enough for her to be there.  We were accidentally a few blocks from Reading Terminal Market, one of the only other spots we had hoped to see.  We drove the length of the market slowly slowly slowly with the telltale windows and signs out our left window.  With eyes peeled for a spot, we found one two blocks past the market very near a bowling alley with a massive pin painting to announce its function.  It was $3 an hour with a 1 hour limit until 4pm and a 3 hour limit after.  We paid for an hour and shopped the market at a leisurely pace.  

I am quite happy with our trip from yesterday.  We saw a great sampling of the most popular places in the city.  We did miss the Love statue as well as the giant game pieces nearby.  I am sure that others would recommend more sights, but this was a fabulous start.  I will keep building my knowledge of the city, and in the meantime I am glad for any budget Philly tricks anyone can offer.

robertctimlin@gmail.com

Visiting Home

Twelve months into my life abroad, my wife and I found an opportunity to visit my family on the East Coast of the United States.  It was her first time in the US and my first time so motivated to show someone all of the best of my home country.  With my top sights list and her goals for the trip, I think we have lived an amazing 4 weeks here.  

We took a number of extended visits to beautiful locations around my hometown in Carbon County, Pennsylvania.  The family beach trip began two days after we landed and we were thrilled to go along.  In Ocean City, NJ we saw the sparkling rolling ocean that has helped to carry me through each year of my life.  Just reaching the water line washes away my stress and reminds me of life’s beauty.  Jeni and I also joined my family for a two night cabin stay at Mauch Chunk Lake in Jim Thorpe.  The rippling water is the biggest draw to the park and we both enjoyed kayaking through the sun and shade.  It was Jeni’s first time trying a kayak and she liked it a lot more than she expected.  Most recently, we drove to Orrstown, PA for a special gathering and spent three nights surrounded by beautiful open fields and pockets of dense trees.  

I had a blast showing Jeni some of my favorite foods in the area and helping her find the foods she had most wanted to enjoy.  I showed her Jo Jo’s pizza in Hershey, Pa and my customized Sheetz waffle-bun burger that is the definition of delicious.  She requested a Belgian waffle and we found a great one at the New Schnecksville Family Diner.  I convinced her to try scrapple while we were there and told her the rule with scrapple is never asking what it is made of.  I have been talking up Geno’s Cheesesteaks in South Philly and we hope to get there before we go in addition to trying a yet to be chosen dish in NYC.  

My favorite times of the trip are hard to categorize.  One was a post-wedding celebration in Hershey with 110 of my closest friends and family.  Another was playing catch phrase with a few of my relatives after beachside pizza.  Relaxed days at home with my immediate family were cherished when everyone could be in one place.  And we spent a few days of this trip learning from spiritual teachers working in countries as far away as Thailand.  

A few people have asked me when I am “returning home” or “going back”.  It is weird to hear them acknowledge that I do not live in PA right now.  I know my place is Spain and that helps me look forward to the routine based life that is approaching.  For now Jeni and I have had an amazing time visiting my hometown, seeing some of the best of what nearby has to offer, and soaking in time with family and friends. 

And you could not fail

This is a live processing writeup.  An idea has been floating in the back of my mind and grabbing my attention.  An idea that I reflected on before but left unapplied.  The things I am convinced of about my life mean that in some critical sense, it is impossible for me to fail.  

I believe that Jesus was an actual person who walked around on Earth.  I believe that he talked to friends, tripped when he walked, and cooked good food.  I believe that he was killed and that he returned to life from the dead.  I believe he was God living with people.  And Jesus taught that I am God’s kid.  A son whose divine father loves and protects him.  A son whose father is immensely powerful.  

When I envision projects for my future it fills me with excitement.  I love to act in the world and bring about things that I believe are valuable.  When I realize there are people in life with enough money to launch their projects without risking failure, I get jealous.  My head begins to fill with wishes that I was rich, that I had at least one property to leverage, that I had an income that was not based on selling my life hour by hour.  I wish that I could launch a project I was passionate about and know I would not fail.  And by fail I mean disappoint.  Failure would be for my wife, my  family, my neighbors to say that I had done poorly and to be right about it.  

I have this hunch that I cannot fail.  That it is physically impossible for me to fail.  Let me tease out the parameters of that new view. I have a divine, immensely powerful connection who has told me I am like a son to him.  I have enough of a sense of who he is and what he would like to see in the world to undertake projects for him.  No matter how poorly my attempted projects turn out, his immense power surrounds me.  He protects my connection to him even if I am injured or die.  Nothing can break my connection to my divine father.  Nothing can break my wife’s connection to him.  True failure is not doing poorly.  True failure is being disconnected from my divine father.  He is too powerful to lose me and too kind to abandon me.  He is too strong to lose of my wife.  True failure is impossible for us because the failsafe is his work.  I can go through life creatively acting without fear of failure. 

