It’s been nearly 10 years since the conception of The Allophiliacs — can you believe it? I was just 20 years old when I began documenting my study abroad experiences in Sheffield, England, and beyond.
Over the years, I have traveled everywhere from the hills of Lisbon, Portugal, to mountains of Monteverde, Costa Rica, to the architectural beauty that is Florence, Italy — sometimes documenting my journeys, but more often not.
As I ventured farther into my twenties, my writing (understandably, I hope) became less frequent while I navigated my final years of college and entered the workforce.
Working as a journalist full-time proved to be the antithesis of good and consistent creative writing. I did, however, find time to write several (now published) poems courtesy of my dear friend Adam — proprietor of Dark Thirty Poetry Publishing — who I met in a hostel in Amsterdam ages ago.
At present, I am working on a book of poetry to (hopefully) offer up to Adam for his consideration in the next year. It’s a long process, but I’m trying. I just recently started a weekly writer’s circle to keep consistent and hold myself accountable. It’s where I am writing now … tucked away in the back corner of a late-night coffee shop called Stella’s Coffee Haus in Denver, Colorado, munching on a very good sausage and egg bagel sandwich and sipping an iced chai. These are food staples for me no matter the time of day.
One thing I have learned about myself — only recently — is that I find it rather hard to write poetry when I am happy. And I am happy … and clear-eyed for probably the first time in my life since my carefree days studying abroad. It’s about time. I will turn 30 in just a couple of days. Talk about the end of a decade and the end of an era.
Of course, there are still days where I am so overstimulated I find it hard to function, or days where I hide from myself, at war with my new body — but those days are no longer all-consuming. There is much more joy. And a lot of that joy can be attributed to my loving fiance and soon-to-be husband, Matt.
Like I said — it’s hard to write poetry when I’m happy. But I’m trying anyway.
Matt and I have been together for nearly two years, and have already been on so many adventures together — the biggest of which was moving across the country from Atlanta to Denver. Despite an extended stay in Hays, Kansas, due to a snowstorm, that roadtrip to our new home is one of my favorite memories. Anything can be fun with that boy.
Other trips of ours have included visiting one of my best friends, Katherine, in beautiful San Diego, going up the mountain to Breckenridge for Matt’s first ski trip and flying overseas to Italy for Matt’s first trip to Europe.
Perhaps our biggest adventure of all will be this September, when we head to Hvar, Croatia, to elope, just the two of us (plus our wonderful travel photographer, Audrey). We’ll be in Croatia for nine nights — hitting Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. There is still plenty to do before then, but everything is slowly falling into place.
Just today, I was accepted into a Journalism Education master’s program at Kent State, which is thankfully 100% online (sorry, Ohio). Change is coming my way, and it’s no accident. So much of the past two years with Matt has been intentional as I shape the next decade of my life. I think it’s finally getting through my head — the idea that I’ll be on this planet for a while yet, and that I need to plan for it.
I want to go into higher education — teaching journalism to the next generation of media professionals — and I’ll be on my way starting this January.
Maybe turning thirty isn’t so scary after all, although I haven’t had much time to dread it. I’ve been too busy enjoying these “bonus years” as I call them. Sometimes the thought of finding ways to fill my time in the years ahead seems daunting, but it’s all a blessing. Just think of all the adventures that are yet to come.
I still want to see where my Nana grew up in Rio, travel to Helsinki, Finland, to see the Northern Lights and one day take Matt to Guam so he can see where his wife spent her childhood.
So, I suppose, this is my official sign-off. A hello and goodbye from The Allophiliacs for the last time. It’s been one hell of a decade — literally and figuratively — and I’m ready to see what the universe has in store for me next.
Soon I will relinquish this domain and back-up these stories to be kept somewhere safe. Where, every now and again, I can dust off these metaphorical pages and breathe in the scent of naivete, wonder and optimism about the world.
I’ve always loved to journal. An entire section of my bookshelf is dedicated to a menagerie of journals from each era of Elle (or Lindsey, depending on how far back you go). This blog has been one of my favorite journals, but everything must come to an end, and, while often bittersweet, that’s not a bad thing.
So get out there and keep exploring! I know I will.
Much love,
Elle
