The Anthropology of Starting Over

Two years ago, I was rejected from every college I applied to. My world felt like it was falling apart, and for the first time in my life, it actually was. With it, went all of the preconceived notions of how my future should look and the expectations of who I should be. As the people I once loved left, and the places I once sought comfort in no longer welcomed me, I quickly learned that I had no choice but to do the same. And for the first time in my life, I got to start from scratch.

Since then, I've lived in Barcelona and London, and travelled to 17 countries around the world. I learned how to ski in Finland, started surfing in Indonesia, and became a yoga instructor in Bali. I've been clubbing in Ibiza, seen Paris from the top of the Eiffel tower, sailed the Amalfi Coast; and after all that, I even managed to get into college.

But this isn't a story about the wins and losses by which I once defined my worth. It's one about a much deeper well, one filled with human connection and good will. It's about the Italian nonna who welcomed my friends and me into her home while we were lost in Puglia, and cooked us a traditional Apulian meal. It's about the girl in Lombok who sold us bracelets every night, and invited us to her home to show us how to make them. It's about the British boys we met on a night out in London, who became our personal tour guides for the next three months.

If the past two years have taught me anything, it’s that sometimes the most important education you will get is learning something new about someone else. It's what has inspired me to pursue a future in cultural anthropology, why I encourage everyone in my circles to get back out in the world, and the very reason I created this blog. Because through travel, we don't just learn about others–we find our way home to ourselves.