20 and counting

The year twenty is the difficult age between no longer being known as a teenager but also still not being able to legally enjoy such past times as grabbing a drink while mingling at a club/bar. It is that year where everything adult seems just out of grasp. Where (in Pennsylvania at least) people can still tell your not quite 21 by the vertical driver's license you carry around. Where, especially in my case, all your friends are 21 and making plans to head out to places that card at the door, making you feel a bit left out or at the very least guilty when they have to change the outing place to accommodate you (those are fabulous friends by the way). It is also an age when, after going abroad to Europe for four months and enjoying all the pleasures that come with being a legal adult, you come back to the states and become abruptly reminded just how young you still are in the eyes of the government.

However, even with all these downsides, twenty has definitely been a year to remember as a turning point in my mental and spiritual maturity, personal growth and development, as well as giving me the ever cliché "new outlook on life". During my time as a twenty year old, I have met some of the most amazing people, many of who I know I can treasure as long term friends and acquaintances. I found out my love for Europe after spending four months primarily in Greece, but also traveling to London, Paris, Milan, and Amsterdam (second time there). And I rediscovered America by finally leaving the east coast to venture towards the midwest where I spent two months in Chi Town studying and living at the University of Chicago (Hyde Park); as well as taking the time out to socialize more in Philadelphia and explore the city I love so much more.

(That's me on the right.)

As I am soon to be twenty one, I think it necessary to reflect on my past exploits as a fresh faced twenty year old, just to give you a bit more incite into where I am coming from. So in the next few posts I'll be recapping the most significant places I've visited and the people I've seen who remind me of the fantastic, though often stressful and difficult, year I've had. Just a little information so that you'll learn a lot more about me and the places and people I find significant.

Ciao.