How I knew I wanted to be a traveling photographer.
Everyone remembers their first time of (fill in the blank), especially when they are life changing moments. Before I jump into telling you what that moment was for me, first I'll ask you that same question. What was that first time you did something that you knew it would change the direction of your life? Some of you will be able to say, "I know the exact moment, where I was, what I was doing, what it smelled like, who was there, everything." While others might say, "I don't remember the specific moment, but I do know that after (this something) happened, I knew my life would never be the same."
Let me tell you mine.
Summer of 2019
Grad school was the best decision I could have made for myself after I graduated college. Not because of the master's degrees I got, but because of the people I met and the places I saw. In May of 2019, we hit the summer rotation of our program and I decided to spend mine across the pond. First in Shanghai, China, then ending the summer in London, England. Classes were at max 2 weeks long at each location, which left me (and my class mates) many weeks to explore and go on adventures.
That is exactly what we did!
Shanghai, China - The Bund
Where we started
Shanghai, China
This was my first time traveling outside of the US and after a 13 hour flight, we landed in Shanghai, China. Talk about jumping into traveling head first. We had classes there for 2 weeks and the moment we got settled and I could explore, I WAS HOOKED! Every day before class, I would stop on my way in and grab a bowl of rice noodles, miso broth, and 1 egg and I loved it so much, I still make it to this day. I truly got to see for myself what I was like without my comfort blanket. The culture, the language, the food (OMG THE FOOD), it all captured me.
What we did
Beijing, xi'an, chengdu
After our classes were over, one of my best friends (Mari) and I got with some others in our group and we left for Beijing. On the train we went and we stayed at a beautiful hostel. Hostels are one of the best ways to travel in other countries. After a few days, we went on to Xi'An to see the warriors. There we stayed in a beautiful town and we were immersed in the best experiences and food we could find. Mari has wonderful stories about how I got us lost, but truly that never happened. Well not exactly, haha. We made up for it after visiting the pandas in Chengdu. Note to everyone, the red pandas can be VERY aggressive.
What was next
Tokyo, Japan
Here is were I met my challenge. Booking round trip flights, visiting and going back was the way I had always traveled, but not this time. I booked one way tickets to every destination and here Mari and I were, one way tickets to Tokyo, Japan. No plan, no agenda, we just went for it. This is also where my phone decided to no longer work. My phone would only work with SIM card, or on WIFI. Talk about really getting out of my comfort zone.
Golden Gai – Shinjuku
Sensō-ji - Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
The Journey became my own
Mari and I spent a full week in Tokyo. We went to temples and shrines, ate as much different food as we could, went out to the clubs, and even experienced a minor earth quake in our hotel room. It was also towards the end of this trip where I found out that I really did want to do this. I wanted to travel.
Mari had to go back to the United States, therefore her flight went back to the US, while I was headed to London, but I didn't need to be there for almost 3 weeks. After my friend left, I had a decision to make.. Where do I go next? Because where ever it was, I was going alone. No one to help me, no one to show me the ropes or tell me no. I was in full control and then, I decided. 16 hours, one 4 hour layover and a broken phone, I knew EXACTLY where I wanted to go.
And here I fell in lvoe
My second home - italy
I flew to Rome and never looked back. Italy became the place for me to grow and develop. For the first time, in what felt like forever, I was on my own. No friends, no family, (and don't forget no phone) and I flourished. I did eventually fix my phone, but I just let the world be. Nothing forced or planned. The only thing I planned was every day, I knew I wanted to see something new and I knew I wanted to go to Positano. So, my adventure in Italy began. I took it all in. On my journey there, I even ran into
a school mate who was also traveling through Italy (Adam). He also was just traveling and meeting with people and we were headed in the same direction so, we booked the same hostels, but did our own things most days. It was amazing, the views, the sounds, the smells, I can still smell the pizza coming out of the oven, on the side streets near the Trevi fountain. I couldn't help but wonder if I could make my life career doing this. Being in places like this. The seed was planted...
It was always meant to be ...
During this journey, I grew so much as an individual. That didn't mean I didn't have a LOT to work on, but it was as though I could see a dream and goal that I wanted to get to. Never knew how or when I was going to get there, but I wanted it. I took everything that Italy had to offer me, including my best friend (now husband) Adam. Yes, that's another story.
I went on to finish my classes in London, went back to the states and sat with the journey and experience I had just had. Told my family, my best friends, almost everyone close to me that I was going to find a way to do this. I was going to find a way to travel and experience this world in a different way than what was shown to me. It just wasn't until 2 years, 2 master degrees, a world wide lockdown, a lot of self exploration and eloping with my husband, that I found out how I was going to make this dream come true .... through my own hobby that I had been doing since I was 12 years old. Photography.
