✈️ Around The World

I’ve been away for about a month traveling across four different countries. I went clubbing in Singapore, banananana boating in Bali, shopping in Paris, and sobbing at the lack of good Asian food in Switzerland. The past few days back home made me realize how much I’d missed my friends, my dog, and the city. After being abroad for so long, I’ve concluded that there is really no place like New York. It might not be for everyone, but I personally can’t see myself living elsewhere in the long-term—at least for now.

A few days ago I met with some of my best friends from Columbia. At this point we’ve all graduated, and are either already settling into our postgrad lives or about to enter our full-time jobs. One of the highlights of the day was us chugging a huge glass bottle of chocolate milk at Essex Market. It reminded me of the chocolate milk I had in Zürich, which was one of the few items I could find on the cheaper end. We passed the bottle around the table as though we were playing a drinking game, each of us taking a swig of milk when it got to our turn. It was lowkey gross thinking about the backwash left by each of our mouths, but we finished the milk anyway so that one of my friends could get back his $1 deposit for the bottle. It ended up being, in his words, a “crusty dollar.” But hey, at least he got his money back. (If you’re reading this, I’ll have you know that I still think you liked the boobie soap more than the abs).

One of the funniest quotes I heard from my friend was, “I think we need to tone down mental health awareness. I think we need to stop being so aware.” (It was funnier when he said it in person). As much as I advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health, I think he kinda has a point. Reflecting on mental health and sharing heartfelt experiences is great and all, but I’ve found that doing it excessively gets kind of tiring. As you’ve probably already noticed, this isn’t a conventional blog where I share what I’ve been up to each week. It might not seem like it, but despite the audience’s ease of reading each post, blogging requires a good amount of mental energy, reflection, and deep thinking from the author. And sometimes, I just don’t want to think.

Later that day, when I actually did get drunk off a lychee soju drink in a brightly lit Capri-Sun pouch, my friend convinced me that the coffee beans that came with our check were edible. I tried eating one, and when I realized he was joking the moment the waitress stopped me, I threw a coffee bean into my friend’s earhole from the other side of the table. I learned that 1) I am truly a lightweight and 2) I can do impressive things with unprecedented accuracy one drink in.

After another drink and a round of full-fledged karaoke, I ended the day with a scoop of Van Leeuwen’s planet earth ice cream. It felt good for my trip to come around full circle—after traveling the world, I finally ate it. It was very tasty. I could only finish half of it. And best of all, my friends were there with me. 🌎