theartofelsewhere

[theartofelsewhere]

I don’t think I can ever stop traveling. There’s no words that amount to the knowledge, freedom, enlightenment, connectedness, consciousness, or pure visceral elation I feel. There’s no currency that could exchange or begin to quantify the value of what I experience on these trips around the world. I would argue that immersion and exploration of self is a better way to describe my many escapades in foreign countries. How are we to be knowledgeable about our self, our society, our morality as a citizen of the world if we do not explore? In order to make decisions we must compare and contrast against our current knowledge bank and perceptions. Imagine how limiting that is when you’ve merely existed within one state, one country, or even one environment? As I get older I realize it’s terribly important to explore, to remain curious, to keep searching, keep learning, and keep making yourself uncomfortable. I’ve found that travel is simply the best conduit for that. While many live their entire lives in a monotonous, mundane, predictable, and socially permissible life (this is what we’ve been told is the ultimate life path and perhaps the quintessential American dream), I’ve found that this simply isn’t living in the way that I’ve defined it. Existing? Yes. Living? No. When we grow up we’re taught to find a career we love and an identity to embrace, and to stick with it until the end. We aren’t taught to explore the rice paddies in Cambodia, the inner yearnings and desires of the kind Balinese woman you met in Indonesia, the reef bleaching happening in Thailand, la dolce vita en Italia, etc. The list goes on. As a child I was stifled with fear, growing more and more anxious as this insurmountable decision loomed before me. Who was I to become? What would I do with my life? Which identity would I assume? Do I follow my passion? Do I chase the idea of a typical successful life? So much of our identity and life’s mission and path is predicated upon our career, of which many would never allow for such freedom and exploration of the world. I have to say I’m envious of those who have found their calling through their corporate job, of those who feel deeply fulfilled by the mundane, and of those who bought into such a traditional path. I wrestled with the thoughts and decisions daily on who I would choose to be when I grow up. The enormity of such a decision truly weighed on me. Some nights it was between sheep farmer in Ireland, or award winning poet. Other days tech founder and philanthropist. My love of food prompted me to create my own food blog and consider a culinary career. But how could I ever choose just one? That level of curiosity and deep desire to explore everything that excites me has stuck with me always. Much like writing, travel serves as my vehicle for expression, exploration, connection, and ultimately is what’s given my life such purpose and direction- a welcome shining beacon in an otherwise confusing and chaotic whirlwind that is mid-twenties life. My trip to Argentina in high school was one of my first and most formative trips. It prompted me to move to Italy (and miss college graduation) on a whim after never having visited, and from there I decided I wanted to live out my surfer girl dreams in Hawaii as I moved to the North Shore of Oahu. I’ve chosen New York as my next challenge. There’s something so jarring having to culturally, socially, mentally, and physically immerse yourself in each nuanced place that is so very different (Indiana, Italy, Hawaii, New York have been my homes) and I LOVE it. As Sylvia Plath, one of my most favorite authors writes so eloquently: “ I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life. And I am horribly limited.” This is why I travel, why I will never stop exploring, and why I am dedicated and committed to my curiosity.

[theartofelsewhere]

[theartofelsewhere]

AUTHENTICITY:

