Act Two, Scene One: York

I belive it was Aristotle who created the theory that persists today of the three acts of life, and therefore the three acts of literature, and plays. Act one is the introduction of the characters and the establishment of the hero/heroine with his/her fatal flaw. Act two is the predicament, that event that creates a problem that must be solved. Act three is the resolution of that problem. My trip has three cities and perhaps follows this pattern. Edinburgh was the introduction. York was the inevitable realization of my fatal flaw/weakness: my feet. Sounds funny, eh? Well, I bought a new pair of shoes before I left for the Great Britain. I wore them an entire day and had no problems! I decided to put inserts into them to give a bit more support. The first day I wore them, I got a gigantic blister and wound on my left heel. So, I have been forced to wear these evil, yet popular, "shoes" called crocs. Giving almost no support, I've had terrible feet pain since. After a day in York, I had to sit for hours in the hostel with my feet up. Observing their swollen ankles, the new broken veins along the arch. This, in turn, required me to miss my York ghost tour. Ahh, such is life with my poor shoe decision making. I sat in the hostel wondering how on earth i ever did this for 3 months?! The sad realization is that it was 20 years ago and my body was much, much younger and pliable. The inevitable journey through life at some times unfortunate and at others simply wonderful.

My experiences with travel, my study of languages, my many years of meeting and talking with interesting (many times international) people have allowed me to see this world with a unique set of eyes. I know, for example, that this trip is changing me every day; moreso than my normal life does. I wonder who I will be when I return to my home country and what adventures I will encounter in the next moment. I've learned to notice the little things. Like door handles and light switches, but also street signs and language and the interesting things cities paint at cross walks or the convenience items that people living their daily lives take for granted.

So, with sore feet, awful shoes and keen eyes, I begin my next Act. York, England.