I know that some of my steps in my reflection may seem like leaps.  I am convinced that continued reflection would strengthen my case and not oppose it.  Some of this has been forming in my head for years.  I want to embrace this perspective and live with the freedom of knowing I cannot fail.   

Coslada: You Could Live Here

As awesome as travel is, most of us want to spend part of our lives feeling at home. We like to have a place that feels familiar. Know the neighbors, know the parks, know which restaurants are worth it. Coslada, Spain would be a nice place to make home.

Coslada is separated from but near Madrid proper. You can get to the Llao llao, the churros, the tourist streets any day of the week.  But you also have a sense of rest. You have more breathing space, the pace is reduced.

There is a fabulous school in Coslada that you can send your students to. I have examined IES Miguel Catalán from the inside out and I am super impressed. The teachers are brilliant and hard working, the students are respectful and sincere, the resources are substantial. And the café sells healthy 1€ breakfasts on campus.

There is a fabulous sports complex in my part of Coslada with nets and courts for everything: basketball, soccer, paddle, tennis, track, a weight room, and possibly more.  

The other week I found the biblioteca municipal de Coslada and I enjoyed perusing some of their books in the world languages sections. Books in German, France, Italian, English, and Romanian.

There are numerous small town businesses so you can choose one to make a regular haunt. I love showing up at cafetería la gargola for a late morning coffee. I greet the owner by name and he tells me jokes about his life.

Coslada has everything you need for a nice hometown. It is a little less busy than Madrid, but full of life.  The public services are excellent. The public spaces are attractive, and you'll laugh when you meet my café owner.

La Insula del Principito

Today I ate an amazing three course meal in Alcalá de Henares. The lunch structure of Spain is splendid but I had a lot of disappointing experiences with the food served this year. Today was completely different!

La Insula del Principito has been calling to me for a few months now. I walk past it once a week on my way to the university. Its banner depicts both Antoine's Little Prince AND Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote, a double nerd enticement. I sensed deep in my soul that anyone that can manage that double alusion would do something special with their food and drink. The hunch was proved so true!

My first course, since I ordered the menú del día, was a greens salad with goat cheese. I love this combination. The goat cheese was served in delicious thick circles and complimented by a fine olive oil. A variety of small crisp seeds on top of a few slices of red tomato added to the dish and a dash of cranberry preserves made it perfect. After I devoured the salad I sopped up the remaining dressing and seeds with a piece of my fresh baguette.

The second course was called "secreto con chimichurri" and it was mouthwatering. Thick juicy ham cuts that were extremely tender formed the main part of the dish. Fried potato quarters added substance and the chimichurri gave them an exciting flare. Once again  I had a little delicious juice left over to enjoy with a bit of my baguette.

Coffee or dessert is included in the menu. Today I decided to take the dessert and add the coffee on top to experience everything.  I finished my meal with an amazing crema catalana and a comfortingly bitter hot coffee.  The crema catalan is the consistency of pudding and just as sweet as ice cream. The topmost layer is crystalized table sugar.

The waitress was kind and patient and the customers appeared to be all repeat consumers.  I cannot wait for an excuse to return and show someone new the pleasure of this delicious restaurant.

Small Town Honduras

My wife told me I have un corazón del pueblo. I’ve been in Honduras for the last 10 days and one of my favorite parts was seeing the towns in our area.  Most people who visit know of the capitol city, Tegucigalpa, but there are so many sights to see outside of that area.  Our family lives in the previous capital of the country - La Paz.  Yesterday we took a lightning tour of three towns in La Paz.  

The first town we stopped in was Cane.  The sign said it was famous for its open skies.  My wife told me that it is also known for being super hot because of those open skies and the lack of mountain shade.  In Cane we stopped on a small road to visit a well known sculpture.  It was a larger-than-life sized sculpture of Jesus on a pillar of cement decorated like an ocean. A massive decorated staircase led up to the statue.  From the top of the stairs we had a close up view of the skillfully shaped statue and an amazing view of the farmland and treeland behind it.  I loved this destination and thought I would visit it often if I lived in the country.  It even had mini stores at the bottom of the stairs for a cold drink or snack while you visited.   

