Passion sets us off. It kicks the body out of the home, points it down the road, and encourages the discovery of horizons far from our door. It is the magic of life, and it deserves to be followed. If you do, life will surprise you with its beauty.
Before leaving my hometown for a year abroad, I wrote this…
It’s hard to fathom the trip I have lined up, but I’ve been hungry for a change.
My life at home is isolated by the forest, the price of gas, and the time taken to get anywhere. Sometimes I forget my curiosity for life in this stagnant, aimless way of living. The only way to get it back seems to get gone, far gone with no sight of a return.
So, I posted my car for sale and packed my bags, storing everything else in boxes, intending to live my life through curiosity and love.
And here I am…
Europe
The first ten days of my year abroad were met with the friction of change among my travel crew, but throughout my travels, I’ve learned that hardships are small compared to their moments of joy and growth.
We’re at an orientation for an Italian summer camp. After tomorrow, I’ll be teaching English and living with Italian host families for the majority of the summer, bouncing to a new town every week.
As a fantasy writer, I believe that it’s critical to see the world before me before I can truly create a world of my own. Everybody should have their own adventure story before telling one. They say to write what you know. This is something I used to hate hearing, and though I don’t use it as a hard rule, knowledge does enhance the stories we tell.
Orientation has now ended, and I’m in a wonderful area this week at my first camp. I’ve done two summers of camps in Italy in 2018 and 2019, and the love of being back after the world has changed so much makes everything before me seem blissfully unreal. I was playing games with my students in the courtyard of a convent today, not believing how lucky I was to be here. It’s moments like this, ones that grew from a simple seed of passion, that make me appreciate the beauty of life.
Find what moves you.
Love,
Noah
Why did you put so many pictures of France in your post about Italy?