This past weekend I traveled to Venice with some friends. We had a great time, but the trip was not quite what we were anticipating. While I was able to see an incredible city and beautiful sights, I also learned two important lessons for traveling and life in general.
LESSON ONE:
Carnival started Saturday in Venice and we all thought it would be in nearly full swing Friday night. We were so excited about the nightlife with the extra element of carnival and the fun of the masks. However, it was really just getting started Saturday right as we had to leave. Yes, we still saw plenty of people in the carnival getup, but right off the bat, we had to adjust our expectations for what the weekend would look like.
So the lesson learned here is to not create these perfect ideas and expectations about what a trip, day, person, event, or really anything should look like and then proceed to get disappointed when they cannot be met. We are human so complete perfectionism is just not obtainable for us. Learning to adapt and make the best out of what you have can truly bring much more happiness.
LESSON TWO:
Once we arrived Friday and realized the best carnival action would be Saturday night and Sunday morning we instantly grasped how clueless we were about the carnival schedule. We stated how much better it would have been to stay Saturday night versus Friday night. We also noted how none of us had really done much research or looked too hard into what the line-up of events was.
The lesson here is that a little gathering of information can prove to be very useful. Yes, there is a time and place to be spontaneous- trust me I fully know that, but this may not have been one of those times. With Google, there's no excuse for us not being educated on nearly any subject A-Z. Get in the know people.
As I am early into this study abroad experience, I'd say these are both lessons better learned sooner than later. I also want to make it very clear that I had an incredible time on this trip and truly love the city of Venice. I mean, they use boats instead of cars! My kind of place for sure. This semester is about growing as a person while getting to see the best sights this world has to offer, and despite the mix-up, I was still able to do just that.
LESSON ONE:
Carnival started Saturday in Venice and we all thought it would be in nearly full swing Friday night. We were so excited about the nightlife with the extra element of carnival and the fun of the masks. However, it was really just getting started Saturday right as we had to leave. Yes, we still saw plenty of people in the carnival getup, but right off the bat, we had to adjust our expectations for what the weekend would look like.
So the lesson learned here is to not create these perfect ideas and expectations about what a trip, day, person, event, or really anything should look like and then proceed to get disappointed when they cannot be met. We are human so complete perfectionism is just not obtainable for us. Learning to adapt and make the best out of what you have can truly bring much more happiness.
LESSON TWO:
Once we arrived Friday and realized the best carnival action would be Saturday night and Sunday morning we instantly grasped how clueless we were about the carnival schedule. We stated how much better it would have been to stay Saturday night versus Friday night. We also noted how none of us had really done much research or looked too hard into what the line-up of events was.
The lesson here is that a little gathering of information can prove to be very useful. Yes, there is a time and place to be spontaneous- trust me I fully know that, but this may not have been one of those times. With Google, there's no excuse for us not being educated on nearly any subject A-Z. Get in the know people.
As I am early into this study abroad experience, I'd say these are both lessons better learned sooner than later. I also want to make it very clear that I had an incredible time on this trip and truly love the city of Venice. I mean, they use boats instead of cars! My kind of place for sure. This semester is about growing as a person while getting to see the best sights this world has to offer, and despite the mix-up, I was still able to do just that.
Indeed, valuable lessons. Keep experiencing and keep learning.
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