Under the Stars

16: Finding Our Callings

My deep desire to visit Greece came from something my dad told us. Once we shared our plan to be abroad, my dad shared a story with us of how my mom had traveled with her dear friend Paulina Vasquez to Greece. That story of their travels brought with it a desire to go where mom had gone, to see what she had seen, taste what she had tasted, and experience the culture she had experienced. I saw it as though it was a way to connect with her. I wished to know everything I could about my mom, and for the most part, dad shared what he could, but this felt like a way for me to bond with her in my way.

Greece was full of all sorts of wonderful sights, from the ancient ruins to the beautiful cities, from the breathtaking views of the striking blue waters to the majestic mountains and forests. We took our time soaking in as much as we could. With each new sight, I felt as if I was connecting with mom in a way that I could have never dreamed of had I never left home. My favorite places were the ancient cities and historic districts. The fact that so much history had been preserved and that the buildings were still relatively intact, simply amazed me. I was beginning to wish I could help create such buildings that could stand a quarter of the test of time as the Panathenaic Stadium.

Aside from the ancient ruins, we visited different museums to see the delicate parts of history, different national parks to behold the beauty that was in the nature of Greece, the different islands, including Crete. We spent nearly a month in Athens alone taking in everything from the typical tourist sights to the smells, tastes, and culture of the Plaka District. It was simply amazing to experience the country of Greece.

After our stay along the Mediterranean Sea, we ventured into Spain. Spain held Rocky's interest almost as much as Greece held mine. Rocky's mom's family came from Barcelona, and while her mom didn't particularly say it, Rocky knew that her mom was excited that she had decided to visit the place where her great-grandparents had once lived. It was nice to have one of us fluent in the language of the country where we were visiting. We felt less restricted in our adventures while we were in Spain. The architecture and designs of Spain, yet again, drove my interest in building and construction. I couldn't wait to tell my dad that I had found my calling, though I was going to wait until I returned to tell him in person.

By the time we had finished our stay in Barcelona, it was the end of February. We flew to Bergen, Norway to start our first cruise. We decided that with the variety of waterways, it would be unique to travel via ship to see part of the northern continent. Bergen began our cruise up and down the Norwegian Coast. I was excited about the Norwegian Coast cruise. We planned to spend as much time outside at night as we could. Our goal for the trip was to see the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis.

Our cruise lasted two weeks. In those two weeks, we saw beautiful, ancient rock carvings, visited historical landmarks, and museums. The most memorable part of our trip north happened over a few days. We stayed in Alta for two days followed by Tromsø. In Alta, we had so much fun that we nearly left the rest of the cruise behind but stayed the course. We spent part of the night outside as we went searching for the Northern Lights on a dogsled ride. We felt like we were middle of nowhere. If it were not for the guides and the dogs, we would have been lost on our own.

The sky on the night of the dogsled ride was completely clear. I had never seen such beauty looking up at the expanse above in all our travels. It was picture perfect and none of the pictures that I took even came close to representing the majestic beauty on display. I felt like I was in a whole new world. I had no idea there was such color in the stars alone, and to add the blue, green, and purple hues of the Northern Lights, I could hardly breathe. I looked at Rocky, and she was just as awestruck as I. I even began to cry a little at the beauty, though I blamed it on the cold wind hitting my eyes as the dogs pulled us along when Rocky confronted me about it later that night. That view brought back so many memories and feelings, ones I had once wanted to forget but now secretly held dear in the bottom of my heart. Being under the stars always had an effect on me that I couldn't quite place, but at that moment, I welcomed it.