Electrocuted

You would think that after spending a week in Corfu and Athens Greece I would have seen it all. The sights, the sand, the sea and the sun. That my week had already climaxed and the bus ride now was just an easy transition back to Florence. But I didn't feel fulfilled, and a part of my trip felt void. This gave me a bitter taste of dissatisfaction. Maybe these months of travel have made me spoiled and snobby, I thought.

Once we left the hustle and bustle of Athens, a city of 4 million people, we drove by a smaller city right on the coast. Strangely, this was my favorite part of the entire trip. Strangely, this fulfilled my Greece expectations with one passing, without even stopping. I felt a surge of excitement. It wasn't like the feeling I had at the Acropolis. Or any of the other tourist attractions in Greece. And it wasn't something I could just say, "Oh! That's cool!" at. It was beautiful. And while the rest of the bus slept, I was awake with Marina, feeling totally relaxed, amazed and appreciative.

For moments like these, I am so grateful to be studying abroad. I have realized that sometimes people are scared of change, but habit has no memory. How weird is that the days repeated the most are forgotten the easiest? Shouldn't repetition make us remember them more? Days at home often go by one after the other and blend into a huge clump of time. Here, my senses are electrocuted. I can remember the virgin white buildings and the wavy copper rooftops. Behind these, the ocean boldly faded in three distinct stripes. Closest to the shore was a pale, sea foam, bluish-green. Parallel to this, the water turned more turquoise, and finally a deep blue. Out the other window was an overwhelming view of mountains. They sprouted up from the ground jagged and unpredictable. Those behind the water looked different. They were faded and dim, like an out-of-place layer of fog. How could they not though? The suns glare ricocheted off of the tips of the waves and demanded the attention of my eye. The mountains became the blank curtain ignored behind the main spectacle performing center stage. And I feel that rush of happiness again. Bottled up in my body, contained on a bus, and ready to explode. This is life. It isn't a stringing together of days but an appreciation of each individual one. It's about living your life how you want to. Life should be about going on a limb, taking a chance and doing something totally different. Something uncomfortable, something you never expected you would do. It's about trying new foods, seeing new places, and meeting new people. It is so easy to get lost in the habit of routine; to become unsatisfied and forgetful. But when you find yourself in these euphoric moments every risk is worth it. These memories will not be lost, even when life becomes a continuous pattern. Or rot in the stale days of habit. Instead, they will stay fresh, preserved and alive in our memory, even as we encounter more change.