A week ago, I moved to Prague. It's amazing, really. Just to be able to say that. But what's more amazing, is how ready I felt to make the move...
*Rewind*
When you think about it, 30 days is not that much time. Although many responses when telling family and friends that I get to spend a month in every country were, "Wow! You'll really get to know the city - You'll get to see and do everything you want to!" That's not really true.
Our daily lives still chug along similarly, even on this adventure. We wake up, have our coffee, go to the office, say 'Hello' to our colleagues and friends, get down to work, eat lunch, work more, look at the clock, answer a few more emails, and then head on with our evenings.
Our 'sightseeing' time is limited to evenings and weekends, for the most part. Although we have 30 days in a city, we don't have 720 hours to explore what we want to. I'm not complaining in the slightest, just trying to give some perspective into our daily lives and showcase that even when you're in a place you love, doing what you love, you still don't get to do what you want every minute of the day.
Our 30-day living really only amounts to about two weeks of vacation in one city. There's tons that we can do, but by no means do we get to see and do everything on our laundry lists of wants. That being said, leaving our first city (Split) was an extremely strange feeling.
On the one hand, I didn't want to go. I still had so much that I wanted to do, see and accomplish. But on the other hand, I was ready to leave. I had learned my way around the city, knew what restaurants to avoid, could hold small talk with locals and was comfortable. I was ready to disrupt this comfort. I was ready to explore someplace new. I was ready to learn my way around the streets, learn what restaurants to avoid, hold small talk with locals and get comfortable in a new city.
I've never quite had a feeling like this after such a short amount of time. Have you? So often, we're trying to figure everything out, and we're not comfortable until we do. Rarely, do we allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and enjoy it.
A phrase that became more common than ever between my friends and I back home was, "I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my life." or simply, "What do I want to be when I grow up?". This concept of always trying to find the answer, always trying to reach a conclusion, always wanting to know exactly what comes next and where it will lead us, is actually more debilitating than it is strengthening.
...I have realized. Meaning, this is new for me - and something I'll continue to work on. I used those phrases above frequently, but no longer do I find them useful. A book I'm reading speaks so true of this concept...
"We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible in life, is in growth, in fluidity."
If you're not growing and adapting to new situations, environments, people and lifestyles, how much are you truly learning and where can it truly lead you? By disrupting my comfort zone and inserting myself into new situations, I'm learning more than I ever have before. And we're only one month in! I can't wait to move 11 more times this year.
And just for fun, here are a few of my highlights from Prague so far...
After our first day of work at the office, Mel and I wandered through the park back to my house and caught this sunset overlooking the city. Definition of stumbling upon beauty.
Wine nights take on a new meaning in Prague when we can enjoy them while sitting on Emily and Andy's rooftop. #penthouse
We went to a local design market situated in an abandoned train station and I saw this jacket... Three years ago I visited Prague for the first time and bought this exact blazer! I donated it before I left for Remote Year, but it came back to find me (in Prague)!
As seen on Instagram because it's worth two posts, my roommate Drew taught an Acroyoga class for the group. Here's me feeling all empowered and able-bodied (to be followed by a week-long backache that kept me from doing any sort of physical activity). Worth the 'gram though.
A slightly hungover over-ambition to go sightseeing one Saturday, resulted in a girls-day-out pub crawl! Here we are enjoying a Pilsner at the first brewery to brew the delicious beer.
Our Prague tour ended at Letna beer garden with one of the best views overlooking the city. I heart Prague.
Such a fabulous trip to Czech Switzerland with this crew! We got on the train with one way tickets to Decin and no clue how to get to the national park or home after our hike. It was one of the most perfect days yet. We all survived.
The Lennon wall is a must. We spent far too long taking far too touristy of photos. I even reenacted my picture from three years prior (because that's always fun).