May The Road Rise to Meet You

story: Leanne Stahulak

Darkness hovered at the edge of the park, beaten back by the glittering lights before us. We sidestepped group after lounging group, the sprinkled sounds of laughter and chatter drifting past our ears. After several minutes of careful searching, we finally found an open stretch of grass and set down our jackets as a makeshift picnic blanket. My friend Meghan and I pulled out a bottle of Cabernet d’Anjou, a rosé wine we had sampled earlier at a wine tasting. Taylor and Abbey produced a bottle of white wine and a baguette, while Ashley uncorked the red wine and revealed the chocolate she’d bought earlier at a quaint chocolate shoppe. With our feast laid out before us, the seven of us looked at each other and grinned.

The Eiffel Tower shimmered above us like a shower of falling stars, casting light on our midnight picnic.

Eight months ago, I never would’ve dreamed that I would be living this moment. Picnicking with a bunch of people I’d only met 16 days ago, drinking wine and staring up at the Eiffel Tower in all of its shimmering glory. The old me would’ve been much more comfortable sitting in her dorm and watching Netflix with a small, intimate group of friends. She never would’ve bought a bottle of wine or stayed out late in a city she barely knew with people she knew only a little bit better.

Back in Oxford, Ohio, I was content with my life and how I lived it. Focusing on my schoolwork and my writing, I generally passed under the radar and escaped people’s notice. And for the most part, I was okay with that. I was only slightly lonely.

Since moving to Luxembourg to study abroad, that feeling has slowly passed.

For the first time in my life, I get to see the world. I get to visit a different country every weekend, study in a castle and immerse myself into a culture and community I’ve never experienced before. During the first week I was here, I was too terrified to venture far from the Chateau or my host family’s house, too anxious to put myself out there and make friends.

My trip to Paris was only the beginning of my journey towards growth and self-discovery. Killarney, Ireland, was the next step.

The clouds clung to the peaks of the mountains like reluctant children. They shifted between pearly gray and darker slate but never grew dark enough to portend a storm. Fields of bright yellow gorse and purple heather wound throughout the valley, intermingling with the verdant green grass.

As my friends and I followed the zigzagging path up the steep incline of the mountain, my breath sawed through my lungs and my calves protested with each aching step. We were nearly to the top, only another few bends in the path away, and I turned around once to check on my friends Sarah and Ashley. My mouth dropped open as my gaze passed over them and fell on the sight before me. The valley dropped away like a giant slash, cocooned on all sides by gently sloping mountains and hills. The houses and churches we’d passed on the way up sprinkled the countryside like tiny dots, surrounded by strips of dark green trees.

We soon rounded the bend towards the top of the mountain, and the Gap of Dunloe emerged before us out of the fog.

In moments like these there are no words to express what you’re thinking and feeling. You can only stand there, mouth agape and hands hanging limply at your sides as your chest swells with wonder and delight and rapture. These moments were pure magic.

Every place I’ve visited has inspired this enchantment within me, causing me to consider how a single experience can irrevocably affect my life and my outlook on it. In the short time I’ve been abroad, I’ve discovered that travel is about more than just setting foot in another country. It’s about taking a piece of each country with you and leaving a piece of yourself behind. Each destination has a different story to share with you, a different piece of wisdom to impart, and if you don’t take the time to absorb these life lessons, then you’ve lost an invaluable treasure.

There’s no doubt that Paris is a city for dreamers. It drips with splendor, from the richly carved statues and monuments to the intricately beautiful painted ceilings sprawling over several buildings. The stone and marble glimmer with the promise of fortune, drawing from their vibrant history to inspire visitors to incorporate past and present towards a better future. An air of expectation hovers over the streets, like the city is watching and asking you, “So? I’ve left my mark on the world. How do you expect to leave yours?”

Killarney asks a different question.

As I trekked up the mountain towards the Gap of Dunloe, the wind whipped my hair about my face mercilessly and tugged at the open flaps of my jacket. It simultaneously pulled me back and prodded me forward, forcing me to steady my legs and ground myself on the meandering path we followed. The wind of Killarney howled and screamed through my hood, asking me over and over again, “Are you strong enough to overcome this? I’ve laid claim to this land for generations. What makes you capable of conquering this earth?”

Faith made me capable. Not just faith in myself, but faith in the person who would emerge on the other side of that mountain. The person who would be transformed, evolved into someone who was a little less hesitant, a little less afraid and a lot more sure of themselves. People experience different journeys on their way to self-growth and self-confidence, but I can undeniably tell you that travel will spark that growth, whether you’ve already gone through it or not. That’s part of the reason why I decided to study abroad; I knew that the best writers write from personal experience, and there’s no better experience than viewing the world through a million cultural lenses.

Paris and Killarney are as opposite as two cities can be. Lounging under the Eiffel Tower, drinking wine and eating chocolate as the tower shimmers against the night sky cannot be further away from gazing at the endless horizon available to you from atop a peak of jagged rock interlaced with lush grass. Miles away and seemingly worlds apart, you would think that two different people sat under that tower and climbed up that mountain.

But it was just me.

The same quiet, introverted girl from Oxford who used to be afraid to test her limits. Paris and Killarney challenged me like no parent, professor or coach ever has before. They didn’t just want me to do better; they wanted me to be better, to trust in my abilities and my inner strength. No matter how different two locations can be, they still have the capacity to inspire and motivate people to push themselves outside their comfort zones and not be afraid to live vivaciously.

Eight months ago, I decided I was tired of a life of banal normalities. I wanted fun; I wanted adventures; I wanted unforgettable experiences. I didn’t just get those; I also got a precious peek at the person I was capable of becoming. Every single person should have that opportunity, that invaluable chance to not only see the world but learn from it and grow from it.

So I challenge you to go. Go to places that will push you beyond your limits — even if it’s not Paris or Ireland. Even if it’s only an hour from home, don’t sit idly by and let your life slip away from you. Give a piece of yourself to the destinations you visit, and take a piece of these places with you. Become the person you never imagined you could be. Because, whether or not you know it, you are capable.

As they say in Ireland, go n-éirí an bóthar leat. May the road rise to meet you.