Love away from home

As a grown up, I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through expereience. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They may not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule taht I either try to live by or wish I did.

# 16 Fall in love in a foreign country.

I know this may sound silly, but trust me, it's worth it. Some times when we travel, we are given moments where we loose all sense of rationality. There you are in a foreign place, and all of a sudden there is someone standing in front of you, that you know immediately that you will never forget.
It happened to me in Scotland. It also coincidently happened to my roomate there. I was there to do a play, and when we got off the bus, he asked me whihc bag was mine and my heart was handed over on silver platter. We spent every free second together on that trip and I saw him four or five times after that, on visits. We kept in touch for a very long time with cards, letters, emails, gifts, etc. He was my soulmate, and today I still believe that he is, or might be. Most people don't actually marry their "soulmate." Most people don't actually even believe in soul mates, or love at first sight, but both of these things exist.
He and I are not together now, nor will we ever be, but that doesn't mean that everytime I look up and see stars, that I don't think about him or wonder how he's doing. He had my heart from the very first time I saw him. My mom always tells me that I give my heart away too quickly, and that may be true, but it sure is worth it at the time.
Fall in love in a foreign country. Give your heart to someone on a silver platter and challenge them to break it. It will definitely be worth it, but it will be the hardest thing you will ever have to let go of. It will possibly be the worst heartbreak you will ever feel, but every second that you spend with this person will be worth every tear you cry when you find out that they are getting married to someone who isn't you.