Perspective

As we all know, life has changed drastically around the world. Things that seemed run of the mill and “normal” are no longer in existence and seem a distant memory of the past; sitting inside a restaurant with friends, traveling internationally, and finding toilet paper for example are all things many of us took for granted and could never imagine having challenges surrounding them. While some restrictions have either been lifted, or aspects have been modified in order to adhere to the new normal, life seems to have somewhat resumed in some parts of the world. Unfortunately for me, currently living in the United States, many restrictions still apply and for good reason. Traveling internationally, and photographing different countries and landscapes is my biggest joy. Having been born in the Canary Islands to Chilean parents, and raised in New York, I am no stranger to traveling around the world. I had been to four different continents by the time I was nine years old, so sitting at home has never quite appealed to me. My mother says I have an adventurous spirit whose sole sustenance is seeing far and distant lands. While I would argue and say that pasta is actually what truly feeds my soul, she is in fact incredibly correct. Not being able to travel internationally feels inherently wrong, not to mention stifling to say the least. I have been very lucky the past couple of years and have been traveling often internationally three to four times a year. Quite the luxury I know, in several different ways; economically, responsibility or lack thereof, and paid leave from work to name a few. I have been lucky enough to see the aurora lights twice, spent a week in a tiny North Atlantic archipelago (Faroe Islands), seen the real-life castle that inspired Disney’s iconic logo (Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany), climbed to the top of a mountain via cable car that oversees six different countries (Hoher Kasten, Switzerland), have walked through ancient Roman ruins from Spain to Turkey, been denied entry to Russia and Malta (COVID-19 border closings), taken a train cross country in Morocco, and seen more Game of Thrones shooting locations than I can count spanning from Ireland to Croatia. However, in recent months that has not been an option, and there is much uncertainty as to when that option will once again become a tangible reality. In the meantime, I’ve resigned myself to going on hikes, reading books, editing the last 5 years of my life in pictures, and even taken up exploring my own backyard for a different perspective. This resonates with all of us on some level: a different point of view, a different angle if you will. Going to a supermarket, receiving mail, going for a drive, getting take out - all these concepts have changed immensely and irrevocably, and were viewed so incredibly differently during this pandemic than they have ever been, and may still be depending on what part of the world you live in. We also became more widely aware of this world, what we do to it (see green gas emissions, pollution, climate change), and how we relate to each other and treat each other (see black lives movement). Some of us are out of work, some of us are working through a global pandemic, and some of us are still trying to figure out what route we want to take with our lives. Regardless, this has been a great time for reflection, perspective, and growth. My time certainly has been; I don’t always have to get on a plane and travel thousands of miles across an ocean to find beauty. Sometimes beauty sits right in my backyard.