solo in the city
i don't know why i'm so hesitant to open up these days. every time i want to write, i let the anxious side of me win and i never publish the draft. most times the words don't even make it to the text box. and then some other part of me is stepping out of my old ways of thinking, daring to question my values on internet privacy and digital footprints. does it really matter? we're all going to die anyway—the people before us left pieces of themselves to be found in other ways—wouldn't this be the same thing? memory preservation? is it that serious?
on that note,
i traveled solo for the first time to Lisbon. i was nervous at first. i wasn't familiar with European social conventions and having to navigate that and the tiled streets was intimidating, but i quickly found out how nice of a city Lisbon was to get lost in (with a charged phone, data, and Google Maps). it was easy to peek in and out of alleyways, follow crowds and smells and lights, and still feel safe. granted, Lisbon is overflowing with tourists which helped me to never feel like the odd one out. i had my first solo meal right out of a sleepless flight (mid), toured a doll museum, stood in awe and exhaustion in the plaza, watched a rally outside my hotel window, explored palaces, listened to a bossa nova duo play at sunset, learned just how spatially challenged i am but also learned that i can overcome it, ate the most decadent chocolate cake, survived.
the most important lessons i pocketed on that trip? one, double check your check-in time so you don't have to kill 5 hours right out of a long flight, and two, check your hotel bedsheets first thing so you can ask to move rooms ASAP at the first sight of bed bugs (yup).
i'm very grateful to have the means to travel at this point in my life. now that i've gotten my first trip out of the way, i'm ready for more!