Life Abroad: Week Nine
Turning Inward
This weekend I travelled to Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands! To be honest, the only knowledge I had of Tenerife before hand was the Ed Sheeran song “Tenerife Sea”. According to Wikipedia,
“The song's title is a reference to Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain. According to Sheeran, the hue of his lady's eyes are as blue as the seas in Tenerife, "seriously blue, like electric blue".
Yes, Tenerife was very kind to us. I traveled with Casey, Mia (a friend of Casey’s through SI also abroad in Madrid), and Ying (my friend from our uni here who goes to Cornell). Basically a bunch of Information science girlies.
We got a rental car with 69 horsepower- for reference, a normal car has 200-300, so we were practically driving a go-cart. But it was the cheapest option, and our little Fiat happened to be a convertible- what a pleasant surprise. We almost got stuck on the side of a road but three Spanish men came to help us move our car. He also gave us his Whatsapp (I will attach a picture) but it was silly because he had it written down already before we had met him (including the hearts on the paper). We went on two hikes while here- the first day was up the Teide, a volcano on the island which happens to be the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic. This hike resembeled the Arizona landscape with dusty sand and burnt orange stones surrounding us. This hike was 6 miles all together in the heat, and we were not nearly near the top of the volcano. Still, because we had to drive all the way up even to begin the hike, by the time we reached our peak it was 8,000 feet up. With no snacks and limited water, our 4 hours were filled with conversation and personal anecdotes. It’s fun going on trips with people you don’t know well because shared experiences and adventures bring us all closer. Hiking is a physical activity I haven’t done in a very long time, and I was exhausted when we got back to the car. Luckily, we found an Italian restaurant on the way home that served the most divine tiramisu for dessert (sorry Vineet I need to try yours before I can say whose is better). By the time I got to the hostel, showered, and got in bed, it was lights out immediately. But soreness in the satisfying way- muscles I hadn’t worked in months were still happy to have been noticed.
Our second day, we went on another 6 mile hike called “Punto del Hidalgo a Chinamada”. This has got to be the best hike I’ve ever been on (not that I’ve been on that many). The scenery was out of this world- I felt like we were exploring in Bridge to Terabithia or living in a Grimms Brother Fairy Tale. Mossy cliffs, stone caves, flowering cacti, and a fog-filled landscape kept our eyes engaged, distracting us from our heavy breathing as we hiked up in elevation. There was a restaurant at the top of this hike where we enjoyed carne fiesta and patatas. This trip was enjoyable because it was very different than the other weekend travels I’ve been on. I was surrounded by beautiful nature of so many different terrains: rainforest, woods, mountains. I felt like I was reliving my Goodwillie (nature school) days and tried to write flowery descriptive phrases in my head of the nature I was seeing.
I didn’t think that much on this trip mainly out of sheer exhaustion- hiking 12 miles in rocky terrain in 2 days is no joke! My body was tired so my brain was on autopilot. However, because I was in a new city with a new group of people, I found myself thinking about introversion vs. extroversion. I was also finishing up a book called The Highly Sensitive Person (shoutout Delasi for the recommendation) which deals with tips and insights on people who are highly sensitive to their environments. And this makes sense: when I drink coffee, my hands shake; when I drink alcohol, I’m a lightweight. More foods than the average person make my stomach hurt or throat itch, I get hives on my face at random occasions. When I watch movies, I cover my eyes for the gory violent parts, and when walking on the street I block my ears from the scraping construction noises. Even the sound of pushing a metal chair on a tile floor gives me goosebumps.
Emotionally, I also have the tendency to feel things strongly (if you’re reading this, you already knew that about me haha) but I always thought this was moreso a result of a stronger development of empathy at a younger age. I began to read at 3.5, started playing violin at 4.5 (both activities requiring you to feel, to put yourself in others’ shoes). Also, being a child of immigrants and person of color in a 90% white school definitely added to this. I didn’t realize that some people are just born more sensitive than others, and that this difference could be as pronounced in adulthood as it felt in childhood.
Anyways, after reading this book I tried observing how I interacted with this group of girls I barely knew. Mia mentioned that introverts start their day with a full battery, while extroverts get more energized as they go along their day and interact with people. I’m someone who likes to talk a lot, but typically never in large groups. I know that extroversion doesn’t always equate to outgoing and introversion doesn’t mean you are shy- I’m a self-proclaimed “introverted extrovert”. Which really just means I like being with people and having a good amount of friends in my life but I also value ending my days in my nightgown drinking some tea, watching TV in bed, and blowing out my candle before midnight. Most people I’m close to think I’m extroverted while a handful still think I’m quiet. However, this totally depends on the environment I’m in (hence why I identify so much with being a highly sensitive person). Every night of this trip I felt drained and ready to curl in bed. But as I thought about this more, I really can’t imagine: are there really people out there who would rather be with people 24/7? No alone time to rewind and disconnect? Even after a long day of physical or mental exhaustion? To me, this says you don’t need to be alone to reflect. Or you don’t reflect, and people serve as a distraction from self-thought. Does introversion just mean turning inward at times? Valuing alone time? Also, I use my alone time to organize my days and plan ahead- I can’t focus on these things when I’m with people. Extreme extroverts, please show me your ways.
I prefer the intimate settings of just a couple friends. But along with this- in large groups I prefer to listen so I can learn more about the people around me. I love being the listener in a conversation, to analyze both the group dynamics and individual contributions. Many times for me, it’s more fun to do this than to contribute. Also, because I get nervous in big groups that whatever I have to say isn’t valuable (ah, the imposter syndrome persists) and I despise people talking over each other. Does this make me an introvert? Or does this just make me a curious person interested in human relationships? I love people and love conversation with most. I’m energized when I’m with close friends or at a fun bar/concert/club with others on the same wavelength as me. So long as my vibe matches the environment, I am at peace and in harmony with the moment. Just because I identify as extroverted doesn’t mean I love networking or being the center of attention- rather, I just like conversations to get to know others better. Qw have so much to learn from each other.
This is such a basic question that I thought I knew the answer to. But as I continue to interact with different groups, I keep self-analyzing and changing. I know it’s not that deep or binary, but just fun to ponder as I watch myself grow. That’s all for now. I’m on a train to Budapest, and can’t wait to share this upcoming week with you all. Thanks for reading and happy living!!
With love,
Rachel
