Travelers Heart

As I sat there listening to Mantas spill out his life story to me I couldn’t stop laughing; partly because of his accent and the continuous flow of silly sounding curses and partly because of the fact that I had just met a total stranger for coffee.

Mantas is 23, originally from Lithuania but grew up in Ireland. He’s an artist who has been hitchhiking and couchsurfing his way through Europe for the past 6 months. He walked into the café wearing a Russian hat that now looked like a wet puppy from the drizzle of rain outside and he sported a thin little mustache. He immediately gave me a hug and within five minutes he asked if I was on laughing gas, saying, “Our lungs are going to break!”

After we ordered cioccolata calda (thick hot chocolate) and he insisted we share he told me how his journey began and how he ended up in Italy.

With the intention of only being gone for 2 weeks he hitchhiked to Greece to meet up with some friends to go bungee jumping. Then hopped over to Gavdos Island, the most southern point in Europe, where you can see the sun rise on one horizon and set on the opposite at the same time. After spending 2 months there he caught a boat to Turkey on his 3rd attempt. From there he was on his way to Lithuania to meet his parents for holiday but he got "held up by the epicness of Bulgaria for a month". Then, Romania, Hungry, a little bot of Austria and Poland where his cousins found him on the road and picked him up, which he said was a "legendarily emotional moment" for him!

I wanted to know more but he insisted I share my story before he continued. He listened intently until I finished my unimpressive adventures in comparison and then said, “Yes, you have a travelers heart.”

We walked around Vicenza in the rain sharing my umbrella. “Sheize, you’re terrible at holding the umbrella,” he told me so I hit him with the umbrella and ran away. We joked back and forth like old friends. He told me about his family and his art. We stopped to take a picture and he asked a random girl to take it for us. He wanted a good picture so he proceeded to show the girl exactly how to take it, making her bend down to get an artsy angle. He laughed at me for smiling in the picture.

He walked me to the train station so I could catch my train back to Thiene and we said our goodbyes. He gave me a hug and I wished him luck on the rest of his adventure. It was a rather emotional departure considering we had only met a few hours ago. He opened his arms for another hug, picked me up and swung me around telling me to lift my feet up like they do in the movies.

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When we’re little we are all taught “stranger danger” and to stay away from them. But at what age does that wear off? When are we taught to go outside of our comfort zone to meet the other people around us? I feel like I’ve always been hesitant of people I didn’t know and always assumed the worst but The Lord is changing my heart and opening my eyes to see that every person has such a cool story to tell if we’re willing to listen. We should realize that the world isn’t such a scary place. I believe more and more that the good far outweighs the bad.

Part of trusting God is trusting him to keep you safe and being faithful to follow that small voice in your head urging you to smile or say something to the person sitting next to you on the train. They may be rude or mean but at least you tried. Or they may be crazy, Mantas’ kind of crazy that teaches you more about life and inspires you. I don’t want to miss out on those crazy people. 

Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for a future that only He can see. _ Corrie ten Boom

Buon compleanno

I never would have imagined I would be spending my 20^th birthday in Italy and it has exceeded all of my expectations. Although I got to do some pretty exciting things, what made my birthday so special was whom I spent it with.  Randi Jones is another au pair that lives about an hour away and about a week before my birthday we met up in Vicenza, a larger city that is right in the middle of our two towns. We have only spent 3 days together exploring, laughing and making fools of ourselves but those 3 days have been such a blessing. My prayers for finding good community here have been answered and once again the Lord has exceeded my expectations.

On my birthday, her host family took me to Lake Garda with them! I caught the train to Vicenza early that morning and they picked me up from the train station. As soon as I stepped in the car the children and mom, Chiara, started singing Happy Birthday and they gave me cards that they had made for me. As small as it may seem, this made my heart so happy! We spent the rest of the day walking around the beautiful lake, eating lunch and gelato and then playing in the park for a few hours. I’m sure Randi and I looked ridiculous on the teeter-totter but it was too fun to pass up. I hope I never pass up an opportunity for fear of looking ridiculous, even if it is only on a playground.

When I got back to the castle, yeah- its still pretty cool that I come home to a castle, I played Monopoly with the kids and shortly after we ate dinner. My host mom is an amazing cook and I’ve loved all of the meals so far. We mostly eat pasta or rice and sometimes with meat but never too much sauce. Most nights we just have fruit for dessert but I was so surprised when the room grew dark and flaming candles walked towards the table. They made me a chocolate mousse dessert topped with trick candles!  It was absolutely delicious and so thoughtful! After, Francesca announced that my real surprise was tickets to go to the theatre that night in Vicenza. So Francesca, Maria Teresa (9 years old) and I drove to Vicenza to watch a modern dance performance. It was impressive, but very confusing. Baskets of oranges were thrown on the stage as the couple danced around them. It was closer to a mix of yoga and Hunter and I’s version of a “nerd fight” than actual dancing.

I had a fantastic birthday and I can't wait to see where I’ll end up for my 21^st!

When I am weak, He is Strong

(written on January 8th)

I am about to board my international flight to London and then onto Venice. The reality is just starting to hit me that I will actually be in Italy for 6 months. It sounds like such a long time as I say goodbye to friends and family but then I reflect on the fact that from the perspective of eternity it is merely a blink. What will this incredible adventure mean when it’s over? I don’t want a single moment to pass me by. My very best friend, Kaitlyn, reminded me of this last night as I was worrying about having too much free time while I’m there. She spoke right to my heart, saying “Go over there and fall back in love with life. Take in the details, smell the roses that you would normally pass by, listen to people laugh. But most of all fall in love with yourself and your surroundings.” Whoa, that’s exactly what I needed to hear. Kaitlyn has been my rock for as long as I can remember; every one of my childhood memories includes her-most likely her being a diva. Our friendship is the coolest connection that I’ve ever had and I can’t help but think that isn’t by accident. Kaitlyn and I have been through a lot together and her life is a miracle. God created us for this kind of community.  How great is our God that he knows exactly what we are troubled with and calms our fears and blesses us with rich friendship!

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

(written on January 11th)

I am now with my family in Thiene, Italy about an hour from Venice. The last 48 hours have been more difficult than I would have ever imagined. In an effort to be transparent I want to not only share with you the wonderful things that are surely yet to come, but also share the low points and struggles. Although my new host family is very nice, my heart is back home with my mom and brother. No one will ever come close to replacing them in my heart and I have truly come to understand that my home is wherever they are. At the moment, 6 months feels like an eternity away and my heart gets so heavy when I think of the time that separates us. The hardest time for me is at night when the house is quiet and I am begging for sleep to come.

Today- Saturday, January 11^th, the family took me to Verona to explore the city. It was wonderful, I had such a good time with the family and I am much more comfortable around them now. I got to see the old coliseum in Verona, explore all of the shops and even have my first Italian gelato! Also, I got to visit the house and balcony of Juliette from Shakespeare! I know that these difficult days will end soon and I know that the Lord will steady me through them. There is nothing more powerful than prayer and support and encouragement from friends.

My mom shared this quote with me this morning and it made me stop and laugh and it gave me a little bit of comfort.

“On particularly rough days when I’m sure I can’t possibly endure, I remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that’s pretty good.” 

Ciao!