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From my Moleskine while waiting in Kolin train station:

One thing I regret is not being able to present the level of WTHness I've experienced on this trip. I'm constantly feeling lost. Not knowing local languages keeps me in this state as I'm trying to navigate through train and bus terminals. Important information is constantly being squawked out of speakers all around. Signs are written in combinations of letters I've never seen before, each with additional accent marks and decoration that raise my eyebrow. I wish I could videotape every moment but it just doesn't feel safe to do while I'm traveling alone. (unfortunately for you, I've also kept my still camera in my pocket most of the time... I still haven't gotten over the idea that holding any electronics in my hands says "please rob me" while also stealing my attention away from would-be pick pockets. American paranoia or street smarts, you tell me)

But this navigating through country after country, made me think about how we all have to navigate through life. Life certainly isn't clear all of the time. We're constantly getting lost along the way, but we tread on to our destination. Sometimes we're late getting there but we make it. I think we have to remember how much we learn on the journey.

Getting lost familiarizes us with places we've never been. I've been in Prague one day and I was surprised today (and sort of impressed with myself) at how quickly I walked out of my hostel, hopped a tram to I.P. Pavlova, jumped on the C metro train, and ended up eating a sausage in Wenceslas Square for lunch, in less than 20 minutes. I got here yesterday.

Labels: Czech Republic