I always talk to people and get the “you’re so different than I imagined” talk. While I know this is meant to be a compliment, and hearing it gives me great solace in knowing that someone has finally uncovered the real Lucia without letting their judgements of who I am from my social media, etc. hinder that, I cannot help but feel slightly sad. What about all of the individuals that never see the real me? Or all of the people who allow an Instagram post or a passing glance to write my narrative of who I am as an individual? This blog post is dedicated to starting my journey of authenticity and sharing ME on social media. From a young age I’ve been passionate about writing. In my eyes, the beauty of the written word surpasses all other forms of communication. Writing was my first love, and we had a tumultuous affair from writing articles for The Indianapolis Star to publishing my poetry in an anthology on Amazon and other international print magazines. Like all first loves, I put a tremendous amount of pressure on my love for writing and considered even making it my major. Eventually, we went our separate ways but my passion and knack for it has never ceased to exist, even many years later. I’m writing this first post as a toast to authenticity, and to using my social media to express who Lucia Ponader really is. She rather sentimental (queue the weekly cry sesh!) She is an avid lover of words and will constantly use large words which shocks people (girls can be hot and smart too. It’s called elevated diction. Godspeed on your journey of literacy). She is messy, passionate, unorganized (just ask her friends) and a whirlwind of emotion and intensity. She is a lover of ALL Asian cuisine and with absolutely zero apprehension would eat any form of Asian cuisine every day for the rest of her life. She is a self proclaimed dumpling connesuir. She absolutely cannot function without her trusted Aquaphor. She MUST sleep with multiple fans blasting on full speed directly onto her face (to the average overnight guest one would believe that they were at sea on a particularly windy day trying to fall asleep in her room). She might quite possibly be a hoarder because of her emotional attachment to literally anything. She enjoys sunshine beaming down, with a kombucha in tow and her favorite book. Or watercoloring outdoors with a great friend. She lived in Italy for 8 months and LOVES to travel. She conquered Hawaii next. Her absolute favorite movie of all time is the Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann, one of her favorite directors of all time. She hates driving, those sporadic “can I talk to you” texts, and picky eaters. She aspires to be a food critic, travel to every country in the world, and make her own Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (P.S. Anthony Bourdain is my answer to the who would you have dinner with dead or alive question). She hates small talk and would rather engage in an enthralling discussion about something more abstract. Her favorite question to argue: do you believe in the idea of truth as it is literally defined? (in my opinion the correct answer is no, truth is merely a construct that is completely subjective and therefore is inherently unable to exist according to the definition of “truth”). She is creative and thinks outside the box; rules do not apply to her. She is an internationally published poet. She once ghostwrote music for her SoundCloud rapping ex. Favorite artist? Monet or musically it would have to be Cigarettes After Sex. She has been coined the “jester” of her friend group, as it’s her job to entertain and make people laugh. She does not believe that love is enough or that it exists for her (absolutely feel free to prove me wrong at any point). She loves a good laugh. She has flaws too, like all of us, but perhaps we will dive into those in another post. She exists differently in every single persons mind, but it’s time she takes control of that narrative, just a little. Here’s my take on authenticity, perfectly imperfect. Stop taking Instagram so seriously.

[theartofelsewhere]

[theartofelsewhere]

Kristin Davis and Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City (1998-2004)

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[theartofelsewhere]

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my poem inspired by Owen Gent, Lovers Series, No: 3

[theartofelsewhere]

[theartofelsewhere]

New Beginnings:

Isn’t it so beautiful, how much love exists in the world? Moving to Europe has been lonely as I’ve left so many people behind and at times feel all alone on this journey, separated by thousands of miles from those who provide me the most comfort. The strain to connect virtually and continue such rich connections proves difficult daily, ultimately costing me my relationship and providing an endless array of existential crises. There’s no doubt that moving to Europe for 8 months ( that’s over half a year…. most people think I’m crazy) would change my life forever, but I’m immensely thankful and utterly obsessed- the core of who I am has fundamentally changed for the better. I’m only halfway through, and this experience has elucidated the fact that love exists all around me, especially within myself. The connections I’ve made with people I never otherwise would have met remind me just how big the world is and how full of love we all are. At the end of day, humans just want to feel loved and accepted no matter where you go. It’s a universal truth. Ultimately, we’re all searching for that. How beautiful it is, to love and to be loved and to understand people wherever I go without speaking a word. If you’re reading this- I hope you find that feeling of love and wrap yourself up in it like your favorite sweater. Or maybe it’s a softer kind of love, the kind you slip into your back pocket and carry with you as a small token of a beautiful reminder. My journey has taken me thousands of miles and to multiple countries. Love is elusive. Simultaneously, it exists everywhere… in the laughter floating by, the pair of outstretched arms, the steaming hot food on the plate being set in front of you. How ironic. Whatever you’re out there searching for: I hope you find it. I’ll let you know if I do.

L.P.

[theartofelsewhere]

[theartofelsewhere]

sharing more of my published poetry <3