After Cane we took a visit to Leja Mani.  The park was beautiful.  We passed near a lit arch and a peaceful gazebo. There were many trees flourishing in the tropical climate. We took a quick drive to a town we did not park in called Ajuterique. We drove past beautiful creative sculptures of musical instruments and a large shelter of colorful umbrellas hung up over a tiny street.

After a short visit to to a small local city, we drove home to my favorite town - La Paz, La Paz.  Here I love to rest in my family’s hammocks on the massive family patio.  The outdoor space is bigger than the enclosed section of the home.  We eat family meals in the third part of the house, the dining room/family room with one open wall to the patio.  There are some great restaurants to enjoy here too.  One of my new favorites is the Chill Box where I ordered the “hamburguesa de cinco estrellas” yesterday.  It lived up to its name!  I loved the flavor of the burger topped with sausage, egg, plantain, avocado, and a sweet thin mayonnaise.   I ordered mine with the optional side of yuka.  Today we ate another delicious meal at “Ricas Pupusas al Paso”.  Imagine double thick tortillas filled with melted cheese that you use to grip pickled onions and cabbage.  It is a fabulous meal for a delightful family outing.

It’s nice to get beyond the famous cities of a country when you visit.  If you have the chance to make it to Honduras, you  can enjoy these three towns we visited and the beautiful La Paz, La Paz.  Each of the four have a unique draw and a unique personality.  Come and check them out!

My First Try at Tortilla de Patata

Yesterday, I tried my hand at making tortilla de patatas.  I have been in Spain 8 months and I have been enjoying this food since I arrived.  I took down the recipe of my local cafe-owner/bartender and waited for a moment I felt like I had time for a project.  My first attempt was fun and it was also a major fail!

300 grams of potatoes

6 eggs

These are the ingredients the cafe owner Benedicto, told me to use.  I added a bit of chopped onion. I the chopped the potatoes fine and small.  I fried them in olive oil with the onion.  I smashed them and stirred them as they fried like I had interpreted Benedicto’s instructions.  

It was time to combine the potatoes and eggs.  I remembered for sure that Benedicto had told me to drain the excess oil I had fried the potatoes in.  I drained it and placed the potatoes in a clean frying pan.  I mixed the 6 eggs together, making sure all of the yolks were broken.  I poured them on top of the potatoes and started to fry it all on medium heat.  

I stirred the mixture a bit as it fried to keep anything from sticking and burning.  I excitedly observed it solidifying in the pan, waiting for the moment I had heard about - the flip.  The idea is to flip the pan upside down and dump the now solid tortilla onto a plate.  Then you put the tortilla back in the pan upside down to finish frying.  I feel proud of my tortilla up to and only up to this point in the process.    

I confirmed the tortilla was solid enough to survive the flip.  I psyched myself up and quickly turned the pan upside down with a plate ready to catch my food.  Egg dripped onto the plate, but the bulk of the tortilla stayed put.  I shook the plate, hopeful.  Still stuck.  I had to resort to shoveling and scraping my tortilla out with the mixing spoon.  Once I had it out I transferred my non-tortilla shaped mess into a clean pan and finished frying it up like a batch of scrambled eggs.  

I am preparing for a second attempt!

A New Beach

It's always a win when you find a new place to beach. This past month I traveled to the  NorthWestern border of Spain. I enjoyed a beautiful beach town there called Nigran. It is 30 minutes from the Vigo airport and it feels particularly peaceful.

The chance to swim in the ocean is the obvious draw for this town of 18,000 people. I visited in the final days of April.  My Pennsylvania mindset told me that April is way too early to be in the ocean but I found the water to be just warm enough to swim in. I enjoyed the water immensely as I jumped through small waves near a beautiful natural rock bridge.

There are various places to snack near the ocean. I visited the local crepary called Creperie Bretonne Annaick. I chose a lemon sorbet from the ice cream menu, and it was delicious.  This coffee and crepe stop has a unique feel with a brightly painted hippy bus parked inside.  The biggest surprise of my trip was encountering el Mono Patin Skate Cafe.  It is in Nigran, right next the hotel where we stayed.  I went in with my fiance to have a coffee and I saw a a reduced sized skateboard halfpipe in the shop!  Sure that it was too whimsical to be true, I asked the shop owner if customers can skate on the half-pipe.  

“Yeah, they can.”

“But they have to bring their own board, right?”

“No, I’ll show you the ones you can borrow.”

And so, between bites of my pastry, I tried my hand at the skateboarding I had left behind 15 years ago. According to my fiance, I did zero impressive things on that ramp.  But my heart smiled with the energy of skater vibes and unusual surprises.

