Blog Post #2

The mistake he made wasn’t just embarrassing for himself but it was a mistake that was hurtful to some of the people he loved most. That’s just the sort of trouble Olivier Orban was in as a young 15 year old boy. Olivier is a sometimes quiet, but confident young man who finds little embarrassment about anything, but when I ask him about his most embarrassing moment he delves through his memory bank and quickly his eyes light up. “Oh there was this one time, but I don’t know if I can even say it.” That’s when I knew I found the gold mine.

He starts his story as he lights up a cigarette, something he does a lot just to calm himself. “I was 15 at the time and I was emailing my girlfriend because we had just...well, you know, the week before, he said as his cheeks were turning slightly red even. “I was explaining to her that we could still take things slow and that I loved her. I don’t remember what the email said exactly, but I know that it was mushy things you tell your girlfriend.” Then is where he made the biggest mistake a young teenager could afford to make. “I hit the send to all button on accident,” he said as I laugh directly in his face. No guy wants anyone to see their private conversations with their girlfriend, but they definitely do not want everyone to see  very private conversation about their sex life. I couldn’t help but prod him with more questions asking him how he felt. “As soon as I hit that button I panicked,” he says through his French accent. “I did not know what to do I just felt frozen. I wasn’t worried about myself or my reputation however, but I was worried about my girlfriend.”

Once he recovered from his frozen stage he knew what he needed to do. He called his girlfriend over and over, worried about the consequences he would have to face. He said,“I expected her to be pissed off, and she was upset, but in the end she did not care all that much, except she did have one request.” The one request was that Olivier find a way to delete the email from his Richard’s computer, his best friend, who just so happens to be Olivier’s girlfriend's brother.

As school went on the next day a few people he knew made fun of him which was he fully expected, but he took it all in with a sense of humor and pride. “I did not really mind the other boys at school making fun of me, I just cared about Richard not finding out, he said.” So during school he ditched a class with his girlfriend to delete the important email. “I was shocked when I got to his computer to see that he didn’t read it, and I quickly deleted it, he said.” I felt relieved that and ask him if everything ended up alright in the end. “Nope,” he replied quickly. “A few friends sent him the email anyway later that day. Some friends they are”

"So why did you choose to go to Sweden of all places?" It has been the most unavoidable question in the past 18 months of my life. Once those words have been spoken by a passing acquaintance I cringe and search for an answer to get out of this particular conversation topic as fast as possible. I have told people that my lifelong dream is to manage an Ikea and they send you to Sweden for intensive training. I have said that I was on a mission to get Abba back together. When I am feeling tired and unoriginal however I just say  I took a year to see all the beautiful women Sweden has to offer and that usually gets me off the hook pretty quickly. To be honest there aren't a lot of reasons for a sandal wearing, surf enthusiast from Southern California to travel to one of the coldest countries in the world. Yet as a 19 year old I made the journey for what would become the most unforgettable year of my life.

To actually find out the answer to why I chose to go to Sweden would require one to get to know my personality. I prefer the life of a vagabond, consistently changing my setting. I find an excitement in the unsettled, and when pushed out of my comfort zone is when I get to experience life's greatest rewards as well as its greatest struggles. I just love the act of travel when others find it as a burden. There is relaxation in staring out of the window of a train as the landscape changes before my eyes. I love to examine an airports big board of destinations and arrivals and often wonder what everyone's alibi for going to a place like Krakow or Kansas. I have boarded over 40 airplanes in the past 18 months and as well as countless trains and I still love to travel.

Thats not to say a life of travel is a life of luxury. On the contrary, I have had nights sleeping on the streets of Stockholm huddled with friends for warmth. I have panicked while watching a friend run after a train while I head for Rome without him. I've been interrogated by the dreaded TSA and had to have a full blown investigation. Those are mishaps that happen with travel, but it isn't the worst part. The worst part is I often wonder if a life of travel and change has any huge effects on my life and the people around me. This year at Sonoma State will be the first time I attend a school for more than two years. Sometimes I feel as if I will never play a giant role in anyone's life but rather I make cameo appearances. Every time I get down or I miss home though I realize how much there is to explore in this world and how suffocating some of those suburban nights can be. I realize that there is plenty of time to settle into one place and that I am always ready for the next adventure.