today, i enjoyed an extra long walk by the river po that runs along valentino park. my roommate, regina from puebla, mexico, joined me for an adventure that took us to the greenest parts of torino, italia. my study abroad program, USAC (University Study Abroad Consortium) largely consists of American students, with some international students from Latin America and Europe thrown in for good measure. I have classes with students from Mexico, Serbia, Hungary and France---naturally, you know me well and have probably guessed that i have mostly been hanging with the international students/'foreigners'---although I am probably the foreigner in this case...I have never been much of a pub crawler, and so i choose to spend my nights having beautiful dinners with strangers and new friends, walking along the river and taking photos as the light changes, ever so slightly, to create the most wondrous scenery. i have been struggling a bit with my OCD behavior--always feeling like i NEED to be doing something 'productive'. not allowing myself to just be. to breathe in the river scent. to follow that road that appears as if it will go nowhere. to climb those stairs that wind up to a hidden overlook. well, tonight i have been just...sitting. walking. sitting. walking.
perching. photographing. eating.
allow events to change you. you have to be willing to grow. growth is different from something that happens to you. you produce it. you live it. the prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
slow down.
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