During one of our afternoons I decided to join the bus trip that crossed the border to Portugal.  We entered a beautiful town called Valenca, one hour from our beach town: Nigran.  Valenca is most notable for its wall defense system, reconstructed in 1643.  The sharp angles and changes in elevation in the defense system now serve to give the town a stunning air of beauty.  I had the distinct sense that this town is now very much a tourist stop, but tourism has not erased the beauty of its construction and vistas.  

In Nigran there are multiple hotels available.  I stayed in the Residencia de Tempo Libre de Panxon, which is a government boosted hotel business.  It was simple but comfortable, with a sense of tranquility.  Some of the rooms look out onto the ocean and others have a small terrace with a view of the town.  There are large rooms available for meetings and gatherngs downstairs and I found those rooms to be particularly beautiful.  There is also a cafeteria that served our group of 200 daily meals.  

Nigran is a peaceful and pleasant beach town, that has a sense of being undiscovered.  The ocean rolls onto the sand near  beautiful rock outcroppings and small cafes. It has a whimsical variety of snacking experiences and is close enough to Portugal for an afternoon adventure.  I am excited to return to this unique town.   

No One Stole My Suitcase

I traveled to Vigo, Spain this week on a tiny plane. When I got to baggage claim everyone was gone. My bag was all alone on the baggage claim belt, waiting for me unbothered. It is an attractive bag that looks expensive and it brought to mind a familiar question- why had no one tried to steal my bag?  I see three possible motives for resisting the urge and I think each motive says a lot about humankind.

My first theory is optimisitic. No one stole my bag because people feel connected to their fellow travelers. We got off the plane and everyone knew how tiring it is to wait for the items you need to function (clothes, toothbrush, razor) to arrive. To stand at the conveyor belt and hope that no one messes up, and that you can put your pajamas on that night when you sleep.

My second theory is laziness and lack of desperation. The people on my flight were only interested in finding their own suitcase. They wanted to go home or start vacation. They did not want a second suitcase when they already had one to lug out of the airport. And since everyone had a suitcase, no one felt a driving need to steal an extra one. This theory reminds me of a similar natural experiment in my college years. I regularly left my laptop unattended in the library for short times. Everyone working there had a laptop since we were all full time undergrads and that mutual abundance decreased any urges to steal.

My final theory is fear.  The people on my flight internalized the airport's reputation for being powerful. The decreased security of that moment in baggage claim did not override their memories of security guards and highly patrolled passages.  No one stole my bag because no one was willing to face the consequences of stealing.  

Whatever held back theft that day in the airport  made it easy for me to enjoy my trip. I left the airport with my clothes, deoderant, and toothbrush securely packed. In reality, I believe the theories interact with each other  and that empathy, laziness and fear worked together discouraging  many possible robberies the week I went to Vigo.

Why you should change countries

The dream to change countries of residence is more and more achievable.  Worldwide airplane access and safety have both increased enormously.  Strategic language learning has made people more connected. Visa permissions are adapting to virtual employment options.  So how do we decide if we should make the move? 

The best reason to change countries is purpose. Every human has divine purposes to carry out in this life. Sometimes living those purposes requires you to change your place of residence.  You might be led to study French visual art, live with Ukrankian refugees, or start a chocolate company in Germany.

Perspective change is another powerful reason to uproot.  This first year in Spain I have been learning that a lunch break should always be followed by a coffee break, long weekends are a chance to visit another country, and that life can be great without a car.

Living in another country also gives you the chance to test and improve yourself. Do you have the patience to embrace a new culture, the emotional strength to live away from home, the bravery to look at the good side of hard things?

A year ago I would have told you that adventure is a powerful reason to change countries. My opinion has changed a lot recently. Adventure is fulfilled in short bursts of change and challenge. If you want adventure, take a trip. Don't change countries to fulfill a need for adventure.  The routine will find you in your new county, so don't make liife changing decisions to run away from It.

Changing your country will force you to appreciate your home country in new ways and that is another reason to consider moving abroad.  Once you move you will notice many things, especially small ones that you value in your home country. Parts of the list are silly. Mine includes the superior peanut butter, Pennsylvania woods, and Subaru Outbacks. Parts of the list are heavy. I miss interacting freely in my birth language, sitting in a room with people who share my upbringing, and my country's medical care. The new appreciation for your home country gained during your move abroad will bless you for the rest or your life.

It might be time for you to move abroad. If you sense that it is, take a few minutes to compare your motives to the ones above.  If you determine that it's truyly time to go, don't let anything stop you! You are in for amazing ride!