riley clem
Guatemala
Traveling to Guatemala is easily the most life-changing and eye-opening week of my whole entire life. I went under the guise of a Mission Trip with the intention of learning about the culture, religion, geography, food, and people (and building stoves, like the mission intended).
We worked in the Highlands for 3 days and our team of 16 built 16 stoves and planted 160 trees. I know that we changed the lives of the recipients of the stoves, and they changed my life too. Their kindness and love for each other and their community was infectious. The children were playing soccer and duck-duck-goose with us while their moms stood to the side.
After a week in the highlands eating local food prepared by local women, we gathered our stuff and migrated to Antigua. When in Antigua, the first thing I wanted to do was go into the local market to see the beautiful, handmade artisan crafts. What I got, was a multitude of stands that looked like they all shopped at Oriental Trading Company with merchants yelling at me to buy their stuff. The market also had very unique items and a lot of jade.
On the second to last day, I was told that a group of my team was going to hike a nearby volcano. I did not know this was something that I wanted to do until I had to opportunity. I was apprehensive at first because I was recovering from a broken foot and we would be walking on a Lava Field. Hiking the volcano was one of the most challenging things I've ever done physically, but the view from the top and feeling of pride made it worth every gasping breath.
Takeaways from Guatemala: don't say no because it sounds hard and you never truly know the impact you can make on another life.
Summer Abroad
Summer 2017. I had my dreams come true. I made the opportunity to study in Grenoble and Paris, France for a month. During that time, I was learning about International Marketing and Small Business Marketing. I got the opportunity to travel on weekends and to explore Grenoble and Paris during the week. By the end of my time in Grenoble, I felt like I could give directions because I felt like I had lived there.
After my month in France, I took to solo travel to explore a part of the world that I had only seen in movies. I started in London where I had the opportunity to meet with a Professor at the London School of Economics and also rode the London Eye.
Next was Amsterdam. I took a ride through the canals and strolled through the Red Light District. Berlin came next. I was staying in a really groovy part of town but unfortunately didn't realize it until my last night. When I was out exploring, I didn't have a map and was relying on city cues to decide where to go. I took a left when I should have taken a right. I feel like I need to go back to Berlin to "right" this wrong.
Italy was after Germany. I started in Naples and never got the hang of the city. It didn't make a great impression when I had to walk 30 minutes uphill on cobblestone streets to fund my hostel because I couldn't get a cab. I was only in Naples for a couple nights before I took a Yacht Cruise around the Amalfi Coast. There was a captain and between 2 and 4 passengers Island hopping in the Mediterranean, It was a dream. I learned that I value sturdy land and sunscreen.
After the fairy tail cruise, I went to Rome followed by Florence. In Florence, I got to drive a 1960-something Fiat around the hills of Tuscany before wine and cheese tasting. Talk about a perfect afternoon.
Traveling by myself leaves me with mixed emotions. On one hand, I love the freedom to do what I want and when I want. I am the only one responsible for getting to the train station on time and I get to pop in any shop that looks cool without feeling like I was taking up someone else's time.
On the other hand, I got lonely. I met so many amazing people in my hostels but I would get to know them for three days then we'd separate and go our different ways. I learned that I like meeting new people and I value quality time.
