Self Reflection

How busy is life! 

I can't believe I haven't posted in so long.  February?  Really?!  Shame on me.  Well, life has been incredibly busy, but so satisfying.  I guess I should start off by saying that I took a trip to Europe for two weeks last month.  It was completely amazing.  I learned a lot about the world, and about myself.  Namely,

1)  It's okay to get lost.  Complete strangers will give you directions, let you use their phone, walk you to where you need to go, or even give you a ride.  (Not that I suggest getting in the car with random strangers, but hey, when you're in Europe and don't speak the native language, you get pretty desperate.)

2)  Hostels are actually pretty cool.  I don't know that they would every work in the U.S., but they were cheap, comfortable, and we didn't happen across any psychopaths so I'd say we did alright.

3)  Internet is important, but is also not that important.  Not speaking the native languages made me crave contact with those who did, so whenever we had Wifi access the first thing I would do was check Facebook and email to see how my friends and family were, but there were several days where we didn't have any Wifi or computer access, and I found myself strangely just fine with that.  In fact I managed to catch up on some reading...I read a whole 2.5 books!  Mostly on the trains, which leads me to my next point...

4)  Public transportation is awesome.  It's convenient, it's cheap, and there's no reason why Americans can't embrace it.  I mean come on, you can be lazier than while you're driving, because you can just sit there and do what you want!  Of course here I'm sure we'd make sure all the trains had Wifi, but imagine the possibilities.  One or two-hour commutes would no longer be lost time; you could work on your laptop, talk or text on the phone, do your makeup without scaring other drivers...

5)  Americans are wasteful.  We drive big cars, eat big food, and live in big spaces.  We have large electric bills, large guts, and large landfills.  I was very impressed with Europeans; they drive small cars, eat good portions, and their living spaces are small but adequate.  I saw many solar panels, mini-cars, and small houses and apartments, and the people all seem extremely happy and healthy.  Not to mention their food is so much simpler.

One example of the difference between American and European foods.  Think of Fanta orange soda.  It's a bright, radioactive orange color, full of calories and sugar, and has no health benefits whatsoever.  Yet in Europe, it has no artificial colors or flavors, it contains real juice and pulp, and fewer calories!  And you know what?  It tasted better.  Why is it that we can't have such simple things like that here in America?  Fewer artificial ingredients, and just fewer ingredients.  Why isn't that possible?  Why do we have to drink sodas that match the color of a traffic cone? 

If I learned anything, I learned how easily others can live their lives so differently from us, and yet it seems they do it so much more easily.  There were many times I asked myself "Why?", especially "Why can't we do that too?", and found no good answers.  I don't think there are any.  Maybe one day I'll return to Europe and stay there for a few years (or longer).  Until then, I'm just going to have to do the best I can with what I'm given. 

I've already made more changes to my diet.  I eat out very little nowadays; mostly I make myself sandwiches, rice, or pasta, generally of a vegetarian variety, and try to eat fruits and veggies at least once a day, if not more often.  I've mostly given up meat, as now every time I eat it, my digestive system throws a temper tantrum the next day.  I do eat beans, nuts, and textured vegetable protein (TVP) often, so I'm getting enough protein.  I do still eat eggs and dairy products as well, and the occasional seafood.  I suppose I'm more of a lacto-ovo-pescatarian than a true vegetarian. 

I've also managed to get B on board with my way of eating as well.  He went to visit his parents, and called me in a panic from the grocery store, because they didn't have anything organic, and he couldn't find the TVP...He makes me so proud!

The United States is currently in an obesity crisis, but we're also in a malnutrition crisis; it's truly amazing how many Americans don't eat properly.  My own family members rarely eat vegetables, and one in particular, when I asked, couldn't remember the last time they had eaten fruit.  How sad!  I think it's important that when we encounter people like this in our lives, we do the best we can to encourage them to care about what they put into their body.  I've found that just talking about the importance of fresh, unprocessed foods and the nutrients they hold can be enough to inspire some people to eat better.  Or at least think about eating better.  Just plant the seed, and it will grow...

School is exhausting.  I'm currently taking two summer classes AND assisting two of my professors with a research project, so needless to say I don't have much spare time.  But each day I remind myself that I'm just one more day closer to graduating and pursuing my career.  Hopefully the next year will go quickly, and before I know it I'll be moving to New York City to live the life of my dreams. 

So, until next time...