el.is.in.wonderland

I came to Greece expecting to gain big experiences: working in diplomacy, living in Europe, having the ease of traveling between EU countries, and experiencing a different culture.

Yet one of the most meaningful things turned out to be something completely unremarkable:

A blue sky.

I’m sitting at my work desk right now, and during a quiet moment, I look outside. It’s almost summer (already 33°C, yet still very windy), and the sky is a solid blue.

Actually, the sky has been a solid blue about 90% of the time. Not because Indonesia doesn’t have one. Not because Greece has a magical one. But because somewhere between moving countries, celebrating three birthdays here, and learning how to live away from my family, I somehow became someone who notices it.

It turns out one of the nicest souvenirs from moving countries wasn’t a place, a thing (though I do have a collection of fridge magnets), or an achievement.

It was learning to notice.