Hi Emma G!
A good friend and I met the other day — we hadn’t spoken in a couple months and we needed to catch up! He’s traveling around the world for about 18 months right now. He and I both love world travel and learning about new cultures, tasting new foods, learning about history, making new friends (even when you don’t speak the same language), and going on adventures (white water rafting, scuba diving, hiking, etc.). I went to the Galápagos Islands recently and it was incredible…5 days on a yacht. I’ll share photos of the cute birds and penguins(!!) another time. I think you will go on great adventures and be free to have fun and explore, meet interesting people, and maybe even work abroad. I worked as an English teacher in Asia for nearly 5 years after college (first in Japan then Taiwan). You would love it. I was remembering one of the poems discussed in class with the high school students I taught. Maybe you’ve already learned about this in school but if not, it’s a very popular poem by Charles Bukowski. He was a famous German-American poet from the 1900s. The message is hopefulness and freedom. Plus, I love the title :) Auntie Jo
The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski
The Laughing Heart
don't let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can't beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
