To me, itīs the people who you meet. You can see every museum, every cathedral, every coastline in Europe and it might not mean a thing if you have no one to share it with.

    On this trip, thus far, Sherry and I have been blessed enough to meet incredible people who have entertained and enlightened us in ways that I will never forget:

    Peter, the guy from LA who always speaks his mind and wants to "do it up proper" and thinks everything is "correct"; Julien, the goodfy Canadian who worked for 8 months 65 hours a week to pay for his trip and wonīt let anyone spoil it for him; Lois, the headstrong Scots girl who has traveled everywhere and can do anything by herself - I admire her spirit; Kim, the amazing Australian who has lived on an island in the Great Barrier Reef, in Japan, in Thailand, in London, and now wants to move to Spain - what liberation!; his best friend, aka BIG GAY MATT who has a heart of gold and wants to travel to "understand other people"; Kent the hardcore Canadian who drives an army tank in Bosnia and nearly got shot!; Daniel, the Aussie from Melbourne with a lightning-fast tongue and zero patience but a dry wit and a good knowledge of American literature!

    People never cease to surprise me. When I get stuck in Rochester, my perspective narrows and I start feeling like Iīm caught in this rat-race where I have no choice but to move forward against my will. I start feeling like the most meaningless BULLSHIT is important and I create unnecessary mental obstacles for myself. I start feeling closed in and helpless. When I travel and meet all these people, their passion for adventure and exploration renews my faith in other people.

    Today we walked around Sevilla and it was sweltering hot but gorgeous. We check out Alcazar, these Moorish gardens and palace which left me speechless. I told Sherry today that seeing historical monuments from centuries ago that put skyscrapers to shame makes me feel euphoric and comforted even.

    Yesterday was the Feast of Corpus Christi and a holiday in Sevilla - everyone was dressed up and there was a massive parade with priests, altar boys, incense and a statue of Jesus. The religious fervor here is intoxicating. Like historical monuments, the passion of it all refreshes me. So many people I know now donīt have passion for ANYTHING and are content to let life carry them, rather than the other way around. To be somewhere with people who embody the celebration of the human spirit makes me happy and grateful that I will one day be a doctor.

